Table of Contents
March 1, 2015
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2015 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF | CEMB | BATS |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“Morningstar®” and “Morningstar® Emerging Markets Corporate Bond IndexSM” are trademarks or servicemarks of Morningstar, Inc. and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar, Inc., and Morningstar, Inc. makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® EMERGING MARKETS
CORPORATE BOND ETF
| Ticker: CEMB | Stock Exchange: BATS |
Investment Objective
The iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, emerging market corporate bonds.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) 1 | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.50% | None | None | 0.50% | |||
| 1 | The expense information in the table has been restated as of March 2, 2015 to reflect current fees. |
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 these assumptions, your costs would
be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $51 | $160 | $280 | $628 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”).
Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)
The best calendar quarter
return during the periods shown above was 3.94% in the 2nd quarter of 2014; the worst was -5.00% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2014)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 4/17/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | 2.62% | 2.99% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | 0.81% | 1.36% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | 1.50% | 1.60% | |
| Morningstar ® Emerging Markets Corporate Bond IndexSM (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes) | 3.47% | 3.62% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on BATS Exchange, Inc. (“BATS”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the Fund's use of
representative sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because
the Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high
inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States
and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on
major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk,
including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others,
may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Call Risk. During periods of
falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a
decline in the Fund’s income.
Central and
South American Economic Risk. The economies and financial sectors of certain emerging markets countries are affected by the economies of Central and South American countries, some of which have experienced high
interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults, high unemployment rates, and expropriation and/or nationalization of assets. In addition, commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant
percentage of the region's exports and many economies in this region are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in this region and
on the financial sectors of emerging markets countries.
Concentration Risk. The
Fund’s investments will generally follow the weightings of the Underlying Index, which may result in concentration of the Fund’s investments in a particular quasi-sovereign entity or entities in a particular country, group of
countries,
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region, market, sector or asset class. To the extent that its investments are
concentrated in a particular quasi-sovereign entity or entities in a particular country, group of countries, region, market, sector or asset class, the Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those bonds, may be subject to
increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the
risk that an issuer or guarantor of debt instruments or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities is unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments or to otherwise honor
its obligations.
The Fund’s portfolio may
include below investment grade bonds, which generally are subject to greater levels of credit risk than higher rated securities. There is the chance that the Fund’s holdings will have their credit ratings downgraded or will default (fail to
make scheduled interest or principal payments), potentially reducing the Fund’s income level and share price. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which may be reflected in their credit ratings.
Custody Risk. Custody risk
refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets may make trades harder to complete
and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets. In
general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies may be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Geopolitical events, acts of terrorism, and other instability in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities
markets in some Eastern European countries are substantially smaller and less developed, with less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and may be less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in the United States or
Western European countries. In addition, investing in securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may involve:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
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| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the European Union (the “EU”) as a whole. |
Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the EU requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing
imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an
economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to
concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to
significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Extension Risk. During periods
of rising interest rates, certain debt obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income and potentially in the
value of the Fund’s investments.
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Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector,
including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money
or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their
profitability. During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank
money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. During the financial crisis, a number of large financial institutions failed, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital.
Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity
securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those
actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
High Yield Securities Risk.
Securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as “junk bonds,” including those bonds rated lower than “BBB-” by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch or “Baa3” by
Moody’s), or are unrated, may be deemed speculative and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity.
High yield securities may also be subject to greater levels of
credit or default risk than higher-rated securities. The value of high yield securities can be adversely affected by overall economic conditions, such as an economic downturn or a period of rising interest rates, and high yield securities may be
less liquid and more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price or to value than higher-rated securities.
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In particular, high yield securities are often issued by
smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) companies, which are generally less able than more financially stable companies to make scheduled payments of interest and principal.
Income Risk. The Fund’s
income may decline when interest rates fall. This decline can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted or the Fund otherwise needs to
purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity
guidelines.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the
Index Provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the
Index Provider does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index
Provider’s methodology. BFA’s mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee
against Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are
less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect
constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to
Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to additional tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried
out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific
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products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products
of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of
companies in the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in
commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors.
Interest Rate Risk. As interest
rates rise, the value of a fixed-income security held by the Fund is likely to decrease. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making their prices more volatile than securities with shorter
durations. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed-income securities with longer-term maturities, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline significantly.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk
exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent the Fund invests in illiquid securities or securities that become less liquid, such investments may have a negative effect on the returns of the Fund because the
Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk.
Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to
meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. The Fund invests primarily in emerging market bonds and, as a result, the Fund’s portfolio may have greater exposure to market risk than a
fund that
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invests in securities of developed markets. Fixed-income securities with
short-term maturities are generally less sensitive to such changes than are fixed-income securities with longer term maturities.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are
not
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likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end
funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at
prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and
redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its
NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Issuers Risk.
Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers have different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation,
adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less
governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource
self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions. In addition, the value of these securities may fluctuate due to changes in the exchange rate of the issuer’s local currency against the U.S. dollar.
The United States and the European Union (the
“EU”), along with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectoral
sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and
liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the
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immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to
buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities.
The
sanctions against certain Russian issuers include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being
imposed are not currently subject to any restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such
issuers. If it becomes impracticable or unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the
Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an
event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that
may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that
represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
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Privately-Issued Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in privately-issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S of the 1933 Act. Privately-issued securities typically may be resold only to qualified
institutional buyers, or in a privately negotiated transaction, or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met for an exemption from registration.
Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund may find it more difficult to
sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held and traded. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of
such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s NAV due to the absence of an active trading market. There can be no assurance that a privately-issued security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as
long as it is held by the Fund.
Quasi-Sovereign
Obligations Risk. The Fund may invest in quasi-sovereign debt obligations. An investment in quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks generally not present in corporation debt obligations.
Quasi-sovereign debt includes investments in securities issued or guaranteed by an entity affiliated with or backed by a sovereign government. Generally, quasi-sovereign debt obligations are issued by companies in which a government owns a majority
of the issuer’s voting shares. They are often considered strategically important to the sovereign entity but do not legally carry sovereign status for purposes of debt repayment. While certain quasi-sovereign debt issuers have received
sovereign government support in the past, such past support is not a guarantee that it will continue in the future. In fact, in the past certain quasi-sovereign debt issuers have pushed their creditors toward debt restructuring, rather than meeting
their payment obligations. Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and less standardized than sovereign debt obligations.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be affected adversely by the economies of their
trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. These countries may be subject to other protectionist measures imposed or
negotiated by the countries with which they trade.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as
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taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market
countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large amounts of foreign trade and investment. Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume,
potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times. Settlement procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States (and other developed countries). In
addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities and could cause the Fund to miss
attractive investment opportunities.
Securities Lending
Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or
at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax
consequences for the Fund. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the
Fund’s securities lending program.
Security
Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These
situations may cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
countries in which the Fund invests may experience currency devaluations, substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, causing a negative effect on their economies and securities markets.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences, transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of distributions, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be
heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain markets, and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by adverse changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in
U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the economies of these countries and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has
exposure.
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Utilities Sector Risk.
Deregulation may subject utility companies to greater competition and may adversely affect their profitability. As deregulation allows utility companies to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of
business, utility companies may engage in riskier ventures. In addition, the deregulation may eliminate restrictions on the profits of certain utility companies, but may also subject these companies to greater risks of loss. Companies in the
utilities industry may have difficulty obtaining an adequate return on invested capital, raising capital, or financing large construction projects during periods of inflation or unsettled capital markets; face restrictions on operations and
increased cost and delays attributable to environmental considerations and regulation; find that existing plants, equipment or products have been rendered obsolete by technological innovations; or be subject to increased costs because of the
scarcity of certain fuels or the effects of man-made or natural disasters. Existing and future regulations or legislation may make it difficult for utility companies to operate profitably. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues
and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict utility companies’ access to new markets, thereby diminishing these companies’ long-term prospects. There is no assurance
that regulatory authorities will grant rate increases in the future, or that such increases will be adequate to permit the payment of coupon payments on bonds issued by such company. Energy conservation and changes in climate policy may also
have a significant adverse impact on the revenues and expenses of utility companies.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that
are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. stock exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will
not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of
valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference
between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Middle
Eastern Economic Risk. Many Middle Eastern countries have little or no democratic tradition and the political and legal systems in such countries may adversely impact the companies in which the Fund invests and, as
a result, the value of the Fund. Middle Eastern governments have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. Many economies in the Middle East are highly reliant on income from the sale of oil or
trade with countries involved in the sale of oil, and their economies are therefore vulnerable to changes in
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the
market for oil and foreign currency values. As global demand for oil fluctuates, many Middle Eastern economies may be significantly impacted. A sustained decrease in commodity prices could have a significant negative impact on all aspects of the
economy in the region. Middle Eastern economies may be subject to acts of terrorism, political strife, religious, ethnic or socioeconomic unrest and sudden outbreaks of hostilities with neighboring countries.
Certain Middle Eastern countries have strained relations with
other Middle Eastern countries due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, religious tensions or defense concerns, which may adversely affect the economies of these countries. Certain Middle Eastern countries experience significant
unemployment, as well as widespread underemployment.
Recently, many Middle Eastern countries have experienced
political, economic and social unrest as protestors have called for widespread reform. Some of these protests have resulted in a governmental regime change. If further regime changes were to occur in any of these countries, the new government may
not immediately stabilize such country, which could adversely affect the economies of Middle Eastern countries in which the Fund invests and could decrease the value of the Fund’s investments.
North American Economic Risk. A
decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in
which the Fund invests.
The United States is
Mexico's largest trading and investment partner. The Mexican economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the
United States and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities
held by the Fund.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists
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and
other investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.50%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of December 31, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.65 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended October 31.
Portfolio Managers. James Mauro
and Scott Radell 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 his portfolio management team to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing investment strategy and overseeing members of his portfolio management team that have more limited
responsibilities.
James Mauro has been employed by
BFA and BTC as a portfolio manager since 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Mauro was a Vice President at State Street Global Advisors. Mr. Mauro has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Scott Radell has been employed by BFA and BTC as a portfolio
manager since 2004. Mr. Radell was a credit strategist from 2003 to 2004 and became a portfolio manager at BGFA and Barclays Global Investors, N.A. in 2004. Mr. Radell has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC
Financial
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Services Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners,
trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies,
commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with
respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an
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Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop investment banking
relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research coverage. An Affiliate
may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may receive compensation for
such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “CEMB.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread;” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based
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on
the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that
are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying
securities.
The Fund participates in the BATS Competitive
Liquidity Provider Program (the “Incentive Program”), which is designed to strengthen market quality by providing enhanced rebates for lead market makers (“LMMs”) in exchange traded products whose trading volumes do not
exceed specified levels. Rebates are allocated to eligible LMMs based on a competitive quote evaluation process. Rebates, which for the Fund may be up to $30,000 per year, are funded by a supplemental listing fee paid by the Adviser and not by the
Fund. BATS has proposed to amend the Incentive Program to restructure the incentive payments and eliminate the standard listing fee for exchange traded products. There are risks associated with the Incentive Program because it may act to
artificially influence trading in the Fund shares, and pricing and liquidity of the shares could be adversely impacted if the Fund were to leave the Incentive Program or the Incentive Program were discontinued. The Incentive Program is scheduled to
terminate on or about July 28, 2015. LMMs participating in the Incentive Program are restricted in their ability to finance Fund shares. Additional information about the Incentive Program is available on the BATS website at
http://www.batstrading.com/listings/market_maker/etp/. This reference to the BATS website does not incorporate the contents of that website into this prospectus.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is BATS.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the
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exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered investment company
must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that you hold in book-entry
or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and underlying
securities held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15
seconds throughout each trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash
required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the
current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not
involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. The NAV of the Fund is calculated by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of
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its
total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding shares of the Fund, generally rounded to the nearest cent.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
The Fund values fixed-income portfolio securities using prices
provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market makers, or independent third-party pricing services which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market transactions for the same or similar assets, to derive values.
Certain short-term debt securities may be valued on the basis of amortized cost.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index,
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which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s
performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. There is no guarantee that shares of the Fund will receive certain
regulatory or accounting treatment. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income, including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund's net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. The Fund's
distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the shares. Distributions from the Fund are subject to a 3.8% U.S. federal
Medicare contribution tax on “net investment income,” for individuals with incomes exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly) and of estates and trusts. In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax
for the year when
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they
are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
If the Fund's distributions exceed current and accumulated
earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of
the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder's cost basis and will result
in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the shareholder holds
shares of the Fund as capital assets.
Interest received
by the Fund with respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total
assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of securities of non-U.S. corporations, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be
considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your U.S. federal taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in
calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
If you are
neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a non-U.S. 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. federal
withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies.
A
30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign
financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain
other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will
provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS
certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain
other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the
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event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing
legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide
certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 100,000 shares or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation baskets will generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the Fund.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund (“Fund Securities”) and a specified amount of cash. Except
when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based
on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
The portfolio of securities required for purchase of a Creation
Unit may be different
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than
the portfolio of securities the Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund shares. The Deposit Securities and Fund Securities, as applicable, in connection with a purchase or redemption of a Creation Unit, generally will correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by the Fund.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional
buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 that has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an
underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation
and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table
24
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below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized
Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption
transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business
day. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole or in part) are available or specified) are also subject to an additional charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This charge is intended to
compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may
pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as
of November 30, 2014, the approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $5,067,000 | 100,000 | $100 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
25
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
26
Table of Contents
Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Oct. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Oct. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Apr. 17, 2012a to Oct. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 50.48 | $ 52.93 | $ 50.00 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 2.01 | 1.92 | 1.07 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 0.75 | (2.49) | 2.76 | ||
| Total from investment operations | 2.76 | (0.57) | 3.83 | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (2.06) | (1.88) | (0.90) | ||
| Total distributions | (2.06) | (1.88) | (0.90) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 51.18 | $ 50.48 | $ 52.93 | ||
| Total return | 5.61% | (1.07)% | 7.75% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $25,591 | $35,338 | $21,170 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.60% | 0.60% | 0.60% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 3.99% | 3.74% | 3.87% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 20% | 33% | 29% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of processing capital share transactions in Creation Units. |
27
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Index Provider
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent
investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Morningstar offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. Morningstar
provides data on approximately 479,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 13 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals,
in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries and had approximately $170 billion in assets under advisement and management as of December 31,
2014. The company has operations in 27 countries. Morningstar is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, or the Distributor. Credit Suisse maintains and calculates the Morningstar Indexes for Morningstar pursuant to a contractual
agreement. Credit Suisse is not affiliated with Morningstar, the Company, BFA, the Distributor, or any of their respective affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a license agreement
with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by
Morningstar. Morningstar makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund in particular, or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. Morningstar's only relationship to the Company and BFA or its affiliates is the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names of Morningstar and of the Underlying Index
which is determined, composed and calculated by Morningstar without regard to the Company, BFA or its affiliates or the Fund. Morningstar has no obligation to take the needs of BFA or its affiliates or the owners of shares of the Fund into
consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. Morningstar is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices and amount of shares of the Fund, or the timing of the issuance or sale of
such shares or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which shares of the Fund are to be converted into cash. Morningstar has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of the
Fund. Morningstar does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and Morningstar shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein.
Morningstar makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results
to be obtained by BFA or its affiliates, owners of shares of the Fund or any other person or entity from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Morningstar makes no express or implied warranties and expressly
28
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disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose
or use with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall Morningstar have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost
profits) resulting from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein, even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
BATS. BATS 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 Underlying Index or the ability of
the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. BATS is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of,
or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. BATS 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.
BATS does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of
the Underlying Index or any data included therein. BATS makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of the
Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. BATS makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly
disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BATS 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
29
Table of Contents
Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 1.0% | 1 | 0.40% | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 13 | 5.16 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 135 | 53.57 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 40 | 15.87 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 53 | 21.03 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 7 | 2.78 | ||
| Less than -2.0% and Greater than -2.5% | 2 | 0.79 | ||
| Less than -2.5% and Greater than -3.0% | 1 | 0.40 | ||
| 252 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of October 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 5.61% | 7.24% | 6.12% | 5.61% | 7.24% | 6.12% | |
| Since Inception* | 4.77% | 4.53% | 5.27% | 12.57% | 11.93% | 13.92% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (4/17/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 4/19/12. |
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|
|
For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual Report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2015 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-CEMB-0615
Table of Contents
March 1, 2015
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2015 Prospectus |
|
| ► | iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF | EMHY | BATS |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“Morningstar®” and “Morningstar® Emerging Markets High Yield Bond IndexSM” are trademarks or servicemarks of Morningstar, Inc. and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar, Inc., and Morningstar, Inc. makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® EMERGING MARKETS
HIGH YIELD BOND ETF
| Ticker: EMHY | Stock Exchange: BATS |
Investment Objective
The iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, emerging market high yield sovereign and corporate bonds.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) 1 | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.50% | None | None | 0.50% | |||
| 1 | The expense information in the table has been restated as of March 2, 2015 to reflect current fees. |
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 these assumptions, your costs would
be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $51 | $160 | $280 | $628 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”).
Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)
The best calendar quarter
return during the periods shown above was 6.42% in the 2nd quarter of 2014; the worst was -5.58% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2014)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 4/3/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | 2.06% | 3.66% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | -0.54% | 1.27% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | 1.22% | 1.81% | |
| Morningstar ® Emerging Markets High Yield Bond IndexSM (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes) | 2.63% | 4.24% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on BATS Exchange, Inc. (“BATS”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the Fund's use of
representative sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because
the Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high
inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States
and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on
major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk,
including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others,
may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Call Risk. During periods of
falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a
decline in the Fund’s income.
Central and
South American Economic Risk. The economies and financial sectors of certain emerging markets countries are affected by the economies of Central and South American countries, some of which have experienced high
interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults, high unemployment rates, and expropriation and/or nationalization of assets. In addition, commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant
percentage of the region's exports and many economies in this region are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in this region and
on the financial sectors of emerging markets countries.
Concentration Risk. The
Fund’s investments will generally follow the weightings of the Underlying Index, which may result in concentration of the Fund’s investments in a particular sovereign and quasi-sovereign entity or entities in a particular country,
group
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of
countries, region, market, sector or asset class. To the extent that its investments are concentrated in a particular sovereign and quasi-sovereign entity or entities in a particular country, group of countries, region, market, sector or asset
class, the Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those bonds, may be subject to increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those
securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the
risk that an issuer or guarantor of debt instruments or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities is unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments or to otherwise honor
its obligations.
The Fund’s portfolio may
include below investment grade bonds, which generally are subject to greater levels of credit risk than higher rated securities. There is the chance that the Fund’s holdings will have their credit ratings downgraded or will default (fail to
make scheduled interest or principal payments), potentially reducing the Fund’s income level and share price. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which may be reflected in their credit ratings.
Custody Risk. Custody risk
refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets may make trades harder to complete
and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets. In
general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies may be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Geopolitical events, acts of terrorism, and other instability in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities
markets in some Eastern European countries are substantially smaller and less developed, with less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and may be less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in the United States or
Western European countries. In addition, investing in securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may involve:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
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| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the EU as a whole. |
Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
Extension Risk. During periods
of rising interest rates, certain debt obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income and potentially in the
value of the Fund’s investments.
European
Economic Risk. The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary
controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the
default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European
financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These
events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
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Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector,
including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money
or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their
profitability. During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank
money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. During the financial crisis, a number of large financial institutions failed, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital.
Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity
securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those
actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
High Yield Securities Risk.
Securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as “junk bonds,” including those bonds rated lower than “BBB-” by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch or “Baa3” by
Moody’s), or are unrated, may be deemed speculative and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity.
High yield securities may also be subject to greater levels of
credit or default risk than higher-rated securities. The value of high yield securities can be adversely affected by overall economic conditions, such as an economic downturn or a period of rising interest rates, and high yield securities may be
less liquid and more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price or to value than higher-rated securities.
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In particular, high yield securities are often issued by
smaller, less creditworthy countries and companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) countries and companies, which are generally less able than more financially stable countries and companies to make scheduled payments of interest and
principal.
Income Risk.
The Fund’s income may decline when interest rates fall. This decline can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted or the Fund
otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity
guidelines.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the
Index Provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the
Index Provider does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index
Provider’s methodology. BFA’s mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee
against Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are
less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect
constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to
Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to additional tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried
out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific
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products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products
of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of
companies in the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in
commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors.
Interest Rate Risk. As interest
rates rise, the value of a fixed-income security held by the Fund is likely to decrease. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making their prices more volatile than securities with shorter
durations. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed-income securities with longer-term maturities, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline significantly.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk
exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent the Fund invests in illiquid securities or securities that become less liquid, such investments may have a negative effect on the returns of the Fund because the
Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk.
Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to
meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. The Fund invests primarily in emerging market bonds and, as a result, the Fund’s portfolio may have greater exposure to market risk than a
fund that
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invests in securities of developed markets. Fixed-income securities with
short-term maturities are generally less sensitive to such changes than are fixed-income securities with longer term maturities.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are
not
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likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end
funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at
prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and
redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its
NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Issuers Risk.
Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers have different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation,
adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less
governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource
self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions. In addition, the value of these securities may fluctuate due to changes in the exchange rate of the issuer’s local currency against the U.S. dollar.
The United States and the European Union (the
“EU”), along with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectoral
sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and
liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the
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immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to
buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities.
The
sanctions against certain Russian issuers include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being
imposed are not currently subject to any restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such
issuers. If it becomes impracticable or unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the
Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an
event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that
may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that
represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
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Privately-Issued Securities Risk. The Fund will invest in privately-issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S of the 1933 Act. Privately-issued securities typically may be resold only to
qualified institutional buyers, or in a privately negotiated transaction, or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met for an exemption from
registration. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund may find it more
difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held and traded. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the
fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s NAV due to the absence of an active trading market. There can be no assurance that a privately-issued security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be
liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be affected adversely by the economies of their
trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. These countries may be subject to other protectionist measures imposed or
negotiated by the countries with which they trade.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment. Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or
impossible at times. Settlement procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States (and other developed countries). In addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in
registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities and could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the
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loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all.
The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax
consequences for the Fund. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the
Fund’s securities lending program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk. An investment in sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by a non-U.S. sovereign
government, and quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by an entity affiliated with or backed by a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to
repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of a sovereign debt, including
treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect the Fund's NAV. Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically
less liquid and less standardized than sovereign debt obligations. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria
on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several countries in which the Fund invests have defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries
(or other countries) may default or risk further downgrades in the future.
Structural Risk. Certain
countries in which the Fund invests may experience currency devaluations, substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, causing a negative effect on their economies and securities markets.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences, transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of distributions, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be
heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
Transportation Industry Group Risk. Issuers in the transportation industry group may be adversely affected by economic changes, fuel prices, labor relations, and insurance costs. Transportation companies in certain countries may also be subject
to
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significant government regulation and oversight, which may adversely affect
their businesses. Other risk factors that may affect transportation companies include the risk of increases in fuel and other operating costs and the effects of regulatory changes or other government decisions.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain markets, and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by adverse changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in
U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the economies of these countries and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has
exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade
in low volume or volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. stock exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio
may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using
prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in
turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Middle
Eastern Economic Risk. Many Middle Eastern countries have little or no democratic tradition and the political and legal systems in such countries may adversely impact the companies in which the Fund invests and, as
a result, the value of the Fund. Middle Eastern governments have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. Many economies in the Middle East are highly reliant on income from the sale of oil or
trade with countries involved in the sale of oil, and their economies are therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency values. As global demand for oil fluctuates, many Middle Eastern economies may be significantly
impacted. A sustained decrease in commodity prices could have a significant negative impact on all aspects of the economy in the region. Middle Eastern economies may be subject to acts of terrorism, political strife, religious, ethnic or
socioeconomic unrest and sudden outbreaks of hostilities with neighboring countries.
Certain Middle Eastern countries have strained relations with
other Middle Eastern countries due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, religious tensions or defense concerns, which may adversely affect the economies of these countries.
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Certain Middle Eastern countries experience significant unemployment, as well
as widespread underemployment.
Recently, many Middle
Eastern countries have experienced political, economic and social unrest as protestors have called for widespread reform. Some of these protests have resulted in a governmental regime change. If further regime changes were to occur in any of these
countries, the new government may not immediately stabilize such country, which could adversely affect the economies of Middle Eastern countries in which the Fund invests and could decrease the value of the Fund’s investments.
North American Economic Risk. A
decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in
which the Fund invests.
The United States is
Canada and Mexico's largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”)
in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the
value of certain securities held by the Fund.
Portfolio
Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.50%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
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(excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver
or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of December 31, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.65 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended October 31.
Portfolio Managers. James Mauro
and Scott Radell 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 his portfolio management team to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing investment strategy and overseeing members of his portfolio management team that have more limited
responsibilities.
James Mauro has been employed by
BFA and BTC as a portfolio manager since 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Mauro was a Vice President at State Street Global Advisors. Mr. Mauro has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Scott Radell has been employed by BFA and BTC as a portfolio
manager since 2004. Mr. Radell was a credit strategist from 2003 to 2004 and became a portfolio manager at BGFA and Barclays Global Investors, N.A. in 2004. Mr. Radell has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the
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Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor,
investment banker, research provider, investment manager, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect
interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions
with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
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Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “EMHY.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread;” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Fund participates in the BATS Competitive Liquidity
Provider Program (the “Incentive Program”), which is designed to strengthen market quality by providing enhanced rebates for lead market makers (“LMMs”) in exchange traded products
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whose trading volumes do not exceed specified levels. Rebates are allocated to
eligible LMMs based on a competitive quote evaluation process. Rebates, which for the Fund may be up to $30,000 per year, are funded by a supplemental listing fee paid by the Adviser and not by the Fund. BATS has proposed to amend the Incentive
Program to restructure the incentive payments and eliminate the standard listing fee for exchange traded products. There are risks associated with the Incentive Program because it may act to artificially influence trading in the Fund shares, and
pricing and liquidity of the shares could be adversely impacted if the Fund were to leave the Incentive Program or the Incentive Program were discontinued. The Incentive Program is scheduled to terminate on or about July 28, 2015. LMMs participating
in the Incentive Program are restricted in their ability to finance Fund shares. Additional information about the Incentive Program is available on the BATS website at http://www.batstrading.com/listings/market_maker/etp/. This reference to the BATS
website does not incorporate the contents of that website into this prospectus.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is BATS.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and
other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a
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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 other securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and underlying securities held by the Fund, economic
conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout each trading day by
the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange for a
Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should
not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or
dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
The Fund values fixed-income portfolio securities using prices
provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market makers, or independent third-party pricing services which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market
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transactions for the same or similar assets, to derive values. Certain
short-term debt securities may be valued on the basis of amortized cost.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
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Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. There is no guarantee that shares of the Fund will receive certain
regulatory or accounting treatment. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income, including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund's net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. The Fund's
distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the shares. Distributions from the Fund are subject to a 3.8% U.S. federal
Medicare contribution tax on “net investment income,” for individuals with incomes exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly) and of estates and trusts. In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
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If the Fund's distributions exceed current and accumulated
earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of
the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder's cost basis and will result
in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the shareholder holds
shares of the Fund as capital assets.
Interest received
by the Fund with respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total
assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of securities of non-U.S. corporations, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be
considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your U.S. federal taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in
calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
If you are
neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a non-U.S. 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. federal
withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies.
A
30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign
financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain
other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will
provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS
certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain
other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other
foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply.
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If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 100,000 shares or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation baskets will generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the Fund.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund (“Fund Securities”) and a specified amount of cash. Except
when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based
on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
The portfolio of securities required for purchase of a Creation
Unit may be different than the portfolio of securities the Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund shares. The Deposit Securities and Fund Securities, as applicable, in connection with a purchase or redemption of a Creation Unit, generally will
correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by the Fund.
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Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional
buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 that has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an
underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation
and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number
of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee is
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charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant
redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole or in part)
are available or specified) are also subject to an additional charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This charge is intended to compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and
expenses related to cash transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of November 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $5,012,000 | 100,000 | $100 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Oct. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Oct. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Apr. 3, 2012a to Oct. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 50.90 | $ 53.62 | $ 50.02 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 2.93 | 2.97 | 1.60 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 0.15 | (2.91) | 3.40 | ||
| Total from investment operations | 3.08 | 0.06 | 5.00 | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (2.95) | (2.78) | (1.40) | ||
| Total distributions | (2.95) | (2.78) | (1.40) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 51.03 | $ 50.90 | $ 53.62 | ||
| Total return | 6.24% | 0.14% | 10.21% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $199,005 | $203,604 | $166,231 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.65% | 0.65% | 0.65% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 5.78% | 5.64% | 5.34% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 24% | 57% | 40% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of processing capital share transactions in Creation Units. |
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Index Provider
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent
investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Morningstar offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. Morningstar
provides data on approximately 479,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 13 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals,
in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries and had approximately $170 billion in assets under advisement and management as of December 31,
2014. The company has operations in 27 countries. Morningstar is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, or the Distributor. Credit Suisse maintains and calculates the Morningstar Indexes for Morningstar pursuant to a contractual
agreement. Credit Suisse is not affiliated with Morningstar, the Company, BFA, the Distributor, or any of their respective affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a license agreement
with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by
Morningstar. Morningstar makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund in particular, or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. Morningstar's only relationship to the Company and BFA or its affiliates is the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names of Morningstar and of the Underlying Index
which is determined, composed and calculated by Morningstar without regard to the Company, BFA or its affiliates or the Fund. Morningstar has no obligation to take the needs of BFA or its affiliates or the owners of shares of the Fund into
consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. Morningstar is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices and amount of shares of the Fund, or the timing of the issuance or sale of
such shares or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which shares of the Fund are to be converted into cash. Morningstar has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of the
Fund. Morningstar does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and Morningstar shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein.
Morningstar makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results
to be obtained by BFA or its affiliates, owners of shares of the Fund or any other person or entity from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Morningstar makes no express or implied warranties and expressly
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disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose
or use with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall Morningstar have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost
profits) resulting from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein, even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
BATS. BATS 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 Underlying Index or the ability of
the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. BATS is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of,
or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. BATS 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.
BATS does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of
the Underlying Index or any data included therein. BATS makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of the
Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. BATS makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly
disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BATS 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 1.5% | 2 | 0.79% | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 1 | 0.40 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 90 | 35.72 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 152 | 60.31 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 4 | 1.59 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 2 | 0.79 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 1 | 0.40 | ||
| 252 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of October 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 6.24% | 6.94% | 6.86% | 6.24% | 6.94% | 6.86% | |
| Since Inception* | 6.36% | 6.55% | 6.96% | 17.24% | 17.80% | 18.91% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (4/3/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 4/3/12. |
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|
For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual Report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2015 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-EMHY-0615
Table of Contents
March 1, 2015
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2015 Prospectus |
|
| ► | iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | LEMB | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“Barclays Capital Inc.” and “Barclays
Emerging Markets Broad Local Currency Bond Index” are trademarks of Barclays Bank PLC and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its
affiliates.
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iSHARES® EMERGING MARKETS
LOCAL CURRENCY BOND ETF
| Ticker: LEMB | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of local currency denominated, emerging market sovereign bonds.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) 1 | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.50% | None | None | 0.50% | |||
| 1 | The expense information in the table has been restated as of March 2, 2015 to reflect current fees. |
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 these assumptions, your costs would
be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $51 | $160 | $280 | $628 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”). If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)
The best calendar quarter
return during the periods shown above was 6.18% in the 1st quarter of 2012; the worst was -6.06% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2014)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 10/18/2011) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -4.04% | 0.38% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | -5.02% | -0.47% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | -2.13% | 0.05% | |
| Barclays Emerging Markets Broad Local Currency Bond Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes) | -3.67% | 0.67% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund and BIL is the
sub-adviser (the “Sub-Adviser”). Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the Fund's use of
representative sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because
the Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
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The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional
conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of
the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Call Risk. During periods of
falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a
decline in the Fund’s income.
Central and
South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high
unemployment rates. In addition, commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for the regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse
economic events in one country may have a significant adverse effect on other countries of these regions.
Concentration Risk. The
Fund’s investments will generally follow the weightings of the Underlying Index, which may result in concentration of the Fund’s investments in a particular sovereign entity or entities in a particular country, group of countries,
region,
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market, sector or asset class. To the extent that its investments are
concentrated in a particular sovereign entity or entities in a particular country, group of countries, region, market, sector or asset class, the Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those bonds, may be subject to increased
price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the
risk that an issuer or guarantor of debt instruments or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities is unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments or to otherwise honor
its obligations.
The Fund’s portfolio may
include below investment grade bonds, which generally are subject to greater levels of credit risk than higher rated securities. There is the chance that the Fund’s holdings will have their credit ratings downgraded or will default (fail to
make scheduled interest or principal payments), potentially reducing the Fund’s income level and share price. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which may be reflected in their credit ratings.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of currency,
even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in that market increases. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S.
dollars. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,”
means that a strong U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors, while a weak U.S. dollar will increase those returns.
Custody Risk. Custody risk
refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets may make trades harder to complete
and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets. In
general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies may be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Geopolitical events, acts of terrorism, and other instability in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities
markets in some Eastern
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European countries are substantially smaller and less developed, with less
government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and may be less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in the United States or Western European countries. In addition, investing in securities of issuers located or operating in
Eastern Europe may involve:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the European Union as a whole. |
Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
Extension Risk. During periods
of rising interest rates, certain debt obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income and potentially in the
value of the Fund’s investments.
Geographic
Risk. Some of the markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods,
hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
High Yield Securities Risk.
Securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as “junk bonds,” including those bonds rated lower than “BBB-” by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch, or “Baa3” by
Moody’s), or are unrated, may be deemed speculative and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity.
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High yield securities may also be subject to greater levels of
credit or default risk than higher-rated securities. The value of high yield securities can be adversely affected by overall economic conditions, such as an economic downturn or a period of rising interest rates, and high yield securities may be
less liquid and more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price or to value than higher-rated securities.
In particular, high yield securities are often issued by
smaller, less creditworthy countries and companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) countries and companies, which are generally less able than more financially stable countries and companies to make scheduled payments of interest and
principal.
Income Risk.
The Fund’s income may decline when interest rates fall. This decline can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted or the Fund
otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity
guidelines.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the
Index Provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the
Index Provider does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index
Provider’s methodology. BFA’s mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee
against Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are
less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect
constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to
Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to additional tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s
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returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and
additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Interest Rate Risk. As interest
rates rise, the value of a fixed-income security held by the Fund is likely to decrease. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making their prices more volatile than securities with shorter
durations. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed-income securities with longer-term maturities, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline significantly.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk
exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent the Fund invests in illiquid securities or securities that become less liquid, such investments may have a negative effect on the returns of the Fund because the
Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk.
Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to
meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. The Fund invests primarily in emerging market bonds and, as a result, the Fund’s portfolio may have greater exposure to market risk than a
fund that invests in securities of developed markets. Fixed-income securities with short-term maturities are generally less sensitive to such changes than are fixed-income securities with longer term maturities.
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Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more
likely
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that
the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and
other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for
shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Issuers Risk. The Fund
may invest in bonds of non-U.S. governments, agencies, supranational entities and corporations. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers have different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting,
auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries,
and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in
such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions. In addition, the value of these securities may fluctuate due to changes in the exchange rate of
the issuer’s local currency against the U.S. dollar.
The United States and the European Union (the
“EU”), along with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectoral
sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and
liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive
or deliver those securities.
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The sanctions against certain Russian issuers include
prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of
the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an
event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that
may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that
represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade and,
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accordingly, have been and may continue to be affected adversely by the
economies of their trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. These countries may be subject to other protectionist
measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment. Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or
impossible at times. Settlement procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States (and other developed countries). In addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in
registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities and could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities.
Risk of Investing in South Korea. Investments in South Korean issuers involve risks that are specific to South Korea, including legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks. Substantial political tensions exist between North Korea
and South Korea and recently these political tensions have escalated. The outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, will likely adversely impact the South Korean economy. In addition, South
Korea's economic growth potential has recently been on a decline, mainly because of a rapidly aging population and structural problems.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical
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animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty
in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Sovereign Obligations Risk. An
investment in sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls
the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a
government may cause the value of a sovereign debt, including treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect the
Fund's NAV. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their
sovereign debts. Several countries in which the Fund invests have defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries (or other countries) may default or risk further
downgrades in the future.
Structural Risk. Certain countries in which the Fund invests may experience currency devaluations, substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, causing a negative effect on their economies and securities markets.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences, transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of distributions, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be
heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
Treasury Obligations Risk.
Treasury obligations may differ from other securities in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating
of a government may cause the value of the Fund's Treasury obligations to decline. On August 5, 2011, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services downgraded U.S. Treasury securities from AAA rating to AA+ rating. A further downgrade of the ratings of
U.S. government debt obligations, which are often used as a benchmark for other borrowing arrangements, could result in higher interest rates for individual and corporate borrowers, cause disruptions in the international bond markets and have a
substantial negative effect on the U.S. economy. A downgrade of U.S. Treasury securities from another ratings agency or a further downgrade below AA+ rating by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services may cause the value of the Fund’s U.S.
Treasury obligations to decline.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade
in low volume or
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volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because
non-U.S. stock exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s
shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service
providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of
the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other
Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks
associated with its investments and investment strategies.
African Economic Risk.
Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may negatively affect the value of investments in
the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or
military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the
classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly
riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
Middle Eastern Economic Risk.
Many Middle Eastern countries have little or no democratic tradition and the political and legal systems in such countries may adversely impact the companies in which the Fund invests and, as a result, the value of the Fund. Middle Eastern
governments have exercised and continue to exercise
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substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. Many economies
in the Middle East are highly reliant on income from the sale of oil or trade with countries involved in the sale of oil, and their economies are therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency values. As global demand for
oil fluctuates, many Middle Eastern economies may be significantly impacted. A sustained decrease in commodity prices could have a significant negative impact on all aspects of the economy in the region. Middle Eastern economies may be subject to
acts of terrorism, political strife, religious, ethnic or socioeconomic unrest and sudden outbreaks of hostilities with neighboring countries.
Certain Middle Eastern countries have strained relations with
other Middle Eastern countries due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, religious tensions or defense concerns, which may adversely affect the economies of these countries. Certain Middle Eastern countries experience significant
unemployment, as well as widespread underemployment.
Recently, many Middle Eastern countries have experienced
political, economic and social unrest as protestors have called for widespread reform. Some of these protests have resulted in a governmental regime change. If further regime changes were to occur in any of these countries, the new government may
not immediately stabilize such country, which could adversely affect the economies of Middle Eastern countries in which the Fund invests and could decrease the value of the Fund’s investments.
North American Economic Risk. A
decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in
which the Fund invests.
The United States is
Mexico's largest trading and investment partner. The Mexican economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the
United States and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities
held by the Fund.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management
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affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve
the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.50%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with the
Sub-Adviser, an affiliate of BFA, under which BFA pays the Sub-Adviser for services it provides either: (i) a fee equal to a percentage of the management fee paid to BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement or (ii) an amount based on the cost of
the services provided. The Sub-Adviser, subject to the supervision and oversight of the Company's Board of Directors (the “Board”) and BFA, will be primarily responsible for execution of securities transactions outside the United States
and Canada and may, from time to time, participate in the management of specified assets in the Fund’s portfolio. If the Sub-Adviser provides services relating to both portfolio management and trading, it is entitled to receive from BFA an
amount equal to 20% of BFA’s management fee, and if the Sub-Adviser provides services related solely to trading, then it is entitled to receive from BFA an amount equal to 110% of the actual pre-tax costs incurred by the Sub-Adviser.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of December 31, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.65 trillion. BIL is an investment adviser
located in the United Kingdom at 40 Torphichen Street, Edinburgh EH3 8JB. The Sub-Adviser is a registered investment adviser and a commodity pool operator organized in 1999. As of December 31, 2014, the Sub-Adviser’s total assets under
management were approximately $21.9 billion. BFA, the Sub-Adviser, 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's approval of
the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA and the sub-advisory agreement between BFA and the Sub-Adviser is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended October 31.
Portfolio Managers. James Mauro
and Scott Radell 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 his portfolio management team to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing
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investment strategy and overseeing members of his portfolio management team
that have more limited responsibilities.
James Mauro has
been employed by BFA and BTC as a portfolio manager since 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Mauro was a Vice President at State Street Global Advisors. Mr. Mauro has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2011.
Scott Radell has been employed by BFA and BTC as a portfolio
manager since 2004. Mr. Radell was a credit strategist from 2003 to 2004 and became a portfolio manager at BGFA and Barclays Global Investors, N.A. in 2004. Mr. Radell has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2011.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies,
commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with
respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and
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these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly
or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation to share any investment
opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment activities may differ from
those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other
accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund
may, from time to time, enter into transactions in which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions
by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “LEMB.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread;” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
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Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and underlying securities held by the Fund, economic
conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout each trading day by
the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange for a
Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should
not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or
dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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
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provided that (a) any Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies
other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the
announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
The Fund values fixed-income portfolio securities using prices
provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market makers, or independent third-party pricing services which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market transactions for the same or similar assets, to derive values.
Certain short-term debt securities may be valued on the basis of amortized cost.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments
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using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current
market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a
difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company or to avoid imposition
of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. There is no guarantee that shares of the Fund will receive certain
regulatory or accounting treatment. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income, including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund's net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. The Fund's
distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term
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capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long
you have held the shares. Distributions from the Fund are subject to a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax on “net investment income,” for individuals with incomes exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly) and of
estates and trusts. In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
If the Fund's distributions exceed current and accumulated
earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of
the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder's cost basis and will result
in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the shareholder holds
shares of the Fund as capital assets.
Interest received
by the Fund with respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total
assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of securities of non-U.S. corporations, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be
considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your U.S. federal taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in
calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
If you are
neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a non-U.S. 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. federal
withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies.
A
30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign
financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain
other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will
provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account
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holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the
identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide
the required information; and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with
similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions
apply.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United
States, by law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 200,000 shares or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation baskets will generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the Fund.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be
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substituted) held by the Fund (“Fund Securities”) and a specified
amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based
on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
The portfolio of securities required for purchase of a Creation
Unit may be different than the portfolio of securities the Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund shares. The Deposit Securities and Fund Securities, as applicable, in connection with a purchase or redemption of a Creation Unit, generally will
correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by the Fund.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 that has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an
underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For
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delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery
mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation
and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number
of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and
is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole or in part) are available or specified)
are also subject to an additional charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This charge is intended to compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash
transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of November 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $9,506,000 | 200,000 | $2,000 | 7.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Oct. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Oct. 31, 2013 |
Year
ended Oct. 31, 2012 |
Period
from Oct. 18, 2011a to Oct. 31, 2011 | ||||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 50.66 | $ 51.94 | $ 51.13 | $ 49.85 | |||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||||
| Net investment incomeb | 2.26 | 2.07 | 2.31 | 0.02 | |||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | (2.84) | (1.92) | 0.41 | 1.26 | |||
| Total from investment operations | (0.58) | 0.15 | 2.72 | 1.28 | |||
| Less distributions from: | |||||||
| Net investment income | (1.31) | (1.39) | (0.81) | − | |||
| Return of capital | (0.03) | (0.04) | (1.10) | − | |||
| Total distributions | (1.34) | (1.43) | (1.91) | − | |||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 48.74 | $ 50.66 | $ 51.94 | $ 51.13 | |||
| Total return | (1.14)% | 0.28% | 5.48% | 2.57% d | |||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $584,857 | $638,342 | $207,753 | $30,681 | |||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.59% | 0.60% | 0.60% | 0.60% | |||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived feese | 0.60% | n/a | n/a | n/a | |||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 4.56% | 4.04% | 4.57% | 1.21% | |||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 43% | 41% | 61% | 0% | |||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the years ended October 31, 2014, October 31, 2013 and October 30, 2012 were 36%, 39% and 61%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
The Underlying Index is maintained by Barclays. Barclays is not
affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates has entered into a license agreement with
the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA, or its affiliates, sublicenses rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored or endorsed by Barclays. Barclays makes
no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of owning or trading in shares of the Fund. The Underlying Index is determined, composed and calculated by
Barclays without regard to the Company or the owners of shares of the Fund. Barclays has no obligation to take the needs of BFA or its affiliates, or the owners of shares of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the
Underlying Index. Barclays is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination or the timing of prices, or quantities of shares to be listed or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which shares are to be converted
into cash. Barclays has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration of the Company or the marketing or trading of shares of the Fund. Barclays does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Index or
any data included therein. Barclays shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein.
Barclays makes no warranty, express or implied, as to the results
to be obtained by BFA or its affiliates, or owners of shares of the Fund, or any other person or entity, from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Barclays 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 Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall Barclays have any liability for any lost profits or
special, punitive, direct, indirect, or consequential damages even if notified thereof.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca has no obligation or liability to owners of
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the
shares of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the shares of the Fund.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use.
NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 4 | 1.59% | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 24 | 9.52 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 217 | 86.11 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 7 | 2.78 | ||
| 252 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of October 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | (1.14)% | (0.89)% | (0.53)% | (1.14)% | (0.89)% | (0.53)% | |
| Since Inception* | 2.35% | 2.24% | 2.69% | 7.31% | 6.97% | 8.38% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (10/18/11). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 10/20/11. |
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|
|
For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual Report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2015 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-LEMB-0615
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March 1, 2015
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2015 Prospectus |
|
| ► | iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | HYXU | BATS |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“Markit®” and “iBoxx®” are the registered trademarks of Markit Group Limited and
Markit Indices Limited respectively and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
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iSHARES® GLOBAL EX USD
HIGH YIELD CORPORATE BOND ETF
| Ticker: HYXU | Stock Exchange: BATS |
Investment Objective
The iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of euro, British pound sterling and Canadian dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. BFA, the investment
adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.40% of average daily net assets until February 29, 2016. The contractual waiver may be terminated
prior to February 29, 2016 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
Fee Waiver | Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | |||||
| 0.55% | None | None | 0.55% | (0.15)% | 0.40% | |||||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $41 | $161 | $292 | $675 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”). If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)
The best calendar quarter
return during the periods shown above was 7.67% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -8.17% in the 3rd quarter of 2014.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2014)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 4/3/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -7.84% | 5.64% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | -9.46% | 3.51% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | -4.35% | 3.44% | |
| Markit iBoxx Global Developed Markets ex-US High Yield Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes) | -7.90% | 5.59% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund and BIL is the
sub-adviser (the “Sub-Adviser”). Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on BATS Exchange, Inc. (“BATS”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the Fund's use of
representative sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because
the Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
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The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional
conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of
the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Australasian Economic Risk. The
economies of Australasia, which include Australia and New Zealand, are dependent on exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. This makes Australasian economies susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets. Australasian economies are
also increasingly dependent on their growing service industries. Because the economies of Australasia are dependent on the economies of Asia, Europe and the United States as key trading partners and investors, reduction in spending by any of these
trading partners on Australasian products and services, or negative changes in any of these economies, may cause an adverse impact on some or all of the Australasian economies.
Call Risk. During periods of
falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a
decline in the Fund’s income.
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Concentration Risk. The
Fund’s investments will generally follow the weightings of the Underlying Index, which may result in concentration of the Fund’s investments in a small group of countries. To the extent that its investments are concentrated the Fund may
be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those bonds, may be subject to increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that
does not concentrate its investments.
Consumer Goods
Industry Risk. The consumer goods industry may be strongly affected by social trends, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Governmental regulation affecting the use of various food
additives may affect the profitability of certain consumer goods companies represented in the Underlying Index. Many consumer goods may be marketed globally, and consumer goods companies may be affected by the demand and market conditions in other
countries and regions.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer or guarantor of debt instruments or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities is unable or unwilling to make timely interest
and/or principal payments or to otherwise honor its obligations.
The Fund’s portfolio will include below investment grade
bonds, which generally are subject to greater levels of credit risk than higher rated securities. There is the chance that the Fund’s holdings will have their credit ratings downgraded or will default (fail to make scheduled interest or
principal payments), potentially reducing the Fund’s income level and share price. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which may be reflected in their credit ratings.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of currency,
even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in that market increases. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S.
dollars. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,”
means that a strong U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors, while a weak U.S. dollar will increase those returns.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about
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economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European
countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Extension Risk. During periods
of rising interest rates, certain debt obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income and potentially in the
value of the Fund’s investments.
Financials
Sector Risk. Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can
charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of
recent or future regulation in various countries on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of
investments outside this sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses,
decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may
have an adverse impact on their profitability. During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including
non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. During the financial crisis, a number of large financial institutions failed, merged with stronger institutions or had significant
government infusions of capital. Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as
the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased
government intervention. Those actions caused the securities
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of
many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
High Yield Securities Risk.
Securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as “junk bonds,” including those bonds rated lower than “BBB-” by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch or “Baa3” by
Moody’s), or are unrated, may be deemed speculative and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity.
High yield securities may also be subject to greater levels of
credit or default risk than higher-rated securities. The value of high yield securities can be adversely affected by overall economic conditions, such as an economic downturn or a period of rising interest rates, and high yield securities may be
less liquid and more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price or to value than higher-rated securities.
In particular, high yield securities are often issued by
smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) companies, which are generally less able than more financially stable companies to make scheduled payments of interest and principal.
Income Risk. The Fund’s
income may decline when interest rates fall. This decline can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted or the Fund otherwise needs to
purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity
guidelines.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the
Index Provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the
Index Provider does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index
Provider’s methodology. BFA’s mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee
against Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are
less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For
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example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains
incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains
due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to additional tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried
out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be
influenced by unpredictable factors.
Interest Rate
Risk. As interest rates rise, the value of a fixed-income security held by the Fund is likely to decrease. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making their
prices more volatile than securities with shorter durations. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed-income securities with longer-term maturities, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund’s
investments to decline significantly.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor
performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other
factors.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent the Fund invests in illiquid securities or securities that become less liquid, such investments may have a negative
effect on the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to
have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk.
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Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund,
particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer
a loss. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Fixed-income securities with short-term maturities are generally less sensitive to such changes than are fixed-income securities with longer-term
maturities.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a
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stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by
extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Issuers Risk.
Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers have different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or
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confiscatory taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control
regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers.
Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment
positions. In addition, the value of these securities may fluctuate due to changes in the exchange rate of the issuer’s local currency against the U.S. dollar.
North American Economic Risk. A
decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in
which the Fund invests.
The United States is
Canada's largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the
United States and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities
held by the Fund.
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index,
regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privately-Issued Securities Risk. Privately-issued securities typically may be resold only to qualified institutional buyers, or in a privately negotiated transaction, or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been
held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met for an exemption from registration. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event
of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund may find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were
more widely held and traded. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s NAV due to the absence of an active trading market. There can be no assurance that a
privately-issued security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Many countries in which the Fund invests are dependent on trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of the countries, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers by
any of their key trading partners or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of the countries.
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Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Structural Risk. Certain countries in which the Fund invests may experience currency devaluations, substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, causing a negative effect on their economies and securities markets.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences, transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of distributions, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be
heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that
are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. stock exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will
not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of
valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference
between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Basic
Materials Industry Risk. Issuers in the basic materials industry may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls and increased competition. Production of industrial materials
often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Issuers in the basic materials industry are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims and may be adversely affected by
depletion of resources, delays in technical progress, labor relations and government regulations.
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Consumer Services Industry
Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers (including food and drug retailers, general retailers, media, and travel and leisure companies) is tied closely to the performance of the domestic
and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates and consumer confidence. The consumer services industry depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Companies in the consumer services industry may be subject to
severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability. Changes in consumer demographics and preferences may affect the success of consumer products.
Telecommunications Sector Risk.
The telecommunications sector of a country's economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new
regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable. The
domestic telecommunications market is characterized by increasing competition and regulation by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and various state regulatory authorities. Companies in the telecommunications sector may encounter distressed
cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in developing new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain
telecommunications companies obsolete.
Portfolio
Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net
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assets, at an annual rate of 0.55%. BFA has contractually agreed to waive a
portion of its management fee for its investment advisory services to the Fund in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.40% of average daily net assets until February 29, 2016. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to
February 29, 2016 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. In addition, BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and
Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with the
Sub-Adviser, an affiliate of BFA, under which BFA pays the Sub-Adviser for services it provides either: (i) a fee equal to a percentage of the management fee paid to BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement or (ii) an amount based on the cost of
the services provided. The Sub-Adviser, subject to the supervision and oversight of the Company's Board of Directors (the “Board”) and BFA, will be primarily responsible for execution of securities transactions outside the United States
and Canada and may, from time to time, participate in the management of specified assets in the Fund’s portfolio. If the Sub-Adviser provides services relating to both portfolio management and trading, it is entitled to receive from BFA an
amount equal to 20% of BFA’s management fee, and if the Sub-Adviser provides services related solely to trading, then it is entitled to receive from BFA an amount equal to 110% of the actual pre-tax costs incurred by the Sub-Adviser.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of December 31, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.65 trillion. BIL is an investment adviser
located in the United Kingdom at 40 Torphichen Street, Edinburgh EH3 8JB. The Sub-Adviser is a registered investment adviser and a commodity pool operator organized in 1999. As of December 31, 2014, the Sub-Adviser’s total assets under
management were approximately $21.9 billion. BFA, the Sub-Adviser, 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's approval of
the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA and the sub-advisory agreement between BFA and the Sub-Adviser is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended October 31.
Portfolio Managers. James Mauro
and Scott Radell 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 his portfolio management team to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing investment strategy and overseeing members of his portfolio management team that have more limited
responsibilities.
James Mauro has been employed by
BFA and BTC as a portfolio manager since 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Mauro was a Vice President at State Street Global Advisors. Mr. Mauro has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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Scott Radell has been employed by BFA and BTC as a portfolio
manager since 2004. Mr. Radell was a credit strategist from 2003 to 2004 and became a portfolio manager at BGFA and Barclays Global Investors, N.A. in 2004. Mr. Radell has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies,
commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with
respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for
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appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other
factors, the results of the Fund's investment activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and
other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption
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transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund
generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “HYXU.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread;” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Fund participates in the BATS Competitive Liquidity
Provider Program (the “Incentive Program”), which is designed to strengthen market quality by providing enhanced rebates for lead market makers (“LMMs”) in exchange traded products whose trading volumes do not exceed
specified levels. Rebates are allocated to eligible LMMs based on a competitive quote evaluation process. Rebates, which for the Fund may be up to $30,000 per year, are funded by a supplemental listing fee paid by the Adviser and not by the Fund.
BATS has proposed to amend the Incentive Program to restructure the incentive payments and eliminate the standard listing fee for exchange traded products. There are risks associated with the Incentive Program because it may act to artificially
influence trading in the Fund shares, and pricing and liquidity of the shares could be adversely impacted if the Fund were to leave the Incentive Program or the Incentive Program were discontinued. The Incentive Program is scheduled to terminate on
or about July 28, 2015. LMMs participating in the Incentive Program are restricted in their ability to finance Fund shares. Additional information about the Incentive Program is available on the BATS website at
http://www.batstrading.com/listings/market_maker/etp/. This reference to the BATS website does not incorporate the contents of that website into this prospectus.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy
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of
monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is BATS.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and underlying securities held by the Fund, economic
conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout each trading day by
the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange for a
Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should
not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if
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such
holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
The Fund values fixed-income portfolio securities using prices
provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market makers, or independent third-party pricing services which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market transactions for the same or similar assets, to derive values.
Certain short-term debt securities may be valued on the basis of amortized cost.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by
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volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets
(e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. There is no guarantee that shares of the Fund will receive certain
regulatory or accounting treatment. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
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Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income, including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund's net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. The Fund's
distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the shares. Distributions from the Fund are subject to a 3.8% U.S. federal
Medicare contribution tax on “net investment income,” for individuals with incomes exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly) and of estates and trusts. In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
If the Fund's distributions exceed current and accumulated
earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of
the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder's cost basis and will result
in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the shareholder holds
shares of the Fund as capital assets.
Interest received
by the Fund with respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total
assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of securities of non-U.S. corporations, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be
considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your U.S. federal taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in
calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
If you are
neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a non-U.S. 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. federal
withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies.
A
30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property
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producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to
(i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii)
certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they
will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the
IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine
certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information.
Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 100,000 shares or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in
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exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable,
the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the Fund. However, creation baskets will generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the Fund.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund (“Fund Securities”) and a specified amount of cash. Except
when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based
on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
The portfolio of securities required for purchase of a Creation
Unit may be different than the portfolio of securities the Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund shares. The Deposit Securities and Fund Securities, as applicable, in connection with a purchase or redemption of a Creation Unit, generally will
correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by the Fund.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional
buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 that has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. 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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation
and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number
of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and
is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole or in part) are available or specified)
are also subject to an additional charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This charge is intended to compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash
transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of November 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $5,276,000 | 100,000 | $1,900 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Oct. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Oct. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Apr. 3, 2012a to Oct. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 56.84 | $ 52.01 | $ 50.14 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 2.43 | 3.15 | 1.94 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | (3.55) | 4.51 | 1.18 | ||
| Total from investment operations | (1.12) | 7.66 | 3.12 | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (2.82) | (2.83) | (1.25) | ||
| Total distributions | (2.82) | (2.83) | (1.25) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 52.90 | $ 56.84 | $ 52.01 | ||
| Total return | (2.20)% | 15.20% | 6.49% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $142,827 | $51,153 | $26,004 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.40% | 0.40% | 0.40% | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived feese | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 4.25% | 5.85% | 6.92% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 25% | 33% | 18% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of processing capital share transactions in Creation Units. |
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Index Provider
Markit owns, compiles and publishes the iBoxx bond and iTraxx
credit derivative indices, which are used around the world by financial market participants as benchmarks and as the basis for traded products. Markit is a leading provider of independent data, portfolio valuations and over-the-counter (OTC)
derivatives trade processing to the financial markets. Markit is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor, or any of their respective affiliates, and has licensed the Underlying Index in connection with the Fund.
“Markit®” and “iBoxx®” are the registered trademarks of Markit
Group Limited and Markit Indices Limited, respectively.
Disclaimers
“iBoxx” is a registered trademark of Markit Indices
Limited and is licensed for use by BFA or its affiliates. BFA or its affiliates have not been passed on by these entities or their affiliates as to their legality or suitability. Markit does not approve, sponsor endorse or recommend BFA or the Fund.
Markit makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund. The Fund is derived from a source considered reliable, but Markit and its employees, suppliers, subcontractors and agents (together “Markit Associates”)
do not guarantee the veracity, completeness or accuracy of the Fund or other information furnished in connection with the Fund. No representation, warranty or condition, express or implied, statutory or otherwise, as to condition, satisfactory
quality, performance, or fitness for purpose are given or assumed by Markit or any of the Markit Associates in respect of 1) the Underlying Index (including its composition), Fund, or any data included in it, 2) the use by any person or entity of
the Fund of that data, 3) the results obtained from the use of the Underlying Index, 4) the creditworthiness of any entity, or the likelihood of the occurrence of a credit event or similar event (however defined) with respect to an obligation, in
the Underlying Index, at any particular time on any particular date or otherwise, or 5) the ability of the Underlying Index to track relevant markets' performances or otherwise relating to the Underlying Index or any transaction or product with
respect thereto. All such representations, warranties and conditions are excluded save to the extent that such exclusion is prohibited by law. The Markit Associates shall not have any liability to any party for any error or omission, or any act or
failure to act in connection with the determination, adjustment, calculation or maintenance of the Underlying Index, nor shall they have any obligation to take the needs of any party into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the
Underlying Index.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored,
endorsed or promoted by BATS. BATS 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 Underlying
Index or the ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. BATS is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation
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or the
calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. BATS 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.
BATS does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of
the Underlying Index or any data included therein. BATS makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of the
Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. BATS makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly
disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BATS 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 4 | 1.59% | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 79 | 31.35 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 161 | 63.88 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 4 | 1.59 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 2 | 0.79 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 1 | 0.40 | ||
| Less than -2.0% | 1 | 0.40 | ||
| 252 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of October 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | (2.20)% | (2.27)% | (2.27)% | (2.20)% | (2.27)% | (2.27)% | |
| Since Inception* | 7.31% | 7.51% | 7.24% | 19.98% | 20.56% | 19.73% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (4/3/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 4/3/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual Report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2015 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-HYXU-0615
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March 1, 2015
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2015 Prospectus |
|
| ► | iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | GHYG | BATS |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“Markit®” and “iBoxx®” are the registered trademarks of Markit Group Limited and
Markit Indices Limited respectively and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
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iSHARES® GLOBAL HIGH YIELD
CORPORATE BOND ETF
| Ticker: GHYG | Stock Exchange: BATS |
Investment Objective
The iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar, euro, British pound sterling and Canadian dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. BFA, the investment
adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.40% of average daily net assets until February 29, 2016. The contractual waiver may be terminated
prior to February 29, 2016 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
Fee Waiver | Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | |||||
| 0.55% | None | None | 0.55% | (0.15)% | 0.40% | |||||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $41 | $161 | $292 | $675 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”). If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)
The best calendar quarter
return during the periods shown above was 3.89% in the 4th quarter of 2013; the worst was -4.11% in the 3rd quarter of 2014.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2014)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 4/3/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -0.67% | 6.00% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | -2.96% | 3.57% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | -0.34% | 3.56% | |
| Markit iBoxx Global Developed Markets High Yield Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes) | -0.68% | 6.11% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund and BIL is the
sub-adviser (the “Sub-Adviser”). Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on BATS Exchange, Inc. (“BATS”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the Fund's use of
representative sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because
the Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
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The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional
conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of
the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Australasian Economic Risk. The
economies of Australasia, which include Australia and New Zealand, are dependent on exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. This makes Australasian economies susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets. Australasian economies are
also increasingly dependent on their growing service industries. Because the economies of Australasia are dependent on the economies of Asia, Europe and the United States as key trading partners and investors, reduction in spending by any of these
trading partners on Australasian products and services, or negative changes in any of these economies, may cause an adverse impact on some or all of the Australasian economies.
Call Risk. During periods of
falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a
decline in the Fund’s income.
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Concentration Risk. The
Fund’s investments will generally follow the weightings of the Underlying Index, which may result in concentration of the Fund’s investments in a small group of countries. To the extent that its investments are concentrated the Fund may
be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those bonds, may be subject to increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that
does not concentrate its investments.
Consumer Goods
Industry Risk. The consumer goods industry may be strongly affected by social trends, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Governmental regulation affecting the use of various food
additives may affect the profitability of certain consumer goods companies represented in the Underlying Index. Many consumer goods may be marketed globally, and consumer goods companies may be affected by the demand and market conditions in other
countries and regions.
Consumer Services Industry
Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers (including food and drug retailers, general retailers, media, and travel and leisure companies) is tied closely to the performance of the domestic
and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates and consumer confidence. The consumer services industry depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Companies in the consumer services industry may be subject to
severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability. Changes in consumer demographics and preferences may affect the success of consumer products.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the
risk that an issuer or guarantor of debt instruments or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities is unable or unwilling to make timely interest and/or principal payments or to otherwise honor
its obligations.
The Fund’s portfolio will
include below investment grade bonds, which generally are subject to greater levels of credit risk than higher rated securities. There is the chance that the Fund’s holdings will have their credit ratings downgraded or will default (fail to
make scheduled interest or principal payments), potentially reducing the Fund’s income level and share price. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which may be reflected in their credit ratings.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of currency,
even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in that market increases. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S.
dollars. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,”
means that a strong U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors, while a weak U.S. dollar will increase those returns.
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European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro
and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Extension Risk. During periods
of rising interest rates, certain debt obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income and potentially in the
value of the Fund’s investments.
Financials
Sector Risk. Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can
charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of
recent or future regulation in various countries on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of
investments outside this sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses,
decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may
have an adverse impact on their profitability. During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S.
and non-U.S. credit and interbank
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money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and
markets. During the financial crisis, a number of large financial institutions failed, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to
incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed
significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value.
The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
High Yield Securities Risk.
Securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as “junk bonds,” including those bonds rated lower than “BBB-” by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch or “Baa3” by
Moody’s), or are unrated, may be deemed speculative and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity.
High yield securities may also be subject to greater levels of
credit or default risk than higher-rated securities. The value of high yield securities can be adversely affected by overall economic conditions, such as an economic downturn or a period of rising interest rates, and high yield securities may be
less liquid and more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price or to value than higher-rated securities.
In particular, high yield securities are often issued by
smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) companies, which are generally less able than more financially stable companies to make scheduled payments of interest and principal.
Income Risk. The Fund’s
income may decline when interest rates fall. This decline can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted or the Fund otherwise needs to
purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity
guidelines.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the
Index Provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the
Index Provider does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy
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or
completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with
the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee against Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to
time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the
Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other
constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by
the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled
rebalances, the Index Provider may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in
turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund
and its shareholders. Unscheduled rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to additional tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and
additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be
influenced by unpredictable factors.
Interest Rate
Risk. As interest rates rise, the value of a fixed-income security held by the Fund is likely to decrease. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making their
prices more volatile than securities with shorter durations. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed-income securities with longer-term maturities, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund’s
investments to decline significantly.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor
performance may be caused
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by
poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk
exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent the Fund invests in illiquid securities or securities that become less liquid, such investments may have a negative effect on the returns of the Fund because the
Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk.
Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to
meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Fixed-income securities with short-term maturities are generally less sensitive to such changes than are fixed-income securities with longer-term
maturities.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock
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exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors
who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment
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results and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for investors
who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Issuers Risk.
Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers have different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation,
adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less
governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource
self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions. In addition, the value of these securities may fluctuate due to changes in the exchange rate of the issuer’s local currency against the U.S. dollar.
North American Economic Risk. A
decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in
which the Fund invests.
The United States is
Canada and Mexico's largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”)
in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the
value of certain securities held by the Fund.
Passive
Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the
Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privately-Issued Securities Risk. Privately-issued securities typically may be resold only to qualified institutional buyers, or in a privately negotiated transaction, or to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after they have been
held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met for an exemption from registration. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event
of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund may find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were
more widely held
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and
traded. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s NAV due to the absence of an active trading market. There can be no assurance that a privately-issued security
that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Many countries in which the Fund invests are dependent on trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of the countries, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers by
any of their key trading partners or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of the countries.
Risk of Investing in the United States. The Fund has significant exposure to United States issuers. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations and/or an economic recession in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the U.S.
economy and the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. The financial crisis that began in 2007 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of issuers in the United States. Policy and legislative changes in the United States are changing
many aspects of financial and other regulation and may have a significant effect on the U.S. markets generally, as well as the value of certain securities. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public debt level or U.S. austerity measures may
adversely affect U.S. economic growth and the securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Structural Risk. Certain countries in which the Fund invests may experience currency devaluations, substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, causing a negative effect on their economies and securities markets.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences, transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of distributions, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be
heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or
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volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because
non-U.S. stock exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s
shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service
providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of
the Underlying Index.
Portfolio Holdings
Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.55%. BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for its investment advisory services
to the Fund in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.40% of average daily net assets until February 29, 2016. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to February 29, 2016 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
In addition, BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be
eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA has entered into a
sub-advisory agreement with the Sub-Adviser, an affiliate of BFA, under which BFA pays the Sub-Adviser for services it provides either: (i) a fee equal to a percentage of the management fee paid to BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement or (ii)
an amount based on the cost of the services provided. The
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Sub-Adviser, subject to the supervision and oversight of the Company's Board
of Directors (the “Board”) and BFA, will be primarily responsible for execution of securities transactions outside the United States and Canada and may, from time to time, participate in the management of specified assets in the
Fund’s portfolio. If the Sub-Adviser provides services relating to both portfolio management and trading, it is entitled to receive from BFA an amount equal to 20% of BFA’s management fee, and if the Sub-Adviser provides services related
solely to trading, then it is entitled to receive from BFA an amount equal to 110% of the actual pre-tax costs incurred by the Sub-Adviser.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of December 31, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.65 trillion. BIL is an investment adviser
located in the United Kingdom at 40 Torphichen Street, Edinburgh EH3 8JB. The Sub-Adviser is a registered investment adviser and a commodity pool operator organized in 1999. As of December 31, 2014, the Sub-Adviser’s total assets under
management were approximately $21.9 billion. BFA, the Sub-Adviser, 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's approval of
the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA and the sub-advisory agreement between BFA and the Sub-Adviser is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended October 31.
Portfolio Managers. James Mauro
and Scott Radell 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 his portfolio management team to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing investment strategy and overseeing members of his portfolio management team that have more limited
responsibilities.
James Mauro has been employed by
BFA and BTC as a portfolio manager since 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Mauro was a Vice President at State Street Global Advisors. Mr. Mauro has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Scott Radell has been employed by BFA and BTC as a portfolio
manager since 2004. Mr. Radell was a credit strategist from 2003 to 2004 and became a portfolio manager at BGFA and Barclays Global Investors, N.A. in 2004. Mr. Radell has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC
Financial
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Services Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners,
trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies,
commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with
respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an
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Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop investment banking
relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research coverage. An Affiliate
may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may receive compensation for
such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “GHYG.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread;” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based
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on
the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that
are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying
securities.
The Fund participates in the BATS Competitive
Liquidity Provider Program (the “Incentive Program”), which is designed to strengthen market quality by providing enhanced rebates for lead market makers (“LMMs”) in exchange traded products whose trading volumes do not
exceed specified levels. Rebates are allocated to eligible LMMs based on a competitive quote evaluation process. Rebates, which for the Fund may be up to $30,000 per year, are funded by a supplemental listing fee paid by the Adviser and not by the
Fund. BATS has proposed to amend the Incentive Program to restructure the incentive payments and eliminate the standard listing fee for exchange traded products. There are risks associated with the Incentive Program because it may act to
artificially influence trading in the Fund shares, and pricing and liquidity of the shares could be adversely impacted if the Fund were to leave the Incentive Program or the Incentive Program were discontinued. The Incentive Program is scheduled to
terminate on or about July 28, 2015. LMMs participating in the Incentive Program are restricted in their ability to finance Fund shares. Additional information about the Incentive Program is available on the BATS website at
http://www.batstrading.com/listings/market_maker/etp/. This reference to the BATS website does not incorporate the contents of that website into this prospectus.
http://www.batstrading.com/listings/market_maker/etp/. This reference to the BATS website does not incorporate the contents of that website into this prospectus.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is BATS.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the
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exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered investment company
must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that you hold in book-entry
or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and underlying
securities held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15
seconds throughout each trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash
required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the
current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not
involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. The NAV of the Fund is calculated by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of
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its
total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding shares of the Fund, generally rounded to the nearest cent.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
The Fund values fixed-income portfolio securities using prices
provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market makers, or independent third-party pricing services which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market transactions for the same or similar assets, to derive values.
Certain short-term debt securities may be valued on the basis of amortized cost.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index,
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which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s
performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. There is no guarantee that shares of the Fund will receive certain
regulatory or accounting treatment. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income, including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund's net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. The Fund's
distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the shares. Distributions from the Fund are subject to a 3.8% U.S. federal
Medicare contribution tax on “net investment income,” for individuals with incomes exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly) and of estates and trusts. In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax
for the year when
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they
are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
If the Fund's distributions exceed current and accumulated
earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of
the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder's cost basis and will result
in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the shareholder holds
shares of the Fund as capital assets.
Interest received
by the Fund with respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total
assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of securities of non-U.S. corporations, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be
considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your U.S. federal taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in
calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
If you are
neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a non-U.S. 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. federal
withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies.
A
30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign
financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain
other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will
provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS
certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain
other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the
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event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing
legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide
certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 100,000 shares or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation baskets will generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the Fund.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund (“Fund Securities”) and a specified amount of cash. Except
when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based
on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
The portfolio of securities required for purchase of a Creation
Unit may be different
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than
the portfolio of securities the Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund shares. The Deposit Securities and Fund Securities, as applicable, in connection with a purchase or redemption of a Creation Unit, generally will correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by the Fund.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional
buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 that has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an
underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation
and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table
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below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized
Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption
transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business
day. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole or in part) are available or specified) are also subject to an additional charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This charge is intended to
compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may
pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as
of November 30, 2014, the approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $5,145,000 | 100,000 | $1,250 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Oct. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Oct. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Apr. 3, 2012a to Oct. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 53.50 | $ 51.67 | $ 50.00 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 2.84 | 3.05 | 1.82 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | (1.28) | 1.70 | 1.35 | ||
| Total from investment operations | 1.56 | 4.75 | 3.17 | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (3.06) | (2.92) | (1.50) | ||
| Total distributions | (3.06) | (2.92) | (1.50) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 52.00 | $ 53.50 | $ 51.67 | ||
| Total return | 2.91% | 9.50% | 6.53% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $104,002 | $74,893 | $36,169 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.40% | 0.40% | 0.40% | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived feese | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 5.31% | 5.82% | 6.28% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 21% | 20% | 10% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of processing capital share transactions in Creation Units. |
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Index Provider
Markit owns, compiles and publishes the iBoxx bond and iTraxx
credit derivative indices, which are used around the world by financial market participants as benchmarks and as the basis for traded products. Markit is a leading provider of independent data, portfolio valuations and over-the-counter (OTC)
derivatives trade processing to the financial markets. Markit is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor, or any of their respective affiliates, and has licensed the Underlying Index in connection with the Fund.
“Markit®” and “iBoxx®” are the registered trademarks of Markit
Group Limited and Markit Indices Limited, respectively.
Disclaimers
“iBoxx” is a registered trademark of Markit Indices
Limited and is licensed for use by BFA or its affiliates. BFA or its affiliates have not been passed on by these entities or their affiliates as to their legality or suitability. Markit does not approve, sponsor endorse or recommend BFA or the Fund.
Markit makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund. The Fund is derived from a source considered reliable, but Markit and its employees, suppliers, subcontractors and agents (together “Markit Associates”)
do not guarantee the veracity, completeness or accuracy of the Fund or other information furnished in connection with the Fund. No representation, warranty or condition, express or implied, statutory or otherwise, as to condition, satisfactory
quality, performance, or fitness for purpose are given or assumed by Markit or any of the Markit Associates in respect of 1) the Underlying Index (including its composition), Fund, or any data included in it, 2) the use by any person or entity of
the Fund of that data, 3) the results obtained from the use of the Underlying Index, 4) the creditworthiness of any entity, or the likelihood of the occurrence of a credit event or similar event (however defined) with respect to an obligation, in
the Underlying Index, at any particular time on any particular date or otherwise, or 5) the ability of the Underlying Index to track relevant markets' performances or otherwise relating to the Underlying Index or any transaction or product with
respect thereto. All such representations, warranties and conditions are excluded save to the extent that such exclusion is prohibited by law. The Markit Associates shall not have any liability to any party for any error or omission, or any act or
failure to act in connection with the determination, adjustment, calculation or maintenance of the Underlying Index, nor shall they have any obligation to take the needs of any party into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the
Underlying Index.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored,
endorsed or promoted by BATS. BATS 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 Underlying
Index or the ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. BATS is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation
25
Table of Contents
or the
calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. BATS 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.
BATS does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of
the Underlying Index or any data included therein. BATS makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of the
Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. BATS makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly
disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BATS 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Table of Contents
Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 1.0% | 3 | 1.19% | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 42 | 16.67 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 198 | 78.57 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 5 | 1.98 | ||
| Less than -1.0% | 4 | 1.59 | ||
| 252 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of October 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 2.91% | 2.38% | 2.94% | 2.91% | 2.38% | 2.94% | |
| Since Inception* | 7.33% | 7.31% | 7.48% | 20.04% | 19.96% | 20.41% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (4/3/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 4/5/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual Report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2015 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-GHYG-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
 |
| ► | iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | IEMG | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index
(IMI)” is a servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc., nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® CORE MSCI
EMERGING MARKETS ETF
| Ticker: IEMG | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of large-, mid- and small-capitalization emerging market equities.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. “Acquired Fund
Fees and Expenses” reflect the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies. The impact of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses is included in the total
returns of the Fund. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not used to calculate the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”) and are not included in the calculation of the ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”). BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount equal
to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund's investments in other series of iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to
December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. During the most recently completed fiscal year, the amount of such expenses incurred and fees waived rounded to 0.00%.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Foreign
Taxes |
Other
Expenses |
Acquired
Fund Fees and Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
Fee Waiver | Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | |||||||
| 0.18% | None | 0.00% | None | 0.00% | 0.18% | (0.00)% | 0.18% | |||||||
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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 these assumptions, your costs would
be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $18 | $58 | $101 | $230 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the
Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not
necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus. If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower. The voluntary waiver was discontinued on November 1,
2013.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was 2.73%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period
shown above was 5.55% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -7.83% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at
www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
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Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 10/18/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -2.16% | 1.90% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | -2.55% | 1.53% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | -0.86% | 1.48% | |
| MSCI Emerging Markets IMI (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | -2.20% | 1.72% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
The Fund may borrow as a temporary measure for extraordinary or
emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. The Fund does not intend to borrow money in order to leverage its portfolio. The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment
restriction such that, under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net assets.
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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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional
conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of
the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition,
commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for these regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country
may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in these regions.
Commodity Risk. The energy,
materials, and agriculture sectors account for a large portion of the exports of certain countries in which the Fund invests. Any changes in these sectors or fluctuations in the commodity markets could have an adverse impact on a country's economy.
Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by
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unpredictable factors, including, where applicable, high volatility, changes
in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are dependent on a single
commodity, or are concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in
demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be
subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Energy Sector Risk. The energy
sector of an economy is cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of companies in the energy sector is strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, capital expenditures on
exploration and production of energy sources, energy conservation efforts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, increased competition and technological advances, among other factors. Companies in this sector may be
subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion of the revenues of these companies depends on a relatively
small number of customers, including governmental entities
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and
utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or engage in transactions involving countries with, less developed
regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a significant risk of liability from accidents resulting in injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental
problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism, political strife and natural disasters. Any such event could have serious consequences for the general population of the affected area and could have an
adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, specific products (e.g., oil and natural gas) and
services, exploration and production spending, government subsidization, world events and general economic conditions.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro
and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector,
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including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or
future regulation in various countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside
this sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the
availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse
impact on their profitability. During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S.
credit and interbank money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. A number of large financial institutions failed during that time, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of
capital. Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or
equity securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention.
Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive to
environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For
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example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains
incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains
due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Information Technology Sector Risk. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may
have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth
rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the
profitability of these companies.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor
performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other
factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of
industries.
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During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes
may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at
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NAV,
BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their
NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to
correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market
participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-U.S. Securities Market
Risk. Non-U.S. securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or
impossible at times. Settlement procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States (and other developed countries). In addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in
registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
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| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index,
regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade. Accordingly, these countries have been and may continue to be affected adversely by the economies of
their trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls or managed adjustments in relative currency values and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Risk of
Investing in India. India is an emerging market country and exhibits significantly greater market volatility from time to time in comparison to more developed markets. Political and legal uncertainty, greater
government control over the economy, currency fluctuations or blockage, and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets may result in higher potential for losses.
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Moreover, governmental actions can have a significant effect on
the economic conditions in India, which could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments. The securities markets in India are comparatively underdeveloped, and stockbrokers and other intermediaries may not perform as well as
their counterparts in the United States and other more developed securities markets. The limited liquidity of the Indian securities markets may also affect the Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time that it
desires.
Global factors and foreign actions may inhibit
the flow of foreign capital on which India is dependent to sustain its growth. In addition, the Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”) has imposed limits on foreign ownership of Indian securities, which may decrease the liquidity of the
Fund’s portfolio and result in extreme volatility in the prices of Indian securities. These factors, coupled with the lack of extensive accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices, as compared to the United States, may
increase the Fund's risk of loss.
Further, certain Indian
regulatory approvals, including approvals from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”), the RBI, the central government and the tax authorities (to the extent that tax benefits need to be utilized), may be required before the
Fund can make investments in the securities of Indian companies.
Risk of Investing in Russia.
Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, in addition to those described under “Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Non-U.S. Securities Risk” that are not typically associated with investing in U.S.
securities, including:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in Russia; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund’s ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of Russian companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than by a central registration system; and |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because Russian banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by the Russian government. |
The United States and the EU, along
with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial sanctions on certain Russian
individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian
securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver
those
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securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers include
prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of
the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an
event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that
may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that
represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
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BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the
Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending program.
Security Risk. Some geographic
areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in the markets of these
geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
emerging market countries are subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability.
Economic Risk. Some emerging
market countries have experienced currency devaluations and substantial (and, in some cases, extremely high) rates of inflation, while others have experienced economic recessions causing a negative effect on the economies and securities markets of
such emerging countries.
Expropriation Risk. Investing in emerging market countries involves a great risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of
capital invested by certain emerging market countries.
Political and Social Risk.
Some governments in emerging market countries are authoritarian in nature or have been installed or removed as a result of military coups, and some governments have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace
and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, may exacerbate social unrest, violence and/or labor unrest in some emerging market countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and
significant investment losses.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those
included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund
holding uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market
volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE
HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.
Treaty/Tax Risk. The Fund
operates, in part, through the Subsidiary, which in turn invests in securities of Indian issuers. At this time, the Subsidiary should be eligible to take advantage of the benefits of the DTAA. Numerous investors have relied on the benefits of the
DTAA to invest in India through Mauritius in the past. However, in the past 10-15 years, a number of parties have challenged the DTAA or the interpretation of the DTAA. Circular 789, issued on April 13, 2000 by the Indian Central Board of Direct
Taxes (“CBDT”), clarifies that whenever the Mauritius revenue authorities have
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issued a certificate of tax residence, such certificate would constitute
sufficient evidence for accepting the status of residence of Mauritius tax residents for purposes of applying the provisions of the DTAA. The Supreme Court of India in 2003 subsequently held and declared Circular 789 to be valid following litigation
regarding Circular 789. As of the date of this Prospectus, Circular 789 is still valid and in force.
However, recently issued rulings suggest that the Indian tax
administration’s analysis may have changed, and that the tax authorities may now focus on a number of factors when assessing whether a foreign entity is eligible for the benefit of the provisions of a tax treaty, including, among others, the
place of management of the foreign resident company and the level of substance in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated. In addition, both the Indian tax administration and Indian courts seem now to be taking aggressive efforts to challenge
structures involving offshore funds investing directly or indirectly in India, in particular those from Mauritius. Further, the Finance Act, 2013 (“FA 13”) provides that an investor is required to submit the tax residency certificate as
issued in the country of residence and provide other documents and information as prescribed by the Government to claim benefits under the DTAA.
It is possible that the governments of India and Mauritius may
renegotiate the terms of the DTAA to include, among other things, a limitation on benefits clause. No assurance can be given that the terms of the DTAA will not be renegotiated or subject to a different interpretation in the future. Any change in
the provisions of the DTAA or in its applicability to the Subsidiary could result in the imposition of withholding and capital gains taxes and other taxes on the Subsidiary by tax authorities in India. This could significantly reduce the return to
the Fund on its investments and the return received by the Fund’s shareholders.
Indirect Transfers.
The current legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding
obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests in Indian securities through the Subsidiary,
this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However, the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012
clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, the CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any assessment proceedings that were completed
before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in the Finance Act would be enforced. Given
this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
An Expert Committee formed by the Government of India was
constituted to examine the implications of the above amendment, which provides for taxing indirect transfer of Indian assets in India. Based on the consultations received from stakeholders, the Expert Committee in its report has recommended that the
above deemed provisions should not apply in the following cases:
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| ■ | where a non-resident investor has made any investment, directly or indirectly, in a foreign institutional investor (“FII”) which has invested in India; |
| ■ | investment by the non-resident investor in a fund or a fund pooling vehicle, which does not result in participation in control and management of the fund; or |
| ■ | where a non-resident investor along with its associates, does not have more than a 26% share in total capital of the company. |
Accordingly, the Expert Committee has recommended that the
non-resident will not be taxable in India in relation to investments made by the Fund/ FII in India in the above situations.
The Expert Committee has also recommended that amendments
should be applied prospectively and not retrospectively.
If the recommendations made by the Expert Committee are
accepted by the Government of India then the non-resident shareholders of the Fund/ Subsidiary would not be taxed in India on indirect transfer of shares.
However, the above amendment does not override the provisions
of DTAA which India has entered into with many countries. Hence, if a non-resident investor in the Fund is situated in a favorable tax jurisdiction (such as Mauritius, Singapore, etc.), then capital gains on such indirect transfer may not be
chargeable to tax in view of the DTAA entered into between India and the respective countries.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The current legislation provides for the general anti-avoidance
rules (“GAAR”) to curb aggressive tax planning with the use of sophisticated structures. GAAR will be effective from the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards.
As per the current provisions of GAAR, an arrangement entered
into by a taxpayer may be declared to be an impermissible avoidance arrangement, if the “main purpose” of the arrangement is to obtain a “tax benefit” and the arrangement:
| ■ | creates rights, or obligations, which are not ordinarily created between persons dealing at arm's length; |
| ■ | results, directly or indirectly, in the misuse, or abuse, of the provisions of IT Act; |
| ■ | lacks commercial substance; or |
| ■ | is entered into, or carried out, by means, or in a manner, which are not ordinarily employed for bona fide purposes. |
Once an arrangement is declared to be an impermissible
avoidance arrangement, wide powers have been granted to tax authorities to deny tax treaty benefits, disregard or re-characterize transactions, re-characterize equity into debt and vice versa.
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and |
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has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior
permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations;
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned
tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions, may lead to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, and may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Provisions of indirect transfers and GAAR could change the
manner in which the Subsidiary is currently taxed in India and could adversely impact the returns to the Fund/Subsidiary and its shareholders. The Fund will continue to monitor developments in India with respect to these matters. Investors are urged
to consult their own tax advisers with respect to their own tax situations and the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant trading partner of many markets in which the Fund invests. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in the United States may have an adverse impact
on these markets and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that
are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be
able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation
as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the
Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
African
Economic Risk. Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may
negatively affect the value of investments in the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political
instability, including authoritarian
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and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict,
civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the
classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly
riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
Borrowing Risk. Borrowing may
exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may also
cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk.
The consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of using various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely
affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies may be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Geopolitical events, acts of terrorism, and other instability in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities
markets in some Eastern European countries are substantially smaller and less developed, with less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and may be less liquid and more
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volatile than securities markets in the United States or Western European
countries. In addition, investing in securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may involve:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the EU as a whole. |
Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be
influenced by unpredictable factors.
Materials
Sector Risk. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor
relations and government regulations, among other factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market
imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns.
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Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and, therefore, the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their
assets in stocks issued by mid- or large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments.
Securities of small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and
may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more vulnerable to experiencing adverse effects due to the loss of personnel. Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of mid- or
large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products.
Telecommunications Sector Risk.
The telecommunications sector of a country's economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new
regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable.
Companies in the telecommunications sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological
innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
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Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.18%. BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount equal to the
Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses attributable to the Fund's investments in other series of iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses)
until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. In addition, BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to
limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for
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Iris
Financial Solutions and a product manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments
in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from,
entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are
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affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having
positions in certain securities that are adverse to those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation to share any investment
opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment activities may differ from
those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other
accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund
may, from time to time, enter into transactions in which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions
by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “IEMG.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
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Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV
should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the
calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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
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provided that (a) any Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies
other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the
announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been
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sold
during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the
Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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
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long-term capital gain rates. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend
income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any
income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest,
dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder’s
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cost
basis and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of
the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have
received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal
income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S.
shareholders of the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
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If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Mauritius Tax Disclosure. The
Fund conducts its investment activities in India through the Subsidiary. In order to be eligible to claim benefits under the DTAA, the Subsidiary must satisfy certain conditions, including the establishment and maintenance of a valid tax residence
in Mauritius. The Subsidiary has obtained a certificate from the Mauritius authorities providing that it is a resident of Mauritius under the DTAA. The Fund expects the Subsidiary to maintain its Mauritius tax residency. The Subsidiary is subject to
tax in Mauritius on its net income at the rate of 15%. However, a system of foreign tax credits effectively reduces the Mauritius income tax rate to a maximum of 3%. Further, the Subsidiary is not subject to capital gains tax in Mauritius nor is it
subject to tax in Mauritius on any gains from the sale of securities. Any dividends paid by the Subsidiary to the Fund will also be exempt from tax in Mauritius.
Indian Tax Disclosure. In the
event the benefits under the DTAA are denied, the following rates of tax under the Indian IT Act will be applicable (these rates are inclusive of highest applicable surcharges):
| ■ | Dividend: Dividend income earned by the Subsidiary will not be subject to Indian tax. However, the Indian company declaring and paying such dividend would be subject to Dividend Distribution Tax at an effective rate of 20% (approx.) (effective starting October 1, 2014) on the amount of the dividend paid out. |
| ■ | Interest: Interest paid to the Subsidiary in respect of debt obligations of Indian issuers will be subject to Indian income tax. The tax rate in the case of a rupee-denominated debt obligation is 43.26%. However if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, interest income earned from June 1, 2013 to May 31, 2015 on rupee denominated bonds of Indian companies and Indian government securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 5.41%, provided that the rate of interest does not exceed the prescribed rates. In the case of a foreign-currency denominated debt obligation, the tax rate is 21.63%. For approved foreign-currency loans advanced |
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| from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41% and for approved foreign currency long-term bonds issued from October 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41%. However, if the Subsidiary is registered as a sub-account with SEBI, interest from securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 21.63%. | |
| ■ | Securities Transaction Tax: Transactions involving the purchase or sale of shares or any other security traded on a recognized Indian stock exchange are subject to Securities Transaction Tax (“STT”). STT will be levied at the rate of 0.001% on the seller in case of actual delivery of the security and at the rate of 0.2% on the sale of unlisted shares in an initial public offering. This STT is not applicable to primary issuances of equity shares by a company or to off-market transactions. Hence, STT will be payable if the Subsidiary buys or sells listed securities on a recognized Indian stock exchange. |
| ■ | Capital Gains: The taxation of capital gains would be as follows: (i) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than twelve months) listed on a recognized stock exchange would not be taxable in India provided STT has been paid on the same (as discussed above); (ii) short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of twelve months or less) from the sale of Indian shares listed on a recognized stock exchange will be taxed at the rate of 16.223% provided STT has been paid on the same; (iii) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 36 months) arising to the Subsidiary from the sale of unlisted securities will be taxed at the rate of 10.815% (without indexation) and short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 36 months or less) will be taxed at the rate of 43.26%;* (iv) capital gains realized on sale of listed equity shares not executed on a recognized stock exchange in India would be taxed at the rate of 21.63% for long-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 12 months) and at 43.26% in the case of short-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 12 months or less);* and (v) capital gains arising from the transfer of depositary receipts outside India between non-resident investors will not be subject to tax in India. |
| * | However, if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, the rates will be 10.816% and 32.45%, respectively. |
Indirect Transfers. The current
legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests
in Indian securities through the Subsidiary, this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However,
the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012 clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any
assessment proceedings that were completed before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the
amendments
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in
the Finance Act would be enforced. Given this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The GAAR introduced in the Income Tax Act, 1961 (“IT Act”) provides the Indian tax authorities a mechanism to deny any tax benefits in a transaction or any other arrangement that is believed to not have any commercial substance or
purpose other than to obtain tax benefit(s) under a treaty. The provisions of GAAR will be applicable to arrangements (including a step in or a part thereof) entered into by a taxpayer, which may be declared as an ‘impermissible avoidance
arrangement’.
GAAR will be effective from
the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards (assessment year 2016-17).
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
If the Fund's use of the Subsidiary was considered to be such
an impermissible avoidance arrangement, the Fund would become subject directly to taxation in India. GAAR is expected to come into force from April 2015. The burden of proof in enforcing the rule will reside with the Indian government, not the
taxpayer, and India’s current double tax treaty arrangements will remain in force. However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions and may lead
to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, which may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 200,000 shares or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the
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composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of
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Rule
153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to
the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares
may pay fees for such services.
The following
table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $10,010,000 | 200,000 | $15,000 | 5.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Period
from Oct. 18, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2013 | ||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 45.71 | $ 49.06 | |
| Income
from investment operations: | |||
| Net investment incomeb | 1.31 | 1.33 | |
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 7.78 | (4.14) | |
| Total from investment operations | 9.09 | (2.81) | |
| Less distributions from: | |||
| Net investment income | (0.91) | (0.54) | |
| Total distributions | (0.91) | (0.54) | |
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 53.89 | $ 45.71 | |
| Total return | 20.05% | (5.75)% d | |
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $5,669,167 | $1,864,965 | |
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.17% | 0.05% | |
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived feese | 0.18% | 0.18% | |
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 2.61% | 3.17% | |
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 8% | 15% | |
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but includes portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the year ended August 31, 2014 and the period ended August 31, 2013 were 8% and 15%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
This Prospectus and the SAI have not been filed with SEBI, and
SEBI will not in any manner vouch for the financial soundness of the Fund/Subsidiary, BFA or the Portfolio Managers, or for the adequacy of the statements made in this Prospectus and the SAI. BFA or the Portfolio Managers will not be registered with
SEBI.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted
by MSCI or any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the
Fund particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and
calculated by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index.
MSCI is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither
MSCI nor any other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING,
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IN NO
EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 2.0% | 1 | 0.23% | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 7 | 1.59 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 19 | 4.32 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 102 | 23.18 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 258 | 58.64 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 36 | 8.18 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 12 | 2.73 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 3 | 0.68 | ||
| Less than -2.0% and Greater than -2.5% | 2 | 0.45 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 20.05% | 20.98% | 20.12% | 20.05% | 20.98% | 20.12% | |
| Since Inception* | 6.83% | 6.87% | 6.83% | 13.15% | 13.24% | 13.13% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (10/18/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 10/22/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-IEMG-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | BKF | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI BRIC Index” is a servicemark of MSCI Inc. and
has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc., nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI BRIC
ETF
| Ticker: BKF | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI BRIC ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to
track the investment results of an index composed of Chinese equities that are available to international investors, and Brazilian, Russian, and Indian equities.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Foreign
Taxes |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | ||||
| 0.68% | None | 0.00% | None | 0.68% | ||||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $69 | $218 | $379 | $847 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the
Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not
necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus. If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Year by Year Returns1 (Years Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was 0.71%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the periods
shown above was 41.58% in the 2nd quarter of 2009; the worst was -33.01% in the 3rd quarter of 2008.
Updated performance information is available at
www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
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Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Five Years | Since
Fund Inception | |||
| (Inception Date: 11/12/2007) | |||||
| Return Before Taxes | -4.26% | 11.27% | -4.66% | ||
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | -4.71% | 10.93% | -4.95% | ||
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | -1.87% | 9.17% | -3.34% | ||
| MSCI BRIC Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | -3.53% | 12.52% | -4.26% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
The Fund may borrow as a temporary measure for extraordinary or
emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. The Fund does not intend to borrow money in order to leverage its portfolio. The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment
restriction such that, under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net assets.
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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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional
conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of
the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The Brazilian economy may be significantly affected by the economies of Central and South American countries. High interest, inflation, government defaults and unemployment rates characterize the economies in some
Central and South American countries. Currency devaluations in any Central and South American country can have a significant effect on the entire region. Because commodities such as oil and gas, minerals and metals represent a significant percentage
of the region's exports, the economies of Central and South American countries are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. As a result, the economies in many Central and South American countries can experience significant
volatility.
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Commodity Risk. The
agricultural, mining and natural resources sectors of some BRIC economies account for a large portion of their exports. These BRIC economies are susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets and, in particular, in the price and demand for
agricultural products and natural resources. Any changes in these sectors or fluctuations in the commodity markets and, in particular, on the price and demand for agricultural products and natural resources could have a significant adverse impact on
these BRIC economies.
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the
securities of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience
increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Energy Sector Risk. The energy
sector of an economy is cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of companies in the energy sector is strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, capital expenditures on
exploration and production of energy sources, energy conservation efforts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, increased competition and technological advances, among other factors. Companies in this sector may be
subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion of the revenues of these companies depends on a relatively
small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or
engage in transactions involving countries with, less developed regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a significant risk of liability from accidents resulting in
injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism,
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political strife and natural disasters. Any such event could have serious
consequences for the general population of the affected area and could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, specific
products (e.g., oil and natural gas) and services, exploration and production spending, government subsidization, world events and general economic conditions.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro
and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the
risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or
asset
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valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related
markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit
markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. A number
of large financial institutions failed during that time, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some
financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of
capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector
is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive to
environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
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Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Information Technology Sector Risk. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may
have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth
rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the
profitability of these companies.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor
performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other
factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
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Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds,
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which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at
premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not
expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or
market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-U.S. Securities Market
Risk. Emerging markets stock exchanges may trade a smaller number of securities than do more established exchanges, and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt
liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times. Settlement procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States (and other developed countries). In addition, significant delays
may occur in certain markets in registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
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| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index,
regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The BRIC economies are highly dependent on trade with other economies. Reduction in spending by these economies on BRIC products and services or negative changes in any of these other economies may adversely impact the
Fund.
Risk of Investing in Brazil. Investment in Brazilian issuers involves risks that are specific to Brazil, including legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks. Specifically, Brazilian issuers are subject to possible regulatory and
economic interventions by the Brazilian government, including the imposition of wage and price controls and the limitation of imports. In addition, the market for Brazilian securities is directly influenced by the flow of international capital and
economic and market conditions of certain countries, especially other emerging market countries in Central and South America. The Brazilian economy has historically been exposed to high rates of inflation and a high level of debt, each of which may
reduce and/or prevent economic growth.
Risk of
Investing in China. The Chinese economy is subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability:
Political and Social Risk. The
Chinese government is authoritarian and has periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth and the pace of economic liberalization may lead to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest. In addition, China continues to
experience disagreements related to integration with Hong Kong and religious and nationalist disputes in Tibet and Xinjiang. There is also a greater risk in China than in many other countries of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility,
interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation as a result of internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. China's
growing
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income inequality and worsening environmental conditions also are factors that
may affect the Chinese economy.
Government Control and
Regulations. The Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in the economy, reduce government control of the economy and develop
market mechanisms. There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive and the Chinese government may
restrict foreign ownership of Chinese corporations and/or repatriate assets. Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies that may be connected to governmental influence, a lack of
publicly-available information, and political and social instability.
Economic Risk. The Chinese
economy has grown rapidly during the past several years and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. In fact, the Chinese economy may experience a significant slowdown as a result of, among other things, a deterioration in
global demand for Chinese exports, as well as contraction in spending on domestic goods by Chinese consumers. In addition, China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on its economy
and securities market. Delays in enterprise restructuring, slow development of well-functioning financial markets and widespread corruption have also hindered performance of the Chinese economy. China continues to receive substantial pressure from
trading partners to liberalize official currency exchange rates.
Expropriation Risk. The
Chinese government maintains a major role in economic policymaking and investing in China involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments
and on repatriation of capital invested.
Chinese
Equity Markets. The Fund invests in H-Shares (securities of companies incorporated in the People's Republic of China (“PRC”) that are denominated in Hong Kong dollars and listed on the Hong Kong Exchange)
and B-Shares (securities of companies incorporated in the PRC and listed for foreign investment on stock exchanges in the PRC). The Fund also invests in certain Hong Kong listed securities known as Red-Chips (securities issued by companies
incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by entities owned by the national government or local governments in the PRC and derive substantial revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC) and
P-Chips (securities issued by companies incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by individuals in the PRC and derive substantial revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC). The issuance
of B-Shares and H-Shares by Chinese companies and the ability to obtain a “back-door listing” through Red-Chips or P-Chips is still regarded by the Chinese authorities as an experiment in economic reform. “Back-door listing”
is a means by which mainland Chinese companies issue Red-Chips or P-Chips to obtain quick access to international listing and international capital. All of these share mechanisms are relatively untested and subject to political and economic policy
in China.
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Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Risk of
Investing in India. India is an emerging market country and exhibits significantly greater market volatility from time to time in comparison to more developed markets. Political and legal uncertainty, greater
government control over the economy, currency fluctuations or blockage, and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets may result in higher potential for losses.
Moreover, governmental actions can have a significant effect on
the economic conditions in India, which could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments. The securities markets in India are comparatively underdeveloped, and stockbrokers and other intermediaries may not perform as well as
their counterparts in the United States and other more developed securities markets. The limited liquidity of the Indian securities markets may also affect the Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time that it
desires.
Global factors and foreign actions may inhibit
the flow of foreign capital on which India is dependent to sustain its growth. In addition, the Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”) has imposed limits on foreign ownership of Indian securities, which may decrease the liquidity of the
Fund’s portfolio and result in extreme volatility in the prices of Indian securities. These factors, coupled with the lack of extensive accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices, as compared to the United States, may
increase the Fund's risk of loss.
Further, certain Indian
regulatory approvals, including approvals from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”), the RBI, the central government and the tax authorities (to the extent that tax benefits need to be utilized), may be required before the
Fund can make investments in the securities of Indian companies.
Risk of Investing in Russia.
Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, in addition to those described under “Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Non-U.S. Securities Risk” that are not typically associated with investing in U.S.
securities, including:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in Russia; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash |
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with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories,
including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund;
| ■ | The risk that the Fund’s ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of Russian companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than by a central registration system; and |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because Russian banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by the Russian government. |
The United States and the EU, along
with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial sanctions on certain Russian
individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian
securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those
securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers
include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of
the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund
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redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also
result in the Fund receiving substantially lower prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead to changes in the Fund’s
Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an event, it is expected that the
Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that may result in the trading
markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that represent the securities of
the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. The BRIC
economies are subject to political, economic, legal and currency risks which have contributed to a high degree of price volatility in the BRIC equity markets and which could adversely affect investments in the Fund:
Economic and Currency Risk.
The BRIC countries may experience economic instability, including instability resulting from substantial rates of inflation or significant devaluations of their currencies, or they may experience economic recessions, which would have a negative
effect on the economies and securities markets of their economies. In particular, Russia has experienced currency devaluations, high rates of inflation and high government debt, causing a negative effect on the Russian economy and securities market.
Russia has also experienced severe economic recessions and was severely affected by the recent global financial crisis. These countries may also impose restrictions on the exchange or export of currency or adverse currency exchange rates and they
may be characterized by a lack of available currency hedging instructions.
Expropriation Risk. Some
investors in the BRIC countries, particularly Russia, have experienced significant losses due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital
invested. There is no assurance that similar losses will not recur.
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Heavy Government Control and Regulation. Despite significant recent reform and privatization, the Russian government continues to control a large share of economic activity in the region. The Russian government owns shares in corporations in a range of sectors, including banking, energy production, and distribution, automotive, transportation and telecommunications. Government spending in Russia remains high compared to that of other countries.
Labor Risk. A significant
portion of the workforce in Russia is unionized and certain regions and sectors of the country have experienced very high unemployment rates and periods of labor and social unrest.
Large Government Debt Risk.
Chronic structural public sector deficits in some BRIC countries may adversely impact investments in the Fund.
Political and Social Risk.
Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, among other factors, may exacerbate social unrest, violence and labor unrest in the BRIC countries. Such political or social developments
may result in sudden and significant investment losses. In addition, the BRIC countries are subject to extensive governmental regulation of investment and restrictions on foreign ownership of companies.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER
INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.
Treaty/Tax Risk. The Fund
operates, in part, through the Subsidiary, which in turn invests in securities of Indian issuers. At this time, the Subsidiary should be eligible to take advantage of the benefits of the DTAA. Numerous investors have relied on the benefits of the
DTAA to invest in India through Mauritius in the past. However, in the past 10-15 years, a number of parties have challenged the DTAA or the interpretation of the DTAA. Circular 789, issued on April 13, 2000 by the Indian Central Board of Direct
Taxes (“CBDT”), clarifies that whenever the Mauritius revenue authorities have issued a certificate of tax residence, such certificate would constitute sufficient evidence for accepting the status of residence of Mauritius tax residents
for purposes of applying the provisions of the DTAA. The Supreme Court of India in 2003 subsequently held and declared Circular 789 to be valid following litigation regarding Circular 789. As of the date of this Prospectus, Circular 789 is still
valid and in force.
However, recently issued
rulings suggest that the Indian tax administration’s analysis may have changed, and that the tax authorities may now focus on a number of factors when assessing whether a foreign entity is eligible for the benefit of the provisions of a
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tax
treaty, including, among others, the place of management of the foreign resident company and the level of substance in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated. In addition, both the Indian tax administration and Indian courts seem now to be
taking aggressive efforts to challenge structures involving offshore funds investing directly or indirectly in India, in particular those from Mauritius. Further, the Finance Act, 2013 (“FA 13”) provides that an investor is required to
submit the tax residency certificate as issued in the country of residence and provide other documents and information as prescribed by the Government to claim benefits under the DTAA.
It is possible that the governments of India and Mauritius may
renegotiate the terms of the DTAA to include, among other things, a limitation on benefits clause. No assurance can be given that the terms of the DTAA will not be renegotiated or subject to a different interpretation in the future. Any change in
the provisions of the DTAA or in its applicability to the Subsidiary could result in the imposition of withholding and capital gains taxes and other taxes on the Subsidiary by tax authorities in India. This could significantly reduce the return to
the Fund on its investments and the return received by the Fund’s shareholders.
Indirect Transfers.
The current legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding
obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests in Indian securities through the Subsidiary,
this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However, the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012
clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, the CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any assessment proceedings that were completed
before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in the Finance Act would be enforced. Given
this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
An Expert Committee formed by the Government of India was
constituted to examine the implications of the above amendment, which provides for taxing indirect transfer of Indian assets in India. Based on the consultations received from stakeholders, the Expert Committee in its report has recommended that the
above deemed provisions should not apply in the following cases:
| ■ | where a non-resident investor has made any investment, directly or indirectly, in a foreign institutional investor (“FII”) which has invested in India; |
| ■ | investment by the non-resident investor in a fund or a fund pooling vehicle, which does not result in participation in control and management of the fund; or |
| ■ | where a non-resident investor along with its associates, does not have more than a 26% share in total capital of the company. |
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Accordingly, the Expert Committee has recommended that the
non-resident will not be taxable in India in relation to investments made by the Fund/ FII in India in the above situations.
The Expert Committee has also recommended that amendments
should be applied prospectively and not retrospectively.
If the recommendations made by the Expert Committee are
accepted by the Government of India then the non-resident shareholders of the Fund/ Subsidiary would not be taxed in India on indirect transfer of shares.
However, the above amendment does not override the provisions
of DTAA which India has entered into with many countries. Hence, if a non-resident investor in the Fund is situated in a favorable tax jurisdiction (such as Mauritius, Singapore, etc.), then capital gains on such indirect transfer may not be
chargeable to tax in view of the DTAA entered into between India and the respective countries.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The current legislation provides for the general anti-avoidance
rules (“GAAR”) to curb aggressive tax planning with the use of sophisticated structures. GAAR will be effective from the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards.
As per the current provisions of GAAR, an arrangement entered
into by a taxpayer may be declared to be an impermissible avoidance arrangement, if the “main purpose” of the arrangement is to obtain a “tax benefit” and the arrangement:
| ■ | creates rights, or obligations, which are not ordinarily created between persons dealing at arm's length; |
| ■ | results, directly or indirectly, in the misuse, or abuse, of the provisions of IT Act; |
| ■ | lacks commercial substance; or |
| ■ | is entered into, or carried out, by means, or in a manner, which are not ordinarily employed for bona fide purposes. |
Once an arrangement is declared to be an impermissible
avoidance arrangement, wide powers have been granted to tax authorities to deny tax treaty benefits, disregard or re-characterize transactions, re-characterize equity into debt and vice versa.
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
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However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned
tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions, may lead to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, and may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Provisions of indirect transfers and GAAR could change the
manner in which the Subsidiary is currently taxed in India and could adversely impact the returns to the Fund/Subsidiary and its shareholders. The Fund will continue to monitor developments in India with respect to these matters. Investors are urged
to consult their own tax advisers with respect to their own tax situations and the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is either the largest or a large trading partner and foreign investor for the BRIC countries. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in the United States may have
an adverse impact on the BRIC economies and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that
are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be
able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation
as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the
Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Borrowing
Risk. Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may
reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may also cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk.
The consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of using various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely
affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
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Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies may be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Geopolitical events, acts of terrorism, and other instability in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities
markets in some Eastern European countries are substantially smaller and less developed, with less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and may be less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in the United States or
Western European countries. In addition, investing in securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may involve:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the EU as a whole. |
Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials
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sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and
product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors.
Materials Sector Risk.
Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor relations and government regulations, among other
factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor
investment returns.
Mid-Capitalization Companies
Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest
a larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments,
and the stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are
more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Telecommunications Sector Risk.
The telecommunications sector of a country's economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new
regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable.
Companies in the telecommunications sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological
innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's
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investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment
strategists and other investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund corresponding to the Fund’s allocable portion of an aggregate management fee based on the aggregate average daily net assets of the following iShares funds: iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex
Japan ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging
Markets Minimum Volatility ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF. Effective July 1, 2014, the aggregate management fee is calculated as follows: 0.75% per annum of the aggregate net assets less than or equal to $14.0 billion, plus
0.68% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $14.0 billion, up to and including $28.0 billion, plus 0.61% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $28.0 billion, up to and including $42.0 billion, plus 0.54% per annum of the aggregate net
assets over $42.0 billion, up to and including $56.0 billion, plus 0.47% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $56.0 billion, up to and including $70.0 billion, plus 0.41% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $70.0 billion, up to and
including $84.0 billion, plus 0.35% per annum of the aggregate net assets in excess of $84.0 billion. Based on assets of the iShares funds enumerated above as of August 31, 2014, for its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is entitled to
receive a management fee from the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.68%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund
Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management team to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing investment strategy and overseeing
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members of his or her portfolio management team that have more limited
responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA
and BTC (formerly, Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial
Solutions and a product manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2008.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2008.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments
in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from,
entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
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BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and
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procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the
Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “BKF.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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
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Day,
Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV
should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the
calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of
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business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the
prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a
particular market or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments
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using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current
market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a
difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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
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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. Long-term capital gains and qualified
dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals
with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to,
interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company. Under current Internal Revenue Service
(“IRS”) guidance, the United States has a comprehensive income tax treaty with Russia, India and China.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a
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return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s
minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. The Fund’s capital loss carryforwards, if any, carried from
taxable years beginning before 2011 do not reduce current earnings and profits, even if such carryforwards offset current year realized gains. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect
U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct
and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments
made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable
intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each
substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of
the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have
received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax
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deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain
limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of
the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Brazilian Tax Disclosure. With
respect to Brazil, a 6% Imposto sobre Operacões Financeiras (“IOF”) tax, with the rate subject to change, applies to certain foreign exchange inflows into Brazil. Also, a 1.5% IOF tax applies to the creation of new American or
Global Depositary Receipt issuances with respect to Brazilian equities and a 0.38% IOF tax applies to the cancellation of American or Global Depositary Receipts if the underlying equities are then issued in the Brazil (local) markets. If incurred by
the Fund, an IOF tax would not be creditable against U.S. income tax liability.
Chinese Tax Disclosure.
Although the PRC's enactment of the Enterprise Income Tax Law, effective January 1, 2008, provided a 10% withholding tax upon non-residents with respect to capital gains, significant uncertainties remain regarding this law. Such uncertainties may
result in capital gains imposed upon the Fund relative to companies headquartered, managed or listed in China. While the application and enforcement of this law to the Fund remains subject to clarification, to the extent that such taxes are imposed
on any capital gains of the Fund relative to companies headquartered, managed or listed in China, the Fund's NAV or returns may be adversely impacted.
Mauritius Tax Disclosure. The
Fund conducts its investment activities in India through the Subsidiary. In order to be eligible to claim benefits under the DTAA, the Subsidiary must satisfy certain conditions, including the establishment and maintenance of a valid tax residence
in Mauritius. The Subsidiary has obtained a certificate from the Mauritius authorities providing that it is a resident of Mauritius under the DTAA. The Fund expects the Subsidiary to maintain its Mauritius tax
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residency. The Subsidiary is subject to tax in Mauritius on its net income at
the rate of 15%. However, a system of foreign tax credits effectively reduces the Mauritius income tax rate to a maximum of 3%. Further, the Subsidiary is not subject to capital gains tax in Mauritius nor is it subject to tax in Mauritius on any
gains from the sale of securities. Any dividends paid by the Subsidiary to the Fund will also be exempt from tax in Mauritius.
Indian Tax Disclosure. In the
event the benefits under the DTAA are denied, the following rates of tax under the Indian IT Act will be applicable (these rates are inclusive of highest applicable surcharges):
| ■ | Dividend: Dividend income earned by the Subsidiary will not be subject to Indian tax. However, the Indian company declaring and paying such dividend would be subject to Dividend Distribution Tax at an effective rate of 20% (approx.) (effective starting October 1, 2014) on the amount of the dividend paid out. |
| ■ | Interest: Interest paid to the Subsidiary in respect of debt obligations of Indian issuers will be subject to Indian income tax. The tax rate in the case of a rupee-denominated debt obligation is 43.26%. However if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, interest income earned from June 1, 2013 to May 31, 2015 on rupee denominated bonds of Indian companies and Indian government securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 5.41%, provided that the rate of interest does not exceed the prescribed rates. In the case of a foreign-currency denominated debt obligation, the tax rate is 21.63%. For approved foreign-currency loans advanced from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41% and for approved foreign currency long-term bonds issued from October 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41%. However, if the Subsidiary is registered as a sub-account with SEBI, interest from securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 21.63%. |
| ■ | Securities Transaction Tax: Transactions involving the purchase or sale of shares or any other security traded on a recognized Indian stock exchange are subject to Securities Transaction Tax (“STT”). STT will be levied at the rate of 0.001% on the seller in case of actual delivery of the security and at the rate of 0.2% on the sale of unlisted shares in an initial public offering. This STT is not applicable to primary issuances of equity shares by a company or to off-market transactions. Hence, STT will be payable if the Subsidiary buys or sells listed securities on a recognized Indian stock exchange. |
| ■ | Capital Gains: The taxation of capital gains would be as follows: (i) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than twelve months) listed on a recognized stock exchange would not be taxable in India provided STT has been paid on the same (as discussed above); (ii) short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of twelve months or less) from the sale of Indian shares listed on a recognized stock exchange will be taxed at the rate of 16.223% provided STT has been paid on the same; (iii) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 36 months) arising to the Subsidiary from the sale of unlisted securities will be taxed at the rate of 10.815% (without indexation) and short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 36 months or less) will be taxed at the rate of 43.26%;* (iv) capital |
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gains realized on sale of listed equity shares not executed
on a recognized stock exchange in India would be taxed at the rate of 21.63% for long-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 12 months) and at 43.26% in the case of short-term gains (being gains on sale of shares
held for a period of 12 months or less);* and (v) capital gains arising from the transfer of depositary receipts outside India between non-resident investors will not be subject to tax in India.
| * | However, if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, the rates will be 10.816% and 32.45%, respectively. |
Indirect Transfers. The current
legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests
in Indian securities through the Subsidiary, this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However,
the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012 clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any
assessment proceedings that were completed before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in
the Finance Act would be enforced. Given this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The GAAR introduced in the Income Tax Act, 1961 (“IT Act”) provides the Indian tax authorities a mechanism to deny any tax benefits in a transaction or any other arrangement that is believed to not have any commercial substance or
purpose other than to obtain tax benefit(s) under a treaty. The provisions of GAAR will be applicable to arrangements (including a step in or a part thereof) entered into by a taxpayer, which may be declared as an ‘impermissible avoidance
arrangement’.
GAAR will be effective from
the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards (assessment year 2016-17).
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
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| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
If the Fund's use of the Subsidiary was considered to be such
an impermissible avoidance arrangement, the Fund would become subject directly to taxation in India. GAAR is expected to come into force from April 2015. The burden of proof in enforcing the rule will reside with the Indian government, not the
taxpayer, and India’s current double tax treaty arrangements will remain in force. However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions and may lead
to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, which may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is
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not
a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to
the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares
may pay fees for such services.
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The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $1,867,000 | 50,000 | $5,900 | 7.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance for the past five years. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost)
on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual
Report (available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 (Consolidated) |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 (Consolidated) |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2012 (Consolidated) |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2011 (Consolidated) |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2010 | |||||
| Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 34.41 | $ 35.68 | $ 42.25 | $ 42.94 | $ 37.57 | ||||
| Income
from investment operations: |
|||||||||
| Net investment incomea | 0.89 | 0.84 | 0.98 | 0.89 | 0.66 | ||||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)b | 6.53 | (1.25) | (6.62) | (0.58) | 5.35 | ||||
| Total from investment operations | 7.42 | (0.41) | (5.64) | 0.31 | 6.01 | ||||
| Less distributions from: | |||||||||
| Net investment income | (0.71) | (0.86) | (0.93) | (1.00) | (0.64) | ||||
| Total distributions | (0.71) | (0.86) | (0.93) | (1.00) | (0.64) | ||||
| Net asset value, end of year | $ 41.12 | $ 34.41 | $ 35.68 | $ 42.25 | $ 42.94 | ||||
| Total return | 21.73% | (1.17)% | (13.33)% | 0.49% | 15.95% | ||||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||||||
| Net assets, end of year (000s) | $411,164 | $474,861 | $685,149 | $866,194 | $946,814 | ||||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets | 0.68% | 0.67% | 0.69% | 0.67% | 0.69% | ||||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived fees | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.67% | n/a | ||||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | 2.38% | 2.18% | 2.55% | 1.86% | 1.52% | ||||
| Portfolio turnover ratec | 10% | 10% | 32% | 13% | 9% | ||||
| a | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| b | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| c | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the years ended August 31, 2014, August 31, 2013, August 31, 2012, August 31, 2011 and August 31, 2010 were 6%, 9%, 20%, 10% and 8%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
This Prospectus and the SAI have not been filed with SEBI, and
SEBI will not in any manner vouch for the financial soundness of the Fund/Subsidiary, BFA or the Portfolio Managers, or for the adequacy of the statements made in this Prospectus and the SAI. BFA or the Portfolio Managers will not be registered with
SEBI.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted
by MSCI or any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the
Fund particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and
calculated by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index.
MSCI is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither
MSCI nor any other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING,
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IN NO
EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 2.0% | 2 | 0.45% | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 2 | 0.45 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 9 | 2.05 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 33 | 7.50 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 275 | 62.50 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 81 | 18.41 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 28 | 6.36 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 8 | 1.82 | ||
| Less than -2.0% and Greater than -2.5% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| Less than -2.5% and Greater than -3.0% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 21.73% | 22.74% | 22.80% | 21.73% | 22.74% | 22.80% | |
| 5 Years | 3.97% | 4.10% | 4.90% | 21.51% | 22.24% | 26.99% | |
| Since Inception* | (2.75)% | (2.74)% | (2.30)% | (17.25)% | (17.23)% | (14.66)% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (11/12/07). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 11/16/07. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-BKF-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | ICOL | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI All Colombia Capped Index” is a servicemark
of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc., nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI COLOMBIA
CAPPED ETF
| Ticker: ICOL | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF (the “Fund”)
seeks to track the investment results of a broad-based index composed of Colombian equities.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.61% | None | None | 0.61% | |||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $62 | $195 | $340 | $762 |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
The Fund may borrow as a temporary measure for extraordinary or
emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. The Fund does not intend to borrow money in order to leverage its portfolio.
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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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional
conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of
the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The Colombian economy is affected by the economies of other Central and South American countries, some of which have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government
defaults and high unemployment rates. Any adverse economic event in one country can have a significant effect on other countries of this region. In addition, commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of the
region's exports and many economies in this region, including Colombia's, are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices.
Commodity Risk. The oil, mining
and agriculture sectors of Colombia's economy account for a large portion of its exports. Any changes in these sectors or fluctuations in the commodity markets could have an adverse impact on the Colombian economy.
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Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors,
including, where applicable, high volatility, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies. Securities of companies
held by the Fund that are dependent on a single commodity, or are concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Energy Sector Risk. The energy
sector of an economy is cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of companies in the energy sector is strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, capital expenditures on
exploration and production of energy sources, energy conservation efforts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, increased competition and technological advances, among other factors. Companies in this sector may be
subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion of the revenues of these companies depends on a relatively
small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or
engage in transactions involving countries with, less developed regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a significant risk of liability from accidents resulting in
injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism,
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political strife and natural disasters. Any such event could have serious
consequences for the general population of the affected area and could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, specific
products (e.g., oil and natural gas) and services, exploration and production spending, government subsidization, world events and general economic conditions.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro
and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the
risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or
asset
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valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related
markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit
markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. A number
of large financial institutions failed during that time, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some
financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of
capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector
is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Colombia is
located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts and floods. In addition, emerging markets such as Colombia are economically sensitive to environmental events.
Any such event may adversely impact the Colombian economy, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
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Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution.
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Certain information available to investors who trade Fund shares on a U.S.
stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what
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investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Market
Risk. Non-U.S. securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or
impossible at times. Settlement procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States (and other developed countries). In addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in
registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
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| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index,
regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The Colombian economy is dependent on commodity prices and the economies of the United States, other Central and South American countries, Europe and Asia, particularly China. Reduction in spending on Colombian products
and services by any of these trading partners or a downturn in any of these economies could adversely affect the Colombian economy.
Risk of Investing in Colombia.
Investments in Colombian issuers and companies that have significant operations in Colombia subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks specific to Colombia. The Colombian economy has grown steadily during the past
several years, and there can be no assurance that economic growth will continue. The Colombian economy depends heavily on oil, coal and other commodity exports, making it vulnerable to commodity prices. High unemployment and underemployment, income
disparity and drug trafficking remain significant challenges to the Colombian economy. Colombia’s infrastructure requires major improvements to sustain economic expansion. In addition, the market for Colombian issuers is directly influenced by
the flow of international capital and economic and market conditions of certain countries, especially the United States and other countries in Central and South America.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Securities
Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the
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loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all.
The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax
consequences for the Fund. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the
Fund’s securities lending program.
Security Risk. Colombia has historically experienced security concerns related to guerilla activity, paramilitary groups and drug traffickers. These situations may cause uncertainty in the Colombian securities market and may adversely
affect the Colombian economy.
Structural Risk. Certain political, economic and currency risks have contributed to a high degree of price volatility in the Colombian equity and currency markets, and could adversely affect investments in the Fund:
Political and Social Risk.
Disparities of wealth, high unemployment and violence associated with internal conflicts and drug trafficking, among other factors, may exacerbate social and labor unrest and violence. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in
sudden and significant investment losses.
Economic
and Currency Risk. Colombia is heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade and has historically experienced high interest rates, economic volatility and inflation. Colombia, like some emerging
market countries, may experience currency devaluations and economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on its economy and securities market.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER
INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.
U.S.
Economic Risk. The United States is Colombia's largest trading partner and investment partner. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in
the United States may have an adverse impact on Colombia's economy and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Utilities Sector Risk.
Companies in the utilities sector may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, domestic and international competition, and governmental limitation on rates charged to customers. The value of regulated utility debt securities
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(and, to a lesser extent, equity securities) tends to have an inverse
relationship to the movement of interest rates. Deregulation is subjecting utility companies to greater competition and may adversely affect their profitability. As deregulation allows utility companies to diversify outside of their original
geographic regions and their traditional lines of business, utility companies may engage in riskier ventures. Companies in the utilities industry may have difficulty obtaining an adequate return on invested capital, raising capital, or financing
large construction projects during periods of inflation or unsettled capital markets; face restrictions on operations and increased cost and delays attributable to environmental considerations and regulation; find that existing plants, equipment or
products have been rendered obsolete by technological innovations; or be subject to increased costs because of the scarcity of certain fuels or the effects of man-made or natural disasters. Existing and future regulations or legislation may make it
difficult for utility companies to operate profitably. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict utility
companies’ access to new markets, thereby diminishing these companies’ long-term prospects. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will grant rate increases in the future, or that such increases will be adequate to permit the
payment of dividends on stocks issued by a utility company. The deregulation of certain utility companies may eliminate restrictions on profits, but may also subject these companies to greater risks of loss. Energy conservation and changes in
climate policy may also have a significant adverse impact on the revenues and expenses of utility companies.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that
are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be
able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation
as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the
Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Borrowing
Risk. Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may
reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may also cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
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Consumer Staples Sector Risk.
The consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of using various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely
affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Materials Sector Risk.
Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor relations and government regulations, among other
factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor
investment returns.
North American Economic Risk. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the
North American countries in which the Fund invests.
The United States is Canada's largest trading and investment
partner. The Canadian economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total
merchandise trade between the three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Canada's dependency
on the U.S. economy. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.
Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and, therefore, the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their
assets in stocks issued by mid- or large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments.
Securities of small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and
may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more vulnerable to experiencing adverse effects due to the loss of personnel. Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of mid- or
large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products.
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
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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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.61%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
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Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments
in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from,
entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and
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these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly
or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation to share any investment
opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment activities may differ from
those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other
accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund
may, from time to time, enter into transactions in which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions
by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “ICOL.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
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Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV
should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the
calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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
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provided that (a) any Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies
other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the
announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Fund's Board. BFA may conclude
that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations or
otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an event
that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly
correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been
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sold
during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the
Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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
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long-term capital gain rates. However, dividends paid by Colombian
corporations will not be qualified dividend income. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000
if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax
is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program (no such
treaty is in effect between the U.S. and Colombia), or if the stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign
investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a
RIC generally are qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be
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taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital.
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. Once a
shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of
the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have
received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal
income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S.
shareholders of the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
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If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
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To the extent the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the
Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any securities used
to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified
institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may also be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up
to the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services
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of a
broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $1,248,500 | 50,000 | $3,600 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Period
from Jun. 18, 2013a to Aug. 31,2013 | ||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 25.98 | $ 25.28 | |
| Income
from investment operations: |
|||
| Net investment incomeb | 0.67 | 0.03 | |
| Net realized and unrealized gainc | 2.24 | 0.67 | |
| Total from investment operations | 2.91 | 0.70 | |
| Less distributions from: | |||
| Net investment income | (0.63) | − | |
| Net realized gain | (0.03) | − | |
| Return of capital | (0.01) | − | |
| Total distributions | (0.67) | − | |
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 28.22 | $ 25.98 | |
| Total return | 11.44% | 2.77% d | |
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $25,396 | $18,188 | |
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.61% | 0.61% | |
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 2.54% | 0.61% | |
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 34% | 2% | |
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units solely for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the year ended August 31, 2014 and for the period ended August 31, 2013 were 33% and 2%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or
any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and calculated
by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. MSCI is not
responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any
other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
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Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
28
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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund from July 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 2.0% and Less than 2.5% | 2 | 0.63% | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 8 | 2.53 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 38 | 12.03 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 101 | 31.96 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 163 | 51.58 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 4 | 1.27 | ||
| 316 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 11.44% | 12.31% | 13.21% | 11.44% | 12.31% | 13.21% | |
| Since Inception* | 11.91% | 12.46% | 13.21% | 14.53% | 15.20% | 16.05% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (6/18/13). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 6/20/13. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-ICOL-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
|
| ► | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | EEMA | NASDAQ |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Asia Index” is a
servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc. nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI EMERGING
MARKETS
ASIA ETF
ASIA ETF
| Ticker: EEMA | Stock Exchange: NASDAQ |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of Asian emerging market equities.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. BFA, the investment
adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated
prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
Fee Waiver | Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | |||||
| 0.68% | None | None | 0.68% | (0.19)% | 0.49% | |||||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $50 | $198 | $360 | $829 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus. If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was 4.56%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above
was 5.60% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -5.12% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 2/8/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | 1.98% | 3.75% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions2 | 1.39% | 3.39% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares2 | 1.61% | 3.02% | |
| MSCI EM Asia Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | 1.98% | 3.91% |
| 2 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on The NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
The Fund may borrow as a temporary measure for extraordinary or
emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. The Fund does not intend to borrow money in order to leverage its portfolio. The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment
restriction such that, under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net assets.
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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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional
conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of
the Fund’s investments.
Asian Security Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. For example,
North and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical local tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could have a severe adverse effect on the South
Korean economy and securities markets. These and other security situations may cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect the performance of local economies.
Asian Structural Risk. Certain
Asian countries are subject to a considerable degree of political and social instability, which could adversely affect the Fund's investments:
| ■ | Government Control and Regulations. Governments of many Asian countries have implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in their economies, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive in |
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| many Asian countries and may restrict foreign ownership of domestic corporations and repatriation of assets, which may adversely affect Fund investments. | |
| ■ | Political and Social Risk. Governments in some Asian countries are authoritarian in nature, have been installed or removed as a result of military coups or have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection may exacerbate social turmoil, violence and labor unrest in some countries. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. |
| ■ | Expropriation Risk. Investing in certain Asian countries involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested. |
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Commodity Risk. Economies and
companies whose performance is reflected in the Fund’s portfolio or Underlying Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including,
where applicable, high volatility, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies. Securities of companies held by
the Fund that are dependent on a single commodity, or are concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in
demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be
subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
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Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the
risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset
valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets,
thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. A number of large financial institutions failed during that time, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the
financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even
ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the
securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
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Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Information Technology Sector Risk. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may
have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable
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changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified
personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Lack of Natural Resources Risk.
Hong Kong and Taiwan are small island states with few raw material resources and limited land area and each is reliant on imports for its commodity needs. Any fluctuations or shortages in the commodity markets would
have a great impact on the Hong Kong and Taiwanese economies. Hong Kong and Taiwan are also sensitive to the political and economic developments of their neighbors.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock
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exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors
who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they
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are
willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for
investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index,
regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade. Accordingly, these countries have been, and may continue to be, affected adversely by the economies
of their trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls or managed adjustments in relative currency values and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt
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burdens or inflation rates. These countries may be subject to other
protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade.
Risk of Investing in China. The
Chinese economy is subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability:
Political and Social Risk. The
Chinese government is authoritarian and has periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth and the pace of economic liberalization may lead to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest. In addition, China continues to
experience disagreements related to integration with Hong Kong and religious and nationalist disputes in Tibet and Xinjiang. There is also a greater risk in China than in many other countries of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility,
interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation as a result of internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. China's growing
income inequality and worsening environmental conditions also are factors that may affect the Chinese economy.
Government Control and Regulations. The Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in the economy, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms.
There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive and the Chinese government may restrict foreign
ownership of Chinese corporations and/or repatriate assets. Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies that may be connected to governmental influence, a lack of publicly-available
information and/or political and social instability.
Economic Risk. The Chinese
economy has grown rapidly during the past several years and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. In fact, the Chinese economy may experience a significant slowdown as a result of, among other things, a deterioration in
global demand for Chinese exports, as well as contraction in spending on domestic goods by Chinese consumers. In addition, China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on its economy
and securities market. Delays in enterprise restructuring, slow development of well-functioning financial markets and widespread corruption have also hindered performance of the Chinese economy. China continues to receive substantial pressure from
trading partners to liberalize official currency exchange rates.
Expropriation Risk. The
Chinese government maintains a major role in economic policymaking and investing in China involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments
and on repatriation of capital invested.
Chinese
Equity Markets. The Fund invests in H-Shares (securities of companies incorporated in the People's Republic of China (“PRC”) that are denominated in Hong Kong dollars and listed on the Hong Kong Exchange)
and B-Shares (securities of companies incorporated in the PRC and listed for foreign investment on stock
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exchanges in the PRC). The Fund also invests in certain Hong Kong listed
securities known as Red-Chips (securities issued by companies incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by entities owned by the national government or local governments in the PRC and derive
substantial revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC) and P-Chips (securities issued by companies incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by individuals in the PRC and derive substantial
revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC). The issuance of B-Shares and H-Shares by Chinese companies and the ability to obtain a “back-door listing” through Red-Chips or P-Chips is still regarded by the Chinese authorities as
an experiment in economic reform. “Back-door listing” is a means by which mainland Chinese companies issue Red-Chips or P-Chips to obtain quick access to international listing and international capital. All of these share mechanisms are
relatively untested and subject to political and economic policy in China.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Risk of
Investing in India. India is an emerging market country and exhibits significantly greater market volatility from time to time in comparison to more developed markets. Political and legal uncertainty, greater
government control over the economy, currency fluctuations or blockage, and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets may result in higher potential for losses.
Moreover, governmental actions can have a significant effect on
the economic conditions in India, which could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments. The securities markets in India are comparatively underdeveloped, and stockbrokers and other intermediaries may not perform as well as
their counterparts in the United States and other more developed securities markets. The limited liquidity of the Indian securities markets may also affect the Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time that it
desires.
Global factors and foreign actions may inhibit
the flow of foreign capital on which India is dependent to sustain its growth. In addition, the Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”) has imposed limits on foreign ownership of Indian securities, which may decrease the liquidity of the
Fund’s portfolio and result in extreme volatility in the prices of Indian securities. These factors, coupled with the lack of extensive accounting, auditing and
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financial reporting standards and practices, as compared to the United States,
may increase the Fund's risk of loss.
Further, certain
Indian regulatory approvals, including approvals from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”), the RBI, the central government and the tax authorities (to the extent that tax benefits need to be utilized), may be required
before the Fund can make investments in the securities of Indian companies.
Risk of Investing in South Korea. Investments in South Korean issuers involve risks that are specific to South Korea, including legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks. Substantial political tensions exist between North Korea
and South Korea and recently these political tensions have escalated. The outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, will likely adversely impact the South Korean economy. In addition, South
Korea's economic growth potential has recently been on a decline, mainly because of a rapidly aging population and structural problems.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER
INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.
Treaty/Tax Risk. The Fund
operates, in part, through the Subsidiary, which in turn invests in securities of Indian issuers. At this time, the Subsidiary should be eligible to take advantage of the benefits of the DTAA. Numerous investors have relied on the benefits of the
DTAA to invest in India through Mauritius in the past. However, in the
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past
10-15 years, a number of parties have challenged the DTAA or the interpretation of the DTAA. Circular 789, issued on April 13, 2000 by the Indian Central Board of Direct Taxes (“CBDT”), clarifies that whenever the Mauritius revenue
authorities have issued a certificate of tax residence, such certificate would constitute sufficient evidence for accepting the status of residence of Mauritius tax residents for purposes of applying the provisions of the DTAA. The Supreme Court of
India in 2003 subsequently held and declared Circular 789 to be valid following litigation regarding Circular 789. As of the date of this Prospectus, Circular 789 is still valid and in force.
However, recently issued rulings suggest that the Indian tax
administration’s analysis may have changed, and that the tax authorities may now focus on a number of factors when assessing whether a foreign entity is eligible for the benefit of the provisions of a tax treaty, including, among others, the
place of management of the foreign resident company and the level of substance in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated. In addition, both the Indian tax administration and Indian courts seem now to be taking aggressive efforts to challenge
structures involving offshore funds investing directly or indirectly in India, in particular those from Mauritius. Further, the Finance Act, 2013 (“FA 13”) provides that an investor is required to submit the tax residency certificate as
issued in the country of residence and provide other documents and information as prescribed by the Government to claim benefits under the DTAA.
It is possible that the governments of India and Mauritius may
renegotiate the terms of the DTAA to include, among other things, a limitation on benefits clause. No assurance can be given that the terms of the DTAA will not be renegotiated or subject to a different interpretation in the future. Any change in
the provisions of the DTAA or in its applicability to the Subsidiary could result in the imposition of withholding and capital gains taxes and other taxes on the Subsidiary by tax authorities in India. This could significantly reduce the return to
the Fund on its investments and the return received by the Fund’s shareholders.
Indirect Transfers.
The current legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding
obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests in Indian securities through the Subsidiary,
this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However, the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012
clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, the CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any assessment proceedings that were completed
before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in the Finance Act would be enforced. Given
this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
An Expert Committee formed by the Government of India was
constituted to examine the implications of the above amendment, which provides for taxing indirect transfer of
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Indian assets in India. Based on the consultations received from stakeholders,
the Expert Committee in its report has recommended that the above deemed provisions should not apply in the following cases:
| ■ | where a non-resident investor has made any investment, directly or indirectly, in a foreign institutional investor (“FII”) which has invested in India; |
| ■ | investment by the non-resident investor in a fund or a fund pooling vehicle, which does not result in participation in control and management of the fund; or |
| ■ | where a non-resident investor along with its associates, does not have more than a 26% share in total capital of the company. |
Accordingly, the Expert Committee has recommended that the
non-resident will not be taxable in India in relation to investments made by the Fund/ FII in India in the above situations.
The Expert Committee has also recommended that amendments
should be applied prospectively and not retrospectively.
If the recommendations made by the Expert Committee are
accepted by the Government of India then the non-resident shareholders of the Fund/ Subsidiary would not be taxed in India on indirect transfer of shares.
However, the above amendment does not override the provisions
of DTAA which India has entered into with many countries. Hence, if a non-resident investor in the Fund is situated in a favorable tax jurisdiction (such as Mauritius, Singapore, etc.), then capital gains on such indirect transfer may not be
chargeable to tax in view of the DTAA entered into between India and the respective countries.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The current legislation provides for the general anti-avoidance
rules (“GAAR”) to curb aggressive tax planning with the use of sophisticated structures. GAAR will be effective from the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards.
As per the current provisions of GAAR, an arrangement entered
into by a taxpayer may be declared to be an impermissible avoidance arrangement, if the “main purpose” of the arrangement is to obtain a “tax benefit” and the arrangement:
| ■ | creates rights, or obligations, which are not ordinarily created between persons dealing at arm's length; |
| ■ | results, directly or indirectly, in the misuse, or abuse, of the provisions of IT Act; |
| ■ | lacks commercial substance; or |
| ■ | is entered into, or carried out, by means, or in a manner, which are not ordinarily employed for bona fide purposes. |
Once an arrangement is declared to be an impermissible
avoidance arrangement, wide powers have been granted to tax authorities to deny tax treaty benefits, disregard or re-characterize transactions, re-characterize equity into debt and vice versa.
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
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| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned
tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions, may lead to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, and may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Provisions of indirect transfers and GAAR could change the
manner in which the Subsidiary is currently taxed in India and could adversely impact the returns to the Fund/Subsidiary and its shareholders. The Fund will continue to monitor developments in India with respect to these matters. Investors are urged
to consult their own tax advisers with respect to their own tax situations and the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that
are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be
able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation
as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the
Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Borrowing
Risk. Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may
reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may also cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk.
The consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of using various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco
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companies, in particular, may be adversely affected by new laws, regulations
and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Energy Sector Risk. The energy
sector of an economy is cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of companies in the energy sector is strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, capital expenditures on
exploration and production of energy sources, energy conservation efforts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, increased competition and technological advances, among other factors. Companies in this sector may be
subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion of the revenues of these companies depends on a relatively
small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or
engage in transactions involving countries with, less developed regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a significant risk of liability from accidents resulting in
injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism, political strife and natural disasters. Any such event could have serious
consequences for the general population of the affected area and could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, specific
products (e.g., oil and natural gas) and services, exploration and production spending, government subsidization, world events and general economic
conditions.
Industrials Sector Risk. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The
products of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the
performance of companies in the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or
trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors.
Materials Sector Risk.
Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor relations and government regulations, among other
factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor
investment returns.
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Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Telecommunications Sector Risk.
The telecommunications sector of a country's economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new
regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable.
Companies in the telecommunications sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological
innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.68%. BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of
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its
management fee for its investment advisory services to the Fund in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015
only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. In addition, BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if
any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
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Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments
in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from,
entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
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The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “EEMA.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant
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proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of
shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market
liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The
Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NASDAQ.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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
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participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other
securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV
should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the
calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
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Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund are
distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC
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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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is
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readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term
excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
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addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S.
account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to
non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental
agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S.
owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of the Fund at
the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as
an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income
tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S.
shareholders of the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Chinese Tax Disclosure.
Although the PRC's enactment of the Enterprise Income Tax Law, effective January 1, 2008, provided a 10% withholding tax upon non-residents
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with
respect to capital gains, significant uncertainties remain regarding this law. Such uncertainties may result in capital gains imposed upon the Fund relative to companies headquartered, managed or listed in China. While the application and
enforcement of this law to the Fund remains subject to clarification, to the extent that such taxes are imposed on any capital gains of the Fund relative to companies headquartered, managed or listed in China, the Fund's NAV or returns may be
adversely impacted.
Mauritius Tax Disclosure. The Fund conducts its investment activities in India through the Subsidiary. In order to be eligible to claim benefits under the DTAA, the Subsidiary must satisfy certain conditions, including the establishment and
maintenance of a valid tax residence in Mauritius. The Subsidiary has obtained a certificate from the Mauritius authorities providing that it is a resident of Mauritius under the DTAA. The Fund expects the Subsidiary to maintain its Mauritius tax
residency. The Subsidiary is subject to tax in Mauritius on its net income at the rate of 15%. However, a system of foreign tax credits effectively reduces the Mauritius income tax rate to a maximum of 3%. Further, the Subsidiary is not subject to
capital gains tax in Mauritius nor is it subject to tax in Mauritius on any gains from the sale of securities. Any dividends paid by the Subsidiary to the Fund will also be exempt from tax in Mauritius.
Indian Tax Disclosure. In the
event the benefits under the DTAA are denied, the following rates of tax under the Indian IT Act will be applicable (these rates are inclusive of highest applicable surcharges):
| ■ | Dividend: Dividend income earned by the Subsidiary will not be subject to Indian tax. However, the Indian company declaring and paying such dividend would be subject to Dividend Distribution Tax at an effective rate of 20% (approx.) (effective starting October 1, 2014) on the amount of the dividend paid out. |
| ■ | Interest: Interest paid to the Subsidiary in respect of debt obligations of Indian issuers will be subject to Indian income tax. The tax rate in the case of a rupee-denominated debt obligation is 43.26%. However if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, interest income earned from June 1, 2013 to May 31, 2015 on rupee denominated bonds of Indian companies and Indian government securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 5.41%, provided that the rate of interest does not exceed the prescribed rates. In the case of a foreign-currency denominated debt obligation, the tax rate is 21.63%. For approved foreign-currency loans advanced from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41% and for approved foreign currency long-term bonds issued from October 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41%. However, if the Subsidiary is registered as a sub-account with SEBI, interest from securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 21.63%. |
| ■ | Securities Transaction Tax: Transactions involving the purchase or sale of shares or any other security traded on a recognized Indian stock exchange are subject to Securities Transaction Tax (“STT”). STT will be levied at the rate of 0.001% on the seller in case of actual delivery of the security and at the rate of 0.2% on the sale of unlisted shares in an initial public offering. This STT is not applicable to primary issuances of equity shares by a company or to off-market transactions. Hence, STT |
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| will be payable if the Subsidiary buys or sells listed securities on a recognized Indian stock exchange. | |
| ■ | Capital Gains: The taxation of capital gains would be as follows: (i) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than twelve months) listed on a recognized stock exchange would not be taxable in India provided STT has been paid on the same (as discussed above); (ii) short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of twelve months or less) from the sale of Indian shares listed on a recognized stock exchange will be taxed at the rate of 16.223% provided STT has been paid on the same; (iii) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 36 months) arising to the Subsidiary from the sale of unlisted securities will be taxed at the rate of 10.815% (without indexation) and short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 36 months or less) will be taxed at the rate of 43.26%;* (iv) capital gains realized on sale of listed equity shares not executed on a recognized stock exchange in India would be taxed at the rate of 21.63% for long-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 12 months) and at 43.26% in the case of short-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 12 months or less);* and (v) capital gains arising from the transfer of depositary receipts outside India between non-resident investors will not be subject to tax in India. |
| * | However, if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, the rates will be 10.816% and 32.45%, respectively. |
Indirect Transfers. The current
legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests
in Indian securities through the Subsidiary, this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However,
the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012 clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any
assessment proceedings that were completed before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in
the Finance Act would be enforced. Given this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The GAAR introduced in the Income Tax Act, 1961 (“IT Act”) provides the Indian tax authorities a mechanism to deny any tax benefits in a transaction or any other arrangement that is believed to not have any commercial substance or
purpose other than to obtain tax benefit(s) under a treaty. The provisions of GAAR will be applicable to arrangements (including a step in or a part thereof) entered into by a taxpayer, which may be declared as an ‘impermissible avoidance
arrangement’.
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GAAR will be effective from the financial year beginning from
April 1, 2015 onwards (assessment year 2016-17).
The CBDT
has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
If the Fund's use of the Subsidiary was considered to be such
an impermissible avoidance arrangement, the Fund would become subject directly to taxation in India. GAAR is expected to come into force from April 2015. The burden of proof in enforcing the rule will reside with the Indian government, not the
taxpayer, and India’s current double tax treaty arrangements will remain in force. However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions and may lead
to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, which may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
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In the event of a system failure or other interruption,
including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund may not be able to place or
change orders.
To the extent the Fund engages in in-kind
transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any
securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a
“qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated
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fee.
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs
related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $2,924,500 | 50,000 | $15,000 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
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| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Feb. 8, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 52.23 | $ 50.18 | $ 54.71 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 1.36 | 1.15 | 0.87 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 9.75 | 1.82 | (4.99) | ||
| Total from investment operations | 11.11 | 2.97 | (4.12) | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (1.26) | (0.92) | (0.41) | ||
| Total distributions | (1.26) | (0.92) | (0.41) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 62.08 | $ 52.23 | $ 50.18 | ||
| Total return | 21.54% e | 5.88% | (7.52)% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $80,706 | $31,341 | $20,071 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetsf | 0.49% | 0.49% | 0.49% | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived feesf | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetsf | 2.36% | 2.09% | 3.05% | ||
| Portfolio turnover rateg | 33% | 174% | 3% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Includes payment from an affiliate. Not including these proceeds, the Fund’s total return would have been 21.46%. |
| f | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| g | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the years ended August 31, 2014, August 31, 2013 and the period ended August 31, 2012 were 33%, 21% and 3%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
This Prospectus and the SAI have not been filed with SEBI, and
SEBI will not in any manner vouch for the financial soundness of the Fund/Subsidiary, BFA or the Portfolio Managers, or for the adequacy of the statements made in this Prospectus and the SAI. BFA or the Portfolio Managers will not be registered with
SEBI.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted
by MSCI or any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the
Fund particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and
calculated by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index.
MSCI is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither
MSCI nor any other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING,
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IN NO
EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NASDAQ. NASDAQ 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NASDAQ is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of,
prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NASDAQ 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.
NASDAQ does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of
the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NASDAQ makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of
the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NASDAQ makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NASDAQ 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 2.5% | 1 | 0.23% | ||
| Greater than 2.0% and Less than 2.5% | 2 | 0.45 | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 6 | 1.36 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 32 | 7.27 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 101 | 22.96 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 216 | 49.10 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 53 | 12.05 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 19 | 4.32 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 6 | 1.36 | ||
| Less than -2.0% and Greater than -2.5% | 2 | 0.45 | ||
| Less than -2.5% and Greater than -3.0% | 2 | 0.45 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 21.54% | 23.10% | 21.79% | 21.54% | 23.10% | 21.79% | |
| Since Inception* | 7.02% | 7.11% | 7.40% | 18.99% | 19.25% | 20.07% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (2/8/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 2/9/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-EEMA-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | EMDI | NASDAQ |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary
Index” is a servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc. nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI EMERGING
MARKETS CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY ETF
| Ticker: EMDI | Stock Exchange: NASDAQ |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF
(the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of emerging market equities in the consumer discretionary sector.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.67% | None | None | 0.67% | |||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $68 | $214 | $373 | $835 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was 0.42%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above
was 8.93% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -3.27% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 2/8/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | 5.13% | 4.31% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions2 | 5.12% | 4.28% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares2 | 3.18% | 3.49% | |
| MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | 5.79% | 4.99% |
| 2 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on The NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
The Fund may borrow as a temporary measure for extraordinary or
emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. The Fund does not intend to borrow money in order to leverage its portfolio. The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment
restriction such that, under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net assets.
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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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional
conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of
the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition,
commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for these regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country
may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in these regions.
Commodity Risk. Economies and
companies whose performance is reflected in the Fund’s portfolio or Underlying Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including,
where applicable, high volatility, changes in supply
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and
demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are dependent on a single commodity, or are
concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in
demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be
subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an
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EU
member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced
volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the
exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
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Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution.
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Certain information available to investors who trade Fund shares on a U.S.
stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what
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investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
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Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of emerging market countries
by any of their key trading partners, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of the emerging market countries included in the
Underlying Index.
Risk of Investing in Emerging
Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for
greater market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are
typically found in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed
markets. In addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to
attract large amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Risk of Investing in India.
India is an emerging market country and exhibits significantly greater market volatility from time to time in comparison to more developed markets. Political and legal uncertainty, greater government control over the economy, currency fluctuations
or blockage, and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets may result in higher potential for losses.
Moreover, governmental actions can have a significant effect on
the economic conditions in India, which could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments. The securities markets in India are comparatively underdeveloped, and stockbrokers and other intermediaries may not perform as well as
their counterparts in the United States and other more developed securities markets. The limited liquidity of the Indian securities markets may also affect the Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time that it
desires.
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Global factors and foreign actions may inhibit the flow of
foreign capital on which India is dependent to sustain its growth. In addition, the Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”) has imposed limits on foreign ownership of Indian securities, which may decrease the liquidity of the Fund’s
portfolio and result in extreme volatility in the prices of Indian securities. These factors, coupled with the lack of extensive accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices, as compared to the United States, may increase the
Fund's risk of loss.
Further, certain Indian regulatory
approvals, including approvals from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”), the RBI, the central government and the tax authorities (to the extent that tax benefits need to be utilized), may be required before the Fund can
make investments in the securities of Indian companies.
Risk of Investing in South Korea. Investments in South Korean issuers involve risks that are specific to South Korea, including legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks. Substantial political tensions exist between North Korea
and South Korea and recently these political tensions have escalated. The outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, will likely adversely impact the South Korean economy. In addition, South
Korea's economic growth potential has recently been on a decline, mainly because of a rapidly aging population and structural problems.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
countries in which the Fund invests have experienced currency devaluations, substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions causing a negative effect on their economies and securities markets.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error
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also
may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH
INDICES.
Treaty/Tax Risk.
The Fund operates, in part, through the Subsidiary, which in turn invests in securities of Indian issuers. At this time, the Subsidiary should be eligible to take advantage of the benefits of the DTAA. Numerous investors have relied on the benefits
of the DTAA to invest in India through Mauritius in the past. However, in the past 10-15 years, a number of parties have challenged the DTAA or the interpretation of the DTAA. Circular 789, issued on April 13, 2000 by the Indian Central Board of
Direct Taxes (“CBDT”), clarifies that whenever the Mauritius revenue authorities have issued a certificate of tax residence, such certificate would constitute sufficient evidence for accepting the status of residence of Mauritius tax
residents for purposes of applying the provisions of the DTAA. The Supreme Court of India in 2003 subsequently held and declared Circular 789 to be valid following litigation regarding Circular 789. As of the date of this Prospectus, Circular 789 is
still valid and in force.
However, recently issued
rulings suggest that the Indian tax administration’s analysis may have changed, and that the tax authorities may now focus on a number of factors when assessing whether a foreign entity is eligible for the benefit of the provisions of a tax
treaty, including, among others, the place of management of the foreign resident company and the level of substance in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated. In addition, both the Indian tax administration and Indian courts seem now to be
taking aggressive efforts to challenge structures involving offshore funds investing directly or indirectly in India, in particular those from Mauritius. Further, the Finance Act, 2013 (“FA 13”) provides that an investor is required to
submit the tax residency certificate as issued in the country of residence and provide other documents and information as prescribed by the Government to claim benefits under the DTAA.
It is possible that the governments of India and Mauritius may
renegotiate the terms of the DTAA to include, among other things, a limitation on benefits clause. No assurance can be given that the terms of the DTAA will not be renegotiated or subject to a different interpretation in the future. Any change in
the provisions of the DTAA or in its applicability to the Subsidiary could result in the imposition of withholding and capital gains taxes and other taxes on the Subsidiary by tax authorities in India. This could significantly reduce the return to
the Fund on its investments and the return received by the Fund’s shareholders.
Indirect Transfers.
The current legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding
obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests in Indian securities through the Subsidiary,
this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However, the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012
clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, the CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any assessment
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proceedings that were completed before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for
reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in the Finance Act would be enforced. Given this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund
does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
An Expert Committee formed by the Government of India was
constituted to examine the implications of the above amendment, which provides for taxing indirect transfer of Indian assets in India. Based on the consultations received from stakeholders, the Expert Committee in its report has recommended that the
above deemed provisions should not apply in the following cases:
| ■ | where a non-resident investor has made any investment, directly or indirectly, in a foreign institutional investor (“FII”) which has invested in India; |
| ■ | investment by the non-resident investor in a fund or a fund pooling vehicle, which does not result in participation in control and management of the fund; or |
| ■ | where a non-resident investor along with its associates, does not have more than a 26% share in total capital of the company. |
Accordingly, the Expert Committee has recommended that the
non-resident will not be taxable in India in relation to investments made by the Fund/ FII in India in the above situations.
The Expert Committee has also recommended that amendments
should be applied prospectively and not retrospectively.
If the recommendations made by the Expert Committee are
accepted by the Government of India then the non-resident shareholders of the Fund/ Subsidiary would not be taxed in India on indirect transfer of shares.
However, the above amendment does not override the provisions
of DTAA which India has entered into with many countries. Hence, if a non-resident investor in the Fund is situated in a favorable tax jurisdiction (such as Mauritius, Singapore, etc.), then capital gains on such indirect transfer may not be
chargeable to tax in view of the DTAA entered into between India and the respective countries.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The current legislation provides for the general anti-avoidance
rules (“GAAR”) to curb aggressive tax planning with the use of sophisticated structures. GAAR will be effective from the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards.
As per the current provisions of GAAR, an arrangement entered
into by a taxpayer may be declared to be an impermissible avoidance arrangement, if the “main purpose” of the arrangement is to obtain a “tax benefit” and the arrangement:
| ■ | creates rights, or obligations, which are not ordinarily created between persons dealing at arm's length; |
| ■ | results, directly or indirectly, in the misuse, or abuse, of the provisions of IT Act; |
| ■ | lacks commercial substance; or |
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| ■ | is entered into, or carried out, by means, or in a manner, which are not ordinarily employed for bona fide purposes. |
Once an arrangement is declared to be an impermissible
avoidance arrangement, wide powers have been granted to tax authorities to deny tax treaty benefits, disregard or re-characterize transactions, re-characterize equity into debt and vice versa.
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned
tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions, may lead to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, and may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Provisions of indirect transfers and GAAR could change the
manner in which the Subsidiary is currently taxed in India and could adversely impact the returns to the Fund/Subsidiary and its shareholders. The Fund will continue to monitor developments in India with respect to these matters. Investors are urged
to consult their own tax advisers with respect to their own tax situations and the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain markets, and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by adverse changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in
U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the economies of these countries and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has
exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade
in low volume or volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may
change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using
prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a
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difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices
used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
African
Economic Risk. Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may
negatively affect the value of investments in the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political
instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the
classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly
riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
Borrowing Risk. Borrowing may
exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may also
cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
North American Economic Risk. A
decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in
which the Fund invests.
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The United States is Mexico's largest trading and investment
partner. The Mexican economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total
merchandise trade between the three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Mexico's dependency
on the U.S. economy. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund corresponding to the Fund’s allocable portion of an aggregate management fee based on the aggregate average daily net assets of the following iShares funds: iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex
Japan ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging
Markets Minimum Volatility ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF. Effective July 1, 2014, the aggregate management fee is calculated as follows: 0.75% per annum of the aggregate net assets less than or equal to $14.0 billion, plus
0.68% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $14.0 billion, up to and including $28.0 billion, plus 0.61% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $28.0 billion, up to and including $42.0 billion, plus 0.54% per annum of the aggregate net
assets over $42.0 billion, up to and including $56.0 billion, plus 0.47% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $56.0 billion, up to and including $70.0 billion, plus 0.41% per annum of the aggregate
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net
assets over $70.0 billion, up to and including $84.0 billion, plus 0.35% per annum of the aggregate net assets in excess of $84.0 billion. Based on assets of the iShares funds enumerated above as of August 31, 2014, for its investment advisory
services to the Fund, BFA is entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.67%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or
expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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.
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Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments
in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from,
entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by
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Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one
or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “EMDI.”
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Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NASDAQ.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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
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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
other securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV
should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the
calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may
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trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a
result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
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Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange
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of
information program, or if the stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements
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with
the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of
U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required
information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar
account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions
apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by
the Fund with respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the
total assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be
considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating
your U.S. federal income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax
credits for U.S. shareholders of the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
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Mauritius Tax Disclosure. The
Fund conducts its investment activities in India through the Subsidiary. In order to be eligible to claim benefits under the DTAA, the Subsidiary must satisfy certain conditions, including the establishment and maintenance of a valid tax residence
in Mauritius. The Subsidiary has obtained a certificate from the Mauritius authorities providing that it is a resident of Mauritius under the DTAA. The Fund expects the Subsidiary to maintain its Mauritius tax residency. The Subsidiary is subject to
tax in Mauritius on its net income at the rate of 15%. However, a system of foreign tax credits effectively reduces the Mauritius income tax rate to a maximum of 3%. Further, the Subsidiary is not subject to capital gains tax in Mauritius nor is it
subject to tax in Mauritius on any gains from the sale of securities. Any dividends paid by the Subsidiary to the Fund will also be exempt from tax in Mauritius.
Indian Tax Disclosure. In the
event the benefits under the DTAA are denied, the following rates of tax under the Indian IT Act will be applicable (these rates are inclusive of highest applicable surcharges):
| ■ | Dividend: Dividend income earned by the Subsidiary will not be subject to Indian tax. However, the Indian company declaring and paying such dividend would be subject to Dividend Distribution Tax at an effective rate of 20% (approx.) (effective starting October 1, 2014) on the amount of the dividend paid out. |
| ■ | Interest: Interest paid to the Subsidiary in respect of debt obligations of Indian issuers will be subject to Indian income tax. The tax rate in the case of a rupee-denominated debt obligation is 43.26%. However if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, interest income earned from June 1, 2013 to May 31, 2015 on rupee denominated bonds of Indian companies and Indian government securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 5.41%, provided that the rate of interest does not exceed the prescribed rates. In the case of a foreign-currency denominated debt obligation, the tax rate is 21.63%. For approved foreign-currency loans advanced from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41% and for approved foreign currency long-term bonds issued from October 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41%. However, if the Subsidiary is registered as a sub-account with SEBI, interest from securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 21.63%. |
| ■ | Securities Transaction Tax: Transactions involving the purchase or sale of shares or any other security traded on a recognized Indian stock exchange are subject to Securities Transaction Tax (“STT”). STT will be levied at the rate of 0.001% on the seller in case of actual delivery of the security and at the rate of 0.2% on the sale of unlisted shares in an initial public offering. This STT is not applicable to primary issuances of equity shares by a company or to off-market transactions. Hence, STT will be payable if the Subsidiary buys or sells listed securities on a recognized Indian stock exchange. |
| ■ | Capital Gains: The taxation of capital gains would be as follows: (i) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than twelve months) listed on a recognized stock exchange would not be taxable in India provided STT has been paid on the same (as discussed above); (ii) short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of twelve months or less) from the sale of |
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Indian shares listed on a recognized stock exchange will be
taxed at the rate of 16.223% provided STT has been paid on the same; (iii) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 36 months) arising to the Subsidiary from the sale of unlisted securities will be taxed
at the rate of 10.815% (without indexation) and short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 36 months or less) will be taxed at the rate of 43.26%;* (iv) capital gains realized on sale of listed equity shares not
executed on a recognized stock exchange in India would be taxed at the rate of 21.63% for long-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 12 months) and at 43.26% in the case of short-term gains (being gains on sale of
shares held for a period of 12 months or less);* and (v) capital gains arising from the transfer of depositary receipts outside India between non-resident investors will not be subject to tax in India.
| * | However, if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, the rates will be 10.816% and 32.45%, respectively. |
Indirect Transfers. The current
legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests
in Indian securities through the Subsidiary, this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However,
the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012 clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any
assessment proceedings that were completed before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in
the Finance Act would be enforced. Given this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The GAAR introduced in the Income Tax Act, 1961 (“IT Act”) provides the Indian tax authorities a mechanism to deny any tax benefits in a transaction or any other arrangement that is believed to not have any commercial substance or
purpose other than to obtain tax benefit(s) under a treaty. The provisions of GAAR will be applicable to arrangements (including a step in or a part thereof) entered into by a taxpayer, which may be declared as an ‘impermissible avoidance
arrangement’.
GAAR will be effective from
the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards (assessment year 2016-17).
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and |
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has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior
permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations;
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
If the Fund's use of the Subsidiary was considered to be such
an impermissible avoidance arrangement, the Fund would become subject directly to taxation in India. GAAR is expected to come into force from April 2015. The burden of proof in enforcing the rule will reside with the Indian government, not the
taxpayer, and India’s current double tax treaty arrangements will remain in force. However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions and may lead
to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, which may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any
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securities accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption
requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as
such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to
the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares
may pay fees for such services.
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The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $2,747,500 | 50,000 | $3,500 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Feb. 8, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $50.16 | $48.48 | $ 51.54 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 0.44 | 0.39 | 0.26 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 11.15 | 1.90 | (3.19) | ||
| Total from investment operations | 11.59 | 2.29 | (2.93) | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (0.29) | (0.61) | (0.13) | ||
| Total distributions | (0.29) | (0.61) | (0.13) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 61.46 | $ 50.16 | $48.48 | ||
| Total return | 23.16% | 4.73% | (5.68)% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ 6,146 | $ 2,508 | $ 2,424 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.67% | 0.67% | 0.68% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 0.79% | 0.76% | 0.94% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 10% | 10% | 54% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the years ended August 31, 2014, August 31, 2013 and the period ended August 31, 2012 were 10%, 10%, and 5%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
This Prospectus and the SAI have not been filed with SEBI, and
SEBI will not in any manner vouch for the financial soundness of the Fund/Subsidiary, BFA or the Portfolio Managers, or for the adequacy of the statements made in this Prospectus and the SAI. BFA or the Portfolio Managers will not be registered with
SEBI.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted
by MSCI or any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the
Fund particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and
calculated by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index.
MSCI is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither
MSCI nor any other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING,
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IN NO
EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NASDAQ. NASDAQ 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NASDAQ is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of,
prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NASDAQ 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.
NASDAQ does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of
the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NASDAQ makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of
the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NASDAQ makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NASDAQ 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 2.5% | 4 | 0.91% | ||
| Greater than 2.0% and Less than 2.5% | 3 | 0.68 | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 7 | 1.59 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 24 | 5.45 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 79 | 17.95 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 264 | 60.01 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 44 | 10.01 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 10 | 2.27 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 2 | 0.45 | ||
| Less than -2.0% and Greater than -2.5% | 3 | 0.68 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 23.16% | 24.80% | 24.04% | 23.16% | 24.80% | 24.04% | |
| Since Inception* | 7.95% | 8.30% | 8.78% | 21.66% | 22.66% | 24.05% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (2/8/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 2/9/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-EMDI-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | EEME | NASDAQ |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA Index” is a servicemark
of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc., nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI EMERGING
MARKETS EMEA ETF
| Ticker: EEME | Stock Exchange: NASDAQ |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of European, Middle Eastern and African emerging market equities.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. BFA, the investment
adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated
prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
Fee Waiver | Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | |||||
| 0.68% | None | None | 0.68% | (0.19)% | 0.49% | |||||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $50 | $198 | $360 | $829 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”). If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was -5.82%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above
was 9.24% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -8.23% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 1/18/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -5.47% | 3.77% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions2 | -5.65% | 3.62% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares2 | -2.35% | 3.42% | |
| MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | -5.16% | 4.27% |
| 2 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on The NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
African Economic Risk. Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may negatively affect
the value of investments in the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political instability,
including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the
classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly
riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Commodity Risk. The energy,
materials, and agriculture sectors account for a large portion of the exports of certain countries in which the Fund invests. Any changes in these sectors or fluctuations in the commodity markets could have an adverse impact on a country's economy.
Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including, where applicable, high volatility, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability,
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changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies.
Securities of companies held by the Fund that are dependent on a single commodity, or are concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in
demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be
subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies may be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Geopolitical events, acts of terrorism, and other instability in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities
markets in some Eastern European countries are substantially smaller and less developed, with less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and may be less liquid and more
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volatile than securities markets in the United States or Western European
countries. In addition, investing in securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may involve:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the European Union (the “EU”) as a whole. |
Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
Energy Sector Risk. The energy
sector of an economy is cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of companies in the energy sector is strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, capital expenditures on
exploration and production of energy sources, energy conservation efforts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, increased competition and technological advances, among other factors. Companies in this sector may be
subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion of the revenues of these companies depends on a relatively
small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or
engage in transactions involving countries with, less developed regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a significant risk of liability from accidents resulting in
injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism,
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political strife and natural disasters. Any such event could have serious
consequences for the general population of the affected area and could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, specific
products (e.g., oil and natural gas) and services, exploration and production spending, government subsidization, world events and general economic conditions.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the EU requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing
imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an
economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to
concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to
significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the
risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset
valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets.
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Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition
and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt
and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. A number of large financial institutions failed during that time, merged with stronger
institutions or had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took
actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on
their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive to
environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
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Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution.
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Certain information available to investors who trade Fund shares on a U.S.
stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what
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investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Market
Risk. Non-U.S. securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or
impossible at times. Settlement procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States (and other developed countries). In addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in
registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests
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in
securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade. Accordingly, these countries have been and may continue to be affected adversely by the economies of
their trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls or managed adjustments in relative currency values and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Risk of
Investing in Russia. Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, in addition to those described under “Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Non-U.S. Securities Risk”
that are not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities, including:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in Russia; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund’s ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of Russian companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than by a central registration system; and |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its |
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shareholders because of the system of share registration
and custody, and because Russian banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by the Russian government.
The United States and the EU, along with the regulatory bodies
of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian
corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the
ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers include
prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of
the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an
event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in
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transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the
volatility that may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary
receipts that represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Risk of Investing in South Africa. South Africa’s two-tiered economy, with one rivaling developed countries and the other exhibiting many characteristics of developing countries, is characterized by uneven distribution of wealth and income and high
rates of unemployment. Although economic reforms have been enacted to promote growth and foreign investments, there can be no assurance that these programs will achieve the desired results. In addition, South Africa’s inadequate currency
reserves have left its currency vulnerable, at times, to devaluation. Despite significant reform and privatization, the South African government continues to control a large share of South African economic activity. Heavy regulation of labor and
product markets is pervasive and may stifle South African economic growth or cause prolonged periods of recession. The agriculture and mining sectors of South Africa’s economy account for a large portion of its exports, and thus the South
African economy is susceptible to fluctuations in these commodity markets.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
emerging market countries are subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability.
Economic Risk. Some emerging
market countries have experienced currency devaluations and substantial (and, in some cases, extremely high) rates of inflation, while others have experienced economic recessions causing a negative effect on the economies and securities markets of
such emerging countries.
Expropriation Risk. Investing in emerging market countries involves a great risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of
capital invested by certain emerging market countries.
Political and Social Risk.
Some governments in emerging market countries are authoritarian in nature or have been installed or removed as a result of military coups,
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and
some governments have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, may exacerbate social unrest, violence and/or labor unrest in
some emerging market countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER
INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.
Valuation
Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets
that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s
portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S.
dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying
Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Consumer
Staples Sector Risk. The consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of using various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand.
Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by
unpredictable factors.
Materials Sector Risk. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor relations and
government
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regulations, among other factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are
at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Middle Eastern Economic Risk.
Many Middle Eastern countries have little or no democratic tradition and the political and legal systems in such countries may adversely impact the companies in which the Fund invests and, as a result, the value of the Fund. Middle Eastern
governments have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. Many economies in the Middle East are highly reliant on income from the sale of oil or trade with countries involved in the sale of
oil, and their economies are therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency values. As global demand for oil fluctuates, many Middle Eastern economies may be significantly impacted. A sustained decrease in commodity
prices could have a significant negative impact on all aspects of the economy in the region. Middle Eastern economies may be subject to acts of terrorism, political strife, religious, ethnic or socioeconomic unrest and sudden outbreaks of
hostilities with neighboring countries.
Certain
Middle Eastern countries have strained relations with other Middle Eastern countries due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, religious tensions or defense concerns, which may adversely affect the economies of these countries. Certain
Middle Eastern countries experience significant unemployment, as well as widespread underemployment.
Recently, many Middle Eastern countries have experienced
political, economic and social unrest as protestors have called for widespread reform. Some of these protests have resulted in a regime change. If further regime changes were to occur in any of these countries, the new government may not immediately
stabilize such country, which could adversely affect the economies of Middle Eastern countries in which the Fund invests and could decrease the value of the Fund’s investments.
Telecommunications Sector Risk.
The telecommunications sector of a country's economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new
regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable.
Companies in the telecommunications sector may
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encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital
to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.68%. BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for its investment advisory
services to the Fund in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company
and BFA. In addition, BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or
reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA
is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in
excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
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Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal,
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and
have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will
invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns
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earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for
any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending
program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give
rise to other conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “EEME.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions
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described below under Creations and
Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NASDAQ.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV
should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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
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quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading
hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g.,
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American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading
day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
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Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
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In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of
the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This
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means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend
your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of
the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 100,000 shares or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
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Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the
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amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being
purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash,
the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the
services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $4,840,000 | 100,000 | $5,500 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Jan. 18, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 47.98 | $51.72 | $ 51.16 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 1.23 | 1.26 | 1.43 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 3.38 | (3.22) | 0.02 | ||
| Total from investment operations | 4.61 | (1.96) | 1.45 | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (0.79) | (1.78) | (0.89) | ||
| Total distributions | (0.79) | (1.78) | (0.89) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 51.80 | $47.98 | $ 51.72 | ||
| Total return | 9.61% | (3.95)% | 2.91% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $10,360 | $ 4,798 | $10,343 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.49% | 0.49% | 0.49% | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived feese | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 2.39% | 2.39% | 4.46% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 18% | 8% | 5% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of processing capital share transactions in Creation Units. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or
any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and calculated
by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. MSCI is not
responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any
other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
29
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Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NASDAQ. NASDAQ 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NASDAQ is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of,
prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NASDAQ 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.
NASDAQ does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of
the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NASDAQ makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of
the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NASDAQ makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NASDAQ 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 4.0% | 1 | 0.23% | ||
| Greater than 3.5% and Less than 4.0% | 4 | 0.91 | ||
| Greater than 3.0% and Less than 3.5% | 13 | 2.95 | ||
| Greater than 2.5% and Less than 3.0% | 9 | 2.05 | ||
| Greater than 2.0% and Less than 2.5% | 13 | 2.95 | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 23 | 5.23 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 33 | 7.50 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 92 | 20.91 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 201 | 45.68 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 32 | 7.27 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 11 | 2.50 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 5 | 1.14 | ||
| Less than -2.0% and Greater than -2.5% | 2 | 0.45 | ||
| Less than -2.5% and Greater than -3.0% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 9.61% | 9.67% | 9.98% | 9.61% | 9.67% | 9.98% | |
| Since Inception* | 3.11% | 3.59% | 3.55% | 8.35% | 9.67% | 9.55% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (1/18/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 1/19/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-EEME-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | EMEY | NASDAQ |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI Emerging Markets Energy 25/50 Index” is a
servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc. nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI EMERGING
MARKETS ENERGY CAPPED ETF
| Ticker: EMEY | Stock Exchange: NASDAQ |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of emerging market equities in the energy sector.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.67% | None | None | 0.67% | |||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $68 | $214 | $373 | $835 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the
Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not
necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was -3.65%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period
shown above was 10.29% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -11.78% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at
www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
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Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 2/8/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -10.92% | -12.61% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | -11.19% | -12.77% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | -5.44% | -9.06% | |
| MSCI Emerging Markets Energy 25/50 Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | -10.75% | -12.14% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on The NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
The Fund may borrow as a temporary measure for extraordinary or
emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. The Fund does not intend to borrow money in order to leverage its portfolio. The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment
restriction such that, under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net assets.
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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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional
conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of
the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition,
commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for these regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country
may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in these regions.
Commodity Risk. Economies and
companies whose performance is reflected in the Fund’s portfolio or Underlying Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including,
where applicable, high volatility, changes in supply
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and
demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are dependent on a single commodity, or are
concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies may be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Geopolitical events, acts of terrorism, and other instability in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities
markets in some Eastern European countries are substantially smaller and less developed, with less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and may be less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in the United States or
Western European countries. In addition, investing in securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may involve:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash |
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with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories,
including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund;
| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the European Union (the “EU”) as a whole. |
Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
Energy Sector Risk. The energy
sector of an economy is cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of companies in the energy sector is strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, capital expenditures on
exploration and production of energy sources, energy conservation efforts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, increased competition and technological advances, among other factors. Companies in this sector may be
subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion of the revenues of these companies depends on a relatively
small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or
engage in transactions involving countries with, less developed regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a significant risk of liability from accidents resulting in
injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism, political strife and natural disasters. Any such event could have serious
consequences for the general population of the affected area and could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, specific
products (e.g., oil and natural gas) and services, exploration and production spending, government subsidization, world events and general economic
conditions.
Equity Securities Risk. The Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or
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to
general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the EU requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing
imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an
economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to
concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to
significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with
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Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its
shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other
constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by
the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled
rebalances, the Index Provider may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in
turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund
and its shareholders. Unscheduled rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad
hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
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Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at
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market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during
periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
Oil and Gas Industry
Risk. The profitability of companies in the oil and gas industry is related to worldwide energy prices, exploration costs and production spending.
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Companies in the oil and gas industry may be at risk for environmental damage
claims and other types of litigation. Companies in the oil and gas industry may be adversely affected by natural disasters or other catastrophes, changes in exchange rates, interest rates, changes in prices for competitive energy services, economic
conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, negative public perception and unfavorable events in the regions where companies operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization, confiscation
of assets and property or imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence or labor unrest). Companies in the oil and gas industry may have significant capital investments in, or
engage in transactions involving, emerging market countries, which may heighten these risks. Companies that own or operate gas pipelines are subject to certain risks, including pipeline and equipment leaks and ruptures, explosions, fires,
unscheduled downtime, transportation interruptions, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous gases and other environmental risks.
Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of emerging market countries
by any of their key trading partners, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of the emerging market countries included in the
Underlying Index.
Risk of Investing in China. The Chinese economy is subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability:
Political and Social Risk. The
Chinese government is authoritarian and has periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth and the pace of economic liberalization may lead to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest. In addition, China continues to
experience disagreements related to integration with Hong Kong and religious and nationalist disputes in Tibet and Xinjiang. There is also a greater risk in China than in many other countries of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility,
interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation as a result of internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. China's growing
income inequality and worsening environmental conditions also are factors that may affect the Chinese economy.
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Government Control and Regulations. The Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in the economy, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive and the Chinese government may restrict foreign ownership of Chinese corporations and/or repatriate assets. Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies that may be connected to governmental influence, a lack of publicly-available information and/or political and social instability.
Economic Risk. The Chinese
economy has grown rapidly during the past several years and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. In fact, the Chinese economy may experience a significant slowdown as a result of, among other things, a deterioration in
global demand for Chinese exports, as well as contraction in spending on domestic goods by Chinese consumers. In addition, China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on its economy
and securities market. Delays in enterprise restructuring, slow development of well-functioning financial markets and widespread corruption have also hindered performance of the Chinese economy. China continues to receive substantial pressure from
trading partners to liberalize official currency exchange rates.
Expropriation Risk. The
Chinese government maintains a major role in economic policymaking and investing in China involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments
and on repatriation of capital invested.
Chinese
Equity Markets. The Fund invests in H-Shares (securities of companies incorporated in the People's Republic of China (“PRC”) that are denominated in Hong Kong dollars and listed on the Hong Kong Exchange)
and B-Shares (securities of companies incorporated in the PRC and listed for foreign investment on stock exchanges in the PRC). The Fund also invests in certain Hong Kong listed securities known as Red-Chips (securities issued by companies
incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by entities owned by the national government or local governments in the PRC and derive substantial revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC) and
P-Chips (securities issued by companies incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by individuals in the PRC and derive substantial revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC). The issuance
of B-Shares and H-Shares by Chinese companies and the ability to obtain a “back-door listing” through Red-Chips or P-Chips is still regarded by the Chinese authorities as an experiment in economic reform. “Back-door listing”
is a means by which mainland Chinese companies issue Red-Chips or P-Chips to obtain quick access to international listing and international capital. All of these share mechanisms are relatively untested and subject to political and economic policy
in China.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in
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more
developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental
limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation
and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain
emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Risk of Investing in India.
India is an emerging market country and exhibits significantly greater market volatility from time to time in comparison to more developed markets. Political and legal uncertainty, greater government control over the economy, currency fluctuations
or blockage, and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets may result in higher potential for losses.
Moreover, governmental actions can have a significant effect on
the economic conditions in India, which could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments. The securities markets in India are comparatively underdeveloped, and stockbrokers and other intermediaries may not perform as well as
their counterparts in the United States and other more developed securities markets. The limited liquidity of the Indian securities markets may also affect the Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time that it
desires.
Global factors and foreign actions may inhibit
the flow of foreign capital on which India is dependent to sustain its growth. In addition, the Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”) has imposed limits on foreign ownership of Indian securities, which may decrease the liquidity of the
Fund’s portfolio and result in extreme volatility in the prices of Indian securities. These factors, coupled with the lack of extensive accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices, as compared to the United States, may
increase the Fund's risk of loss.
Further, certain Indian
regulatory approvals, including approvals from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”), the RBI, the central government and the tax authorities (to the extent that tax benefits need to be utilized), may be required before the
Fund can make investments in the securities of Indian companies.
Risk of Investing in Russia.
Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, in addition to those described under “Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Non-U.S. Securities Risk” that are not typically associated with investing in U.S.
securities, including:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in Russia; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund’s ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through |
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fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership
in shares of Russian companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than by a central registration system; and
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because Russian banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by the Russian government. |
The United States and the EU, along
with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial sanctions on certain Russian
individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian
securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those
securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers
include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of
the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s
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Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement
caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes,
which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors
may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
countries in which the Fund invests have experienced currency devaluations, substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions causing a negative effect on their economies and securities markets.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER
INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.
Treaty/Tax Risk. The Fund
operates, in part, through the Subsidiary, which in turn invests in securities of Indian issuers. At this time, the Subsidiary should be eligible to take advantage of the benefits of the DTAA. Numerous investors have relied on the benefits of the
DTAA to invest in India through Mauritius in the past. However, in the past 10-15 years, a number of parties have challenged the DTAA or the interpretation of the DTAA. Circular 789, issued on April 13, 2000 by the Indian Central Board
of
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Direct Taxes (“CBDT”), clarifies that whenever the Mauritius
revenue authorities have issued a certificate of tax residence, such certificate would constitute sufficient evidence for accepting the status of residence of Mauritius tax residents for purposes of applying the provisions of the DTAA. The Supreme
Court of India in 2003 subsequently held and declared Circular 789 to be valid following litigation regarding Circular 789. As of the date of this Prospectus, Circular 789 is still valid and in force.
However, recently issued rulings suggest that the Indian tax
administration’s analysis may have changed, and that the tax authorities may now focus on a number of factors when assessing whether a foreign entity is eligible for the benefit of the provisions of a tax treaty, including, among others, the
place of management of the foreign resident company and the level of substance in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated. In addition, both the Indian tax administration and Indian courts seem now to be taking aggressive efforts to challenge
structures involving offshore funds investing directly or indirectly in India, in particular those from Mauritius. Further, the Finance Act, 2013 (“FA 13”) provides that an investor is required to submit the tax residency certificate as
issued in the country of residence and provide other documents and information as prescribed by the Government to claim benefits under the DTAA.
It is possible that the governments of India and Mauritius may
renegotiate the terms of the DTAA to include, among other things, a limitation on benefits clause. No assurance can be given that the terms of the DTAA will not be renegotiated or subject to a different interpretation in the future. Any change in
the provisions of the DTAA or in its applicability to the Subsidiary could result in the imposition of withholding and capital gains taxes and other taxes on the Subsidiary by tax authorities in India. This could significantly reduce the return to
the Fund on its investments and the return received by the Fund’s shareholders.
Indirect Transfers.
The current legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding
obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests in Indian securities through the Subsidiary,
this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However, the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012
clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, the CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any assessment proceedings that were completed
before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in the Finance Act would be enforced. Given
this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
An Expert Committee formed by the Government of India was
constituted to examine the implications of the above amendment, which provides for taxing indirect transfer of Indian assets in India. Based on the consultations received from stakeholders, the
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Expert Committee in its report has recommended that the above deemed
provisions should not apply in the following cases:
| ■ | where a non-resident investor has made any investment, directly or indirectly, in a foreign institutional investor (“FII”) which has invested in India; |
| ■ | investment by the non-resident investor in a fund or a fund pooling vehicle, which does not result in participation in control and management of the fund; or |
| ■ | where a non-resident investor along with its associates, does not have more than a 26% share in total capital of the company. |
Accordingly, the Expert Committee has recommended that the
non-resident will not be taxable in India in relation to investments made by the Fund/ FII in India in the above situations.
The Expert Committee has also recommended that amendments
should be applied prospectively and not retrospectively.
If the recommendations made by the Expert Committee are
accepted by the Government of India then the non-resident shareholders of the Fund/ Subsidiary would not be taxed in India on indirect transfer of shares.
However, the above amendment does not override the provisions
of DTAA which India has entered into with many countries. Hence, if a non-resident investor in the Fund is situated in a favorable tax jurisdiction (such as Mauritius, Singapore, etc.), then capital gains on such indirect transfer may not be
chargeable to tax in view of the DTAA entered into between India and the respective countries.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The current legislation provides for the general anti-avoidance
rules (“GAAR”) to curb aggressive tax planning with the use of sophisticated structures. GAAR will be effective from the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards.
As per the current provisions of GAAR, an arrangement entered
into by a taxpayer may be declared to be an impermissible avoidance arrangement, if the “main purpose” of the arrangement is to obtain a “tax benefit” and the arrangement:
| ■ | creates rights, or obligations, which are not ordinarily created between persons dealing at arm's length; |
| ■ | results, directly or indirectly, in the misuse, or abuse, of the provisions of IT Act; |
| ■ | lacks commercial substance; or |
| ■ | is entered into, or carried out, by means, or in a manner, which are not ordinarily employed for bona fide purposes. |
Once an arrangement is declared to be an impermissible
avoidance arrangement, wide powers have been granted to tax authorities to deny tax treaty benefits, disregard or re-characterize transactions, re-characterize equity into debt and vice versa.
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
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| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned
tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions, may lead to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, and may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Provisions of indirect transfers and GAAR could change the
manner in which the Subsidiary is currently taxed in India and could adversely impact the returns to the Fund/Subsidiary and its shareholders. The Fund will continue to monitor developments in India with respect to these matters. Investors are urged
to consult their own tax advisers with respect to their own tax situations and the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain markets, and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by adverse changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in
U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the economies of these countries and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has
exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade
in low volume or volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may
change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using
prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in
turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
African
Economic Risk. Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may
negatively affect the value of
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investments in the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others,
expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making,
armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the
classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly
riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
Borrowing Risk. Borrowing may
exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may also
cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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.
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Fund
fact sheets provide information regarding the Fund's top holdings and may be requested by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund corresponding to the Fund’s allocable portion of an aggregate management fee based on the aggregate average daily net assets of the following iShares funds: iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex
Japan ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging
Markets Minimum Volatility ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF. Effective July 1, 2014, the aggregate management fee is calculated as follows: 0.75% per annum of the aggregate net assets less than or equal to $14.0 billion, plus
0.68% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $14.0 billion, up to and including $28.0 billion, plus 0.61% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $28.0 billion, up to and including $42.0 billion, plus 0.54% per annum of the aggregate net
assets over $42.0 billion, up to and including $56.0 billion, plus 0.47% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $56.0 billion, up to and including $70.0 billion, plus 0.41% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $70.0 billion, up to and
including $84.0 billion, plus 0.35% per annum of the aggregate net assets in excess of $84.0 billion. Based on assets of the iShares funds enumerated above as of August 31, 2014, for its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is entitled to
receive a management fee from the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.67%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund
Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its affiliates deal, trade
and invest for their own accounts in the types of securities in which the Fund may also invest.
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A discussion regarding the basis for the Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities
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in
which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider, investment manager, commodity trading advisor,
financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly
invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to
perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one
or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other
instruments as the Fund, including in securities issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in
certain securities that are adverse to those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation to share any investment
opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment activities may differ from
those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other
accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund
may, from time to time, enter into transactions in which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions
by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
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Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “EMEY.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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
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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 generally sells
and redeems its shares directly through transactions that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of
monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NASDAQ.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of
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the
current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not
involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent
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to
the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose
values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close
of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair
value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to
extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those
investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV
and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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
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information, based on current law. You should consult your own tax
professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
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If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries.
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Tax
conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass
through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to
either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of
the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Chinese Tax Disclosure.
Although the PRC's enactment of the Enterprise Income Tax Law, effective January 1, 2008, provided a 10% withholding tax upon non-residents with respect to capital gains, significant uncertainties remain regarding
this law. Such uncertainties may result in capital gains imposed upon the Fund relative to companies headquartered, managed or listed in China. While the application and enforcement of this law to the Fund remains subject to clarification, to the
extent that such taxes are imposed on any capital gains of the Fund relative to companies headquartered, managed or listed in China, the Fund's NAV or returns may be adversely impacted.
Mauritius Tax Disclosure. The
Fund conducts its investment activities in India through the Subsidiary. In order to be eligible to claim benefits under the DTAA, the Subsidiary must satisfy certain conditions, including the establishment and maintenance of a valid tax residence
in Mauritius. The Subsidiary has obtained a certificate from the Mauritius authorities providing that it is a resident of Mauritius under the DTAA. The Fund expects the Subsidiary to maintain its Mauritius tax residency. The Subsidiary is subject to
tax in Mauritius on its net income at the rate of
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15%.
However, a system of foreign tax credits effectively reduces the Mauritius income tax rate to a maximum of 3%. Further, the Subsidiary is not subject to capital gains tax in Mauritius nor is it subject to tax in Mauritius on any gains from the sale
of securities. Any dividends paid by the Subsidiary to the Fund will also be exempt from tax in Mauritius.
Indian Tax Disclosure. In the
event the benefits under the DTAA are denied, the following rates of tax under the Indian IT Act will be applicable (these rates are inclusive of highest applicable surcharges):
| ■ | Dividend: Dividend income earned by the Subsidiary will not be subject to Indian tax. However, the Indian company declaring and paying such dividend would be subject to Dividend Distribution Tax at an effective rate of 20% (approx.) (effective starting October 1, 2014) on the amount of the dividend paid out. |
| ■ | Interest: Interest paid to the Subsidiary in respect of debt obligations of Indian issuers will be subject to Indian income tax. The tax rate in the case of a rupee-denominated debt obligation is 43.26%. However if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, interest income earned from June 1, 2013 to May 31, 2015 on rupee denominated bonds of Indian companies and Indian government securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 5.41%, provided that the rate of interest does not exceed the prescribed rates. In the case of a foreign-currency denominated debt obligation, the tax rate is 21.63%. For approved foreign-currency loans advanced from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41% and for approved foreign currency long-term bonds issued from October 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41%. However, if the Subsidiary is registered as a sub-account with SEBI, interest from securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 21.63%. |
| ■ | Securities Transaction Tax: Transactions involving the purchase or sale of shares or any other security traded on a recognized Indian stock exchange are subject to Securities Transaction Tax (“STT”). STT will be levied at the rate of 0.001% on the seller in case of actual delivery of the security and at the rate of 0.2% on the sale of unlisted shares in an initial public offering. This STT is not applicable to primary issuances of equity shares by a company or to off-market transactions. Hence, STT will be payable if the Subsidiary buys or sells listed securities on a recognized Indian stock exchange. |
| ■ | Capital Gains: The taxation of capital gains would be as follows: (i) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than twelve months) listed on a recognized stock exchange would not be taxable in India provided STT has been paid on the same (as discussed above); (ii) short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of twelve months or less) from the sale of Indian shares listed on a recognized stock exchange will be taxed at the rate of 16.223% provided STT has been paid on the same; (iii) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 36 months) arising to the Subsidiary from the sale of unlisted securities will be taxed at the rate of 10.815% (without indexation) and short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 36 months or less) will be taxed at the rate of 43.26%;* (iv) capital gains realized on sale of listed equity shares not executed on a recognized stock |
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exchange in India would be taxed at the rate of 21.63% for
long-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 12 months) and at 43.26% in the case of short-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 12 months or less);* and (v) capital gains arising from the
transfer of depositary receipts outside India between non-resident investors will not be subject to tax in India.
| * | However, if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, the rates will be 10.816% and 32.45%, respectively. |
Indirect Transfers. The current
legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests
in Indian securities through the Subsidiary, this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However,
the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012 clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any
assessment proceedings that were completed before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in
the Finance Act would be enforced. Given this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The GAAR introduced in the Income Tax Act, 1961 (“IT Act”) provides the Indian tax authorities a mechanism to deny any tax benefits in a transaction or any other arrangement that is believed to not have any commercial substance or
purpose other than to obtain tax benefit(s) under a treaty. The provisions of GAAR will be applicable to arrangements (including a step in or a part thereof) entered into by a taxpayer, which may be declared as an ‘impermissible avoidance
arrangement’.
GAAR will be effective from
the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards (assessment year 2016-17).
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
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If the Fund's use of the Subsidiary was considered to be such
an impermissible avoidance arrangement, the Fund would become subject directly to taxation in India. GAAR is expected to come into force from April 2015. The burden of proof in enforcing the rule will reside with the Indian government, not the
taxpayer, and India’s current double tax treaty arrangements will remain in force. However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions and may lead
to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, which may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to
the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares
may pay fees for such services.
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The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $1,785,500 | 50,000 | $2,500 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Feb. 8, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 36.10 | $40.16 | $ 51.12 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 1.05 | 1.04 | 1.05 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 3.13 | (4.16) | (11.14) | ||
| Total from investment operations | 4.18 | (3.12) | (10.09) | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (0.70) | (0.94) | (0.84) | ||
| Return of capital | − | − | (0.03) | ||
| Total distributions | (0.70) | (0.94) | (0.87) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $39.58 | $36.10 | $ 40.16 | ||
| Total return | 11.65% | (7.73)% | (19.71)% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ 1,979 | $ 1,805 | $ 2,008 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.67% | 0.67% | 0.68% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 2.79% | 2.56% | 4.23% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 15% | 7% | 29% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the years ended August 31, 2014, August 31, 2013 and the period ended August 31, 2012 were 15%, 7% and 3%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
This Prospectus and the SAI have not been filed with SEBI, and
SEBI will not in any manner vouch for the financial soundness of the Fund/Subsidiary, BFA or the Portfolio Managers, or for the adequacy of the statements made in this Prospectus and the SAI. BFA or the Portfolio Managers will not be registered with
SEBI.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted
by MSCI or any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the
Fund particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and
calculated by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index.
MSCI is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither
MSCI nor any other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING,
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IN NO
EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NASDAQ. NASDAQ 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NASDAQ is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of,
prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NASDAQ 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.
NASDAQ does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of
the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NASDAQ makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of
the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NASDAQ makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NASDAQ 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 2.5% | 1 | 0.23% | ||
| Greater than 2.0% and Less than 2.5% | 2 | 0.45 | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 3 | 0.68 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 13 | 2.95 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 54 | 12.27 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 277 | 62.97 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 55 | 12.50 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 25 | 5.67 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 8 | 1.82 | ||
| Less than -2.0% and Greater than -2.5% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| Less than -2.5% and Greater than -3.0% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 11.65% | 12.42% | 12.19% | 11.65% | 12.42% | 12.19% | |
| Since Inception* | (7.14)% | (7.24)% | (6.59)% | (17.29)% | (17.52)% | (16.02)% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (2/8/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 2/9/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-EMEY-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | EGRW | NASDAQ |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI Emerging Markets Growth Index” is a
servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc. nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI EMERGING
MARKETS GROWTH ETF
| Ticker: EGRW | Stock Exchange: NASDAQ |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of emerging market equities that exhibit growth characteristics.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. BFA, the investment
adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated
prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
Fee Waiver | Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | |||||
| 0.68% | None | None | 0.68% | (0.19)% | 0.49% | |||||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $50 | $198 | $360 | $829 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the
Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not
necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus. If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was 1.47%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period
shown above was 4.29% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -6.28% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at
www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
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Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 2/8/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -0.52% | 2.68% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | -0.78% | 2.32% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | 0.00% | 2.19% | |
| MSCI Emerging Markets Growth Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | -0.18% | 3.24% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on The NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
The Fund may borrow as a temporary measure for extraordinary or
emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. The Fund does not intend to borrow money in order to leverage its portfolio.
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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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional
conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of
the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition,
commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for these regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country
may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in these regions.
Commodity Risk. Economies and
companies whose performance is reflected in the Fund’s portfolio or Underlying Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including,
where applicable, high volatility, changes in supply
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and
demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are dependent on a single commodity, or are
concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk.
The consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of using various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely
affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU
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member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU
member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries,
including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the
risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset
valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets,
thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. A number of large financial institutions failed during that time, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the
financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even
ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the
securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
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Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Growth Securities Risk. Growth
companies are companies whose earnings growth potential appears to be greater than the market in general and whose revenue growth is expected to continue for an extended period of time. Stocks of growth companies or “growth securities”
have market values that may be more volatile than those of other types of investments. Growth securities typically do not pay a dividend, which can help cushion stock prices in market downturns and reduce potential losses.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
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Information Technology Sector Risk. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may
have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth
rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the
profitability of these companies.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor
performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other
factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock
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exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors
who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they
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are
willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for
investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
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Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of emerging market countries
by any of their key trading partners, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of the emerging market countries included in the
Underlying Index.
Risk of Investing in Emerging
Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for
greater market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are
typically found in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed
markets. In addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to
attract large amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Risk of Investing in India.
India is an emerging market country and exhibits significantly greater market volatility from time to time in comparison to more developed markets. Political and legal uncertainty, greater government control over the economy, currency fluctuations
or blockage, and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets may result in higher potential for losses.
Moreover, governmental actions can have a significant effect on
the economic conditions in India, which could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments. The securities markets in India are comparatively underdeveloped, and stockbrokers and other intermediaries may not perform as well as
their counterparts in the United States and other more developed securities markets. The limited liquidity of the Indian securities markets may also affect the Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time that it
desires.
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Global factors and foreign actions may inhibit the flow of
foreign capital on which India is dependent to sustain its growth. In addition, the Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”) has imposed limits on foreign ownership of Indian securities, which may decrease the liquidity of the Fund’s
portfolio and result in extreme volatility in the prices of Indian securities. These factors, coupled with the lack of extensive accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices, as compared to the United States, may increase the
Fund's risk of loss.
Further, certain Indian regulatory
approvals, including approvals from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”), the RBI, the central government and the tax authorities (to the extent that tax benefits need to be utilized), may be required before the Fund can
make investments in the securities of Indian companies.
Risk of Investing in Russia.
Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, in addition to those described under “Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Non-U.S. Securities Risk” that are not typically associated with investing in U.S.
securities, including:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in Russia; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund’s ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of Russian companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than by a central registration system; and |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because Russian banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by the Russian government. |
The United States and the EU, along
with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial sanctions on certain Russian
individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian
securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those
securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers
include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it
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becomes impracticable or unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to,
or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of the affected securities in connection with creation
transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an
event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that
may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that
represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
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Structural Risk. Certain
countries in which the Fund invests have experienced currency devaluations, substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions causing a negative effect on their economies and securities markets.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER
INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.
Treaty/Tax Risk. The Fund
operates, in part, through the Subsidiary, which in turn invests in securities of Indian issuers. At this time, the Subsidiary should be eligible to take advantage of the benefits of the DTAA. Numerous investors have relied on the benefits of the
DTAA to invest in India through Mauritius in the past. However, in the past 10-15 years, a number of parties have challenged the DTAA or the interpretation of the DTAA. Circular 789, issued on April 13, 2000 by the Indian Central Board of Direct
Taxes (“CBDT”), clarifies that whenever the Mauritius revenue authorities have issued a certificate of tax residence, such certificate would constitute sufficient evidence for accepting the status of residence of Mauritius tax residents
for purposes of applying the provisions of the DTAA. The Supreme Court of India in 2003 subsequently held and declared Circular 789 to be valid following litigation regarding Circular 789. As of the date of this Prospectus, Circular 789 is still
valid and in force.
However, recently issued
rulings suggest that the Indian tax administration’s analysis may have changed, and that the tax authorities may now focus on a number of factors when assessing whether a foreign entity is eligible for the benefit of the provisions of a tax
treaty, including, among others, the place of management of the foreign resident company and the level of substance in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated. In addition, both the Indian tax administration and Indian courts seem now to be
taking aggressive efforts to challenge structures involving offshore funds investing directly or indirectly in India, in particular those from Mauritius. Further, the Finance Act, 2013 (“FA 13”) provides that an investor is required to
submit the tax residency certificate as issued in the country of residence and provide other documents and information as prescribed by the Government to claim benefits under the DTAA.
It is possible that the governments of India and Mauritius may
renegotiate the terms of the DTAA to include, among other things, a limitation on benefits clause. No assurance can be given that the terms of the DTAA will not be renegotiated or subject to a different interpretation in the future. Any change in
the provisions of the DTAA or in its applicability to the Subsidiary could result in the imposition of withholding and capital gains taxes and other taxes on the Subsidiary by tax authorities in India. This could
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significantly reduce the return to the Fund on its investments and the return
received by the Fund’s shareholders.
Indirect
Transfers.
The current legislation imposes Indian tax and
withholding obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests in Indian securities through the
Subsidiary, this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However, the CBDT issued a letter on May
29, 2012 clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, the CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any assessment proceedings that were
completed before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in the Finance Act would be enforced.
Given this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
An Expert Committee formed by the Government of India was
constituted to examine the implications of the above amendment, which provides for taxing indirect transfer of Indian assets in India. Based on the consultations received from stakeholders, the Expert Committee in its report has recommended that the
above deemed provisions should not apply in the following cases:
| ■ | where a non-resident investor has made any investment, directly or indirectly, in a foreign institutional investor (“FII”) which has invested in India; |
| ■ | investment by the non-resident investor in a fund or a fund pooling vehicle, which does not result in participation in control and management of the fund; or |
| ■ | where a non-resident investor along with its associates, does not have more than a 26% share in total capital of the company. |
Accordingly, the Expert Committee has recommended that the
non-resident will not be taxable in India in relation to investments made by the Fund/ FII in India in the above situations.
The Expert Committee has also recommended that amendments
should be applied prospectively and not retrospectively.
If the recommendations made by the Expert Committee are
accepted by the Government of India then the non-resident shareholders of the Fund/ Subsidiary would not be taxed in India on indirect transfer of shares.
However, the above amendment does not override the provisions
of DTAA which India has entered into with many countries. Hence, if a non-resident investor in the Fund is situated in a favorable tax jurisdiction (such as Mauritius, Singapore, etc.), then capital gains on such indirect transfer may not be
chargeable to tax in view of the DTAA entered into between India and the respective countries.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
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The current legislation provides for the general anti-avoidance
rules (“GAAR”) to curb aggressive tax planning with the use of sophisticated structures. GAAR will be effective from the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards.
As per the current provisions of GAAR, an arrangement entered
into by a taxpayer may be declared to be an impermissible avoidance arrangement, if the “main purpose” of the arrangement is to obtain a “tax benefit” and the arrangement:
| ■ | creates rights, or obligations, which are not ordinarily created between persons dealing at arm's length; |
| ■ | results, directly or indirectly, in the misuse, or abuse, of the provisions of IT Act; |
| ■ | lacks commercial substance; or |
| ■ | is entered into, or carried out, by means, or in a manner, which are not ordinarily employed for bona fide purposes. |
Once an arrangement is declared to be an impermissible
avoidance arrangement, wide powers have been granted to tax authorities to deny tax treaty benefits, disregard or re-characterize transactions, re-characterize equity into debt and vice versa.
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned
tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions, may lead to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, and may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Provisions of indirect transfers and GAAR could change the
manner in which the Subsidiary is currently taxed in India and could adversely impact the returns to the Fund/Subsidiary and its shareholders. The Fund will continue to monitor developments in India with respect to these matters. Investors are urged
to consult their own tax advisers with respect to their own tax situations and the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain markets, and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by adverse changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in
U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a
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material adverse effect on the economies of these countries and, as a result,
securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade
in low volume or volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may
change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using
prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in
turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
African
Economic Risk. Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may
negatively affect the value of investments in the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political
instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the
classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in
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Africa significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in
more developed countries.
Borrowing Risk. Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the
Fund’s return. Borrowing may also cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in
demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be
subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies may be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Geopolitical events, acts of terrorism, and other instability in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities
markets in some Eastern European countries are substantially smaller and less developed, with less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and may be less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in the United States or
Western European countries. In addition, investing in securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may involve:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
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| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the EU as a whole. |
Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be
influenced by unpredictable factors.
Materials
Sector Risk. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor
relations and government regulations, among other factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market
imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
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Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.68%. BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for its investment advisory
services to the Fund in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company
and BFA. In addition, BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or
reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA
is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in
excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments
in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from,
entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain
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losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts
achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
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Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “EGRW.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NASDAQ.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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.
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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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that you hold in book-entry
or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of
underlying securities held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated
every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or
cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the
current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not
involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
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Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
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Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
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Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any
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gain
or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of
the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have
received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal
income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S.
shareholders of the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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
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such
shares. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences
under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about
the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Mauritius Tax Disclosure. The
Fund conducts its investment activities in India through the Subsidiary. In order to be eligible to claim benefits under the DTAA, the Subsidiary must satisfy certain conditions, including the establishment and maintenance of a valid tax residence
in Mauritius. The Subsidiary has obtained a certificate from the Mauritius authorities providing that it is a resident of Mauritius under the DTAA. The Fund expects the Subsidiary to maintain its Mauritius tax residency. The Subsidiary is subject to
tax in Mauritius on its net income at the rate of 15%. However, a system of foreign tax credits effectively reduces the Mauritius income tax rate to a maximum of 3%. Further, the Subsidiary is not subject to capital gains tax in Mauritius nor is it
subject to tax in Mauritius on any gains from the sale of securities. Any dividends paid by the Subsidiary to the Fund will also be exempt from tax in Mauritius.
Indian Tax Disclosure. In the
event the benefits under the DTAA are denied, the following rates of tax under the Indian IT Act will be applicable (these rates are inclusive of highest applicable surcharges):
| ■ | Dividend: Dividend income earned by the Subsidiary will not be subject to Indian tax. However, the Indian company declaring and paying such dividend would be subject to Dividend Distribution Tax at an effective rate of 20% (approx.) (effective starting October 1, 2014) on the amount of the dividend paid out. |
| ■ | Interest: Interest paid to the Subsidiary in respect of debt obligations of Indian issuers will be subject to Indian income tax. The tax rate in the case of a rupee-denominated debt obligation is 43.26%. However if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, interest income earned from June 1, 2013 to May 31, 2015 on rupee denominated bonds of Indian companies and Indian government securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 5.41%, provided that the rate of interest does not exceed the prescribed rates. In the case of a foreign-currency denominated debt obligation, the tax rate is 21.63%. For approved foreign-currency loans advanced from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41% and for approved foreign currency long-term bonds issued from October 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41%. However, if the Subsidiary is registered as a sub-account with SEBI, interest from securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 21.63%. |
| ■ | Securities Transaction Tax: Transactions involving the purchase or sale of shares or any other security traded on a recognized Indian stock exchange are subject to Securities Transaction Tax (“STT”). STT will be levied at the rate of 0.001% on the seller in case of actual delivery of the security and at the rate of 0.2% on the sale of unlisted shares in an initial public offering. This STT is not applicable to primary |
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| issuances of equity shares by a company or to off-market transactions. Hence, STT will be payable if the Subsidiary buys or sells listed securities on a recognized Indian stock exchange. | |
| ■ | Capital Gains: The taxation of capital gains would be as follows: (i) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than twelve months) listed on a recognized stock exchange would not be taxable in India provided STT has been paid on the same (as discussed above); (ii) short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of twelve months or less) from the sale of Indian shares listed on a recognized stock exchange will be taxed at the rate of 16.223% provided STT has been paid on the same; (iii) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 36 months) arising to the Subsidiary from the sale of unlisted securities will be taxed at the rate of 10.815% (without indexation) and short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 36 months or less) will be taxed at the rate of 43.26%;* (iv) capital gains realized on sale of listed equity shares not executed on a recognized stock exchange in India would be taxed at the rate of 21.63% for long-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 12 months) and at 43.26% in the case of short-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 12 months or less);* and (v) capital gains arising from the transfer of depositary receipts outside India between non-resident investors will not be subject to tax in India. |
| * | However, if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, the rates will be 10.816% and 32.45%, respectively. |
Indirect Transfers. The current
legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests
in Indian securities through the Subsidiary, this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However,
the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012 clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any
assessment proceedings that were completed before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in
the Finance Act would be enforced. Given this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The GAAR introduced in the Income Tax Act, 1961 (“IT Act”) provides the Indian tax authorities a mechanism to deny any tax benefits in a transaction or any other arrangement that is believed to not have any commercial substance or
purpose other than to obtain tax benefit(s) under a treaty. The provisions of GAAR will be applicable to arrangements (including a step in or a part thereof) entered into by a taxpayer, which may be declared as an ‘impermissible avoidance
arrangement’.
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GAAR will be effective from the financial year beginning from
April 1, 2015 onwards (assessment year 2016-17).
The CBDT
has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
If the Fund's use of the Subsidiary was considered to be such
an impermissible avoidance arrangement, the Fund would become subject directly to taxation in India. GAAR is expected to come into force from April 2015. The burden of proof in enforcing the rule will reside with the Indian government, not the
taxpayer, and India’s current double tax treaty arrangements will remain in force. However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions and may lead
to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, which may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
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In the event of a system failure or other interruption,
including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund may not be able to place or
change orders.
To the extent the Fund engages in in-kind
transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any
securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a
“qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated
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fee.
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs
related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $2,762,500 | 50,000 | $14,500 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
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| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Feb. 8, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $50.26 | $50.60 | $ 54.24 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 0.81 | 0.85 | 0.66 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 8.86 | 0.13 | (3.87) | ||
| Total from investment operations | 9.67 | 0.98 | (3.21) | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (0.75) | (1.32) | (0.43) | ||
| Total distributions | (0.75) | (1.32) | (0.43) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 59.18 | $50.26 | $ 50.60 | ||
| Total return | 19.36% | 1.76% | (5.90)% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ 5,918 | $ 5,026 | $10,121 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.49% | 0.49% | 0.49% | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived feese | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 1.47% | 1.59% | 2.27% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 26% | 64% | 12% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the years ended August 31, 2014, August 31, 2013 and the period ended August 31, 2012 were 26%, 28% and 12%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
This Prospectus and the SAI have not been filed with SEBI, and
SEBI will not in any manner vouch for the financial soundness of the Fund/Subsidiary, BFA or the Portfolio Managers, or for the adequacy of the statements made in this Prospectus and the SAI. BFA or the Portfolio Managers will not be registered with
SEBI.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted
by MSCI or any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the
Fund particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and
calculated by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index.
MSCI is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither
MSCI nor any other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING,
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IN NO
EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NASDAQ. NASDAQ 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NASDAQ is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of,
prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NASDAQ 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.
NASDAQ does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of
the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NASDAQ makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of
the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NASDAQ makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NASDAQ 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 3.5% | 1 | 0.23% | ||
| Greater than 3.0% and Less than 3.5% | 4 | 0.91 | ||
| Greater than 2.5% and Less than 3.0% | 23 | 5.23 | ||
| Greater than 2.0% and Less than 2.5% | 40 | 9.09 | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 38 | 8.64 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 58 | 13.18 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 55 | 12.50 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 170 | 38.63 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 39 | 8.86 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 10 | 2.27 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| Less than -2.0% and Greater than -2.5% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 19.36% | 17.28% | 20.16% | 19.36% | 17.28% | 20.16% | |
| Since Inception* | 5.35% | 5.20% | 6.11% | 14.29% | 13.87% | 16.39% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (2/8/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 2/9/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-EGRW-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | EVAL | NASDAQ |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI Emerging Markets Value Index” is a
servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc. nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI EMERGING
MARKETS VALUE ETF
| Ticker: EVAL | Stock Exchange: NASDAQ |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of emerging market equities that exhibit value characteristics.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. BFA, the investment
adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated
prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
Fee Waiver | Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | |||||
| 0.68% | None | None | 0.68% | (0.19)% | 0.49% | |||||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $50 | $198 | $360 | $829 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the
Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not
necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus. If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was 2.02%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period
shown above was 6.98% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -9.59% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at
www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
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Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 2/8/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -5.43% | -4.18% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | -5.88% | -4.54% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | -2.47% | -2.88% | |
| MSCI Emerging Markets Value Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | -5.11% | -3.87% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on The NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
The Fund may borrow as a temporary measure for extraordinary or
emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. The Fund does not intend to borrow money in order to leverage its portfolio.
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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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including corruption and regional
conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of
the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition,
commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for these regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country
may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in these regions.
Commodity Risk. Economies and
companies whose performance is reflected in the Fund’s portfolio or Underlying Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including,
where applicable, high volatility, changes in supply
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and
demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are dependent on a single commodity, or are
concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Energy Sector Risk. The energy
sector of an economy is cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of companies in the energy sector is strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, capital expenditures on
exploration and production of energy sources, energy conservation efforts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, increased competition and technological advances, among other factors. Companies in this sector may be
subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion of the revenues of these companies depends on a relatively
small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or
engage in transactions involving countries with, less developed regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a significant risk of liability from accidents resulting in
injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism, political strife and natural disasters. Any such event could have serious
consequences for the general population of the affected area and could have an adverse impact on
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the
Fund’s portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, specific products (e.g., oil and natural gas) and services, exploration
and production spending, government subsidization, world events and general economic conditions.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro
and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the
risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset
valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or
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rate
regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other
markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. A number of large financial institutions failed during that time, merged with stronger institutions or had
significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise
capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses
or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the
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selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is
rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be
borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore,
errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock
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exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors
who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they
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are
willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for
investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Materials Sector Risk.
Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor relations and government regulations, among other
factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor
investment returns.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may
be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index,
regardless of their
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investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions
under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of emerging market countries
by any of their key trading partners, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of the emerging market countries included in the
Underlying Index.
Risk of Investing in Emerging
Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for
greater market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are
typically found in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed
markets. In addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to
attract large amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Risk of Investing in India.
India is an emerging market country and exhibits significantly greater market volatility from time to time in comparison to more developed markets. Political and legal uncertainty, greater government control over the economy, currency fluctuations
or blockage, and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets may result in higher potential for losses.
Moreover, governmental actions can have a significant effect on
the economic conditions in India, which could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments. The securities markets in India are comparatively underdeveloped, and stockbrokers and other intermediaries may not perform as well as
their counterparts in the United States and other more developed securities markets. The limited liquidity of the Indian securities markets may also affect the Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time that it
desires.
Global factors and foreign actions may inhibit
the flow of foreign capital on which India is dependent to sustain its growth. In addition, the Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”) has imposed limits on foreign ownership of Indian securities, which may decrease the liquidity of the
Fund’s portfolio and result in extreme volatility in the prices of Indian
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securities. These factors, coupled with the lack of extensive accounting,
auditing and financial reporting standards and practices, as compared to the United States, may increase the Fund's risk of loss.
Further, certain Indian regulatory approvals, including
approvals from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”), the RBI, the central government and the tax authorities (to the extent that tax benefits need to be utilized), may be required before the Fund can make investments in
the securities of Indian companies.
Risk of Investing in
Russia. Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, in addition to those described under “Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Non-U.S. Securities Risk” that are not
typically associated with investing in U.S. securities, including:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in Russia; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund’s ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of Russian companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than by a central registration system; and |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because Russian banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by the Russian government. |
The United States and the EU, along
with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial sanctions on certain Russian
individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian
securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those
securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers
include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of
the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require
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a
cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an
event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that
may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that
represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
countries in which the Fund invests have experienced currency devaluations, substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions causing a negative effect on their economies and securities markets.
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Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER
INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.
Treaty/Tax Risk. The Fund
operates, in part, through the Subsidiary, which in turn invests in securities of Indian issuers. At this time, the Subsidiary should be eligible to take advantage of the benefits of the DTAA. Numerous investors have relied on the benefits of the
DTAA to invest in India through Mauritius in the past. However, in the past 10-15 years, a number of parties have challenged the DTAA or the interpretation of the DTAA. Circular 789, issued on April 13, 2000 by the Indian Central Board of Direct
Taxes (“CBDT”), clarifies that whenever the Mauritius revenue authorities have issued a certificate of tax residence, such certificate would constitute sufficient evidence for accepting the status of residence of Mauritius tax residents
for purposes of applying the provisions of the DTAA. The Supreme Court of India in 2003 subsequently held and declared Circular 789 to be valid following litigation regarding Circular 789. As of the date of this Prospectus, Circular 789 is still
valid and in force.
However, recently issued
rulings suggest that the Indian tax administration’s analysis may have changed, and that the tax authorities may now focus on a number of factors when assessing whether a foreign entity is eligible for the benefit of the provisions of a tax
treaty, including, among others, the place of management of the foreign resident company and the level of substance in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated. In addition, both the Indian tax administration and Indian courts seem now to be
taking aggressive efforts to challenge structures involving offshore funds investing directly or indirectly in India, in particular those from Mauritius. Further, the Finance Act, 2013 (“FA 13”) provides that an investor is required to
submit the tax residency certificate as issued in the country of residence and provide other documents and information as prescribed by the Government to claim benefits under the DTAA.
It is possible that the governments of India and Mauritius may
renegotiate the terms of the DTAA to include, among other things, a limitation on benefits clause. No assurance can be given that the terms of the DTAA will not be renegotiated or subject to a different interpretation in the future. Any change in
the provisions of the DTAA or in its applicability to the Subsidiary could result in the imposition of withholding and capital gains taxes and other taxes on the Subsidiary by tax authorities in India. This could significantly reduce the return to
the Fund on its investments and the return received by the Fund’s shareholders.
Indirect Transfers.
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The current legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding
obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests in Indian securities through the Subsidiary,
this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However, the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012
clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, the CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any assessment proceedings that were completed
before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in the Finance Act would be enforced. Given
this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
An Expert Committee formed by the Government of India was
constituted to examine the implications of the above amendment, which provides for taxing indirect transfer of Indian assets in India. Based on the consultations received from stakeholders, the Expert Committee in its report has recommended that the
above deemed provisions should not apply in the following cases:
| ■ | where a non-resident investor has made any investment, directly or indirectly, in a foreign institutional investor (“FII”) which has invested in India; |
| ■ | investment by the non-resident investor in a fund or a fund pooling vehicle, which does not result in participation in control and management of the fund; or |
| ■ | where a non-resident investor along with its associates, does not have more than a 26% share in total capital of the company. |
Accordingly, the Expert Committee has recommended that the
non-resident will not be taxable in India in relation to investments made by the Fund/ FII in India in the above situations.
The Expert Committee has also recommended that amendments
should be applied prospectively and not retrospectively.
If the recommendations made by the Expert Committee are
accepted by the Government of India then the non-resident shareholders of the Fund/ Subsidiary would not be taxed in India on indirect transfer of shares.
However, the above amendment does not override the provisions
of DTAA which India has entered into with many countries. Hence, if a non-resident investor in the Fund is situated in a favorable tax jurisdiction (such as Mauritius, Singapore, etc.), then capital gains on such indirect transfer may not be
chargeable to tax in view of the DTAA entered into between India and the respective countries.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The current legislation provides for the general anti-avoidance
rules (“GAAR”) to curb aggressive tax planning with the use of sophisticated structures. GAAR will be effective from the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards.
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As per the current provisions of GAAR, an arrangement entered
into by a taxpayer may be declared to be an impermissible avoidance arrangement, if the “main purpose” of the arrangement is to obtain a “tax benefit” and the arrangement:
| ■ | creates rights, or obligations, which are not ordinarily created between persons dealing at arm's length; |
| ■ | results, directly or indirectly, in the misuse, or abuse, of the provisions of IT Act; |
| ■ | lacks commercial substance; or |
| ■ | is entered into, or carried out, by means, or in a manner, which are not ordinarily employed for bona fide purposes. |
Once an arrangement is declared to be an impermissible
avoidance arrangement, wide powers have been granted to tax authorities to deny tax treaty benefits, disregard or re-characterize transactions, re-characterize equity into debt and vice versa.
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned
tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions, may lead to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, and may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Provisions of indirect transfers and GAAR could change the
manner in which the Subsidiary is currently taxed in India and could adversely impact the returns to the Fund/Subsidiary and its shareholders. The Fund will continue to monitor developments in India with respect to these matters. Investors are urged
to consult their own tax advisers with respect to their own tax situations and the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain markets, and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by adverse changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in
U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the economies of these countries and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has
exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the
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Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low
volume or volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on
days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could
result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
Value Securities Risk. Value
securities are those issued by companies that may be perceived as undervalued. Value securities may fail to appreciate for long periods of time and may never realize their full potential value.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
African
Economic Risk. Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may
negatively affect the value of investments in the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political
instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the
classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly
riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
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Borrowing Risk. Borrowing may
exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may also
cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in
demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be
subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies may be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Geopolitical events, acts of terrorism, and other instability in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities
markets in some Eastern European countries are substantially smaller and less developed, with less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and may be less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in the United States or
Western European countries. In addition, investing in securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may involve:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the EU as a whole. |
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Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be
influenced by unpredictable factors.
Information
Technology Sector Risk. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like other technology companies,
information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product
introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of
these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
North American Economic Risk. A
decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in
which the Fund invests.
The United States is
Mexico's largest trading and investment partner. The Mexican economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the
United States and Mexico, total merchandise trade between the
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three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA
countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Mexico's dependency on the U.S. economy. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North
American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.
Telecommunications Sector Risk.
The telecommunications sector of a country's economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new
regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable.
Companies in the telecommunications sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological
innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.68%. BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for its investment advisory
services to the Fund in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company
and BFA. In addition, BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if
any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
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The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments
in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from,
entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The
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Fund
also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to,
distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the
Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a
securities lending program approved by the Board, the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the
lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund, including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of
cash collateral. In addition, one or more Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “EVAL.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading
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volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly
launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying
securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares
directly through transactions that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent
trading activity because shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NASDAQ.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by
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the
Fund, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the
trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in
exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the
IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the
calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
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When market quotations are not readily available or are
believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may conclude that a market quotation
is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations or otherwise no longer appears to
reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an event that, in the judgment of BFA, is
likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of the Fund for reinvestment of
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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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
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For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the
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event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing
legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide
certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of
the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have
received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal
income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S.
shareholders of the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Mauritius Tax Disclosure. The
Fund conducts its investment activities in India through the Subsidiary. In order to be eligible to claim benefits under the DTAA, the Subsidiary must satisfy certain conditions, including the establishment and maintenance of a valid tax residence
in Mauritius. The Subsidiary has obtained a certificate from the Mauritius authorities providing that it is a resident of Mauritius under the DTAA. The Fund expects the Subsidiary to maintain its Mauritius tax residency. The Subsidiary is subject to
tax in Mauritius on its net income at the rate of 15%. However, a system of foreign tax credits effectively reduces the Mauritius income
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tax
rate to a maximum of 3%. Further, the Subsidiary is not subject to capital gains tax in Mauritius nor is it subject to tax in Mauritius on any gains from the sale of securities. Any dividends paid by the Subsidiary to the Fund will also be exempt
from tax in Mauritius.
Indian Tax Disclosure. In the event the benefits under the DTAA are denied, the following rates of tax under the Indian IT Act will be applicable (these rates are inclusive of highest applicable surcharges):
| ■ | Dividend: Dividend income earned by the Subsidiary will not be subject to Indian tax. However, the Indian company declaring and paying such dividend would be subject to Dividend Distribution Tax at an effective rate of 20% (approx.) (effective starting October 1, 2014) on the amount of the dividend paid out. |
| ■ | Interest: Interest paid to the Subsidiary in respect of debt obligations of Indian issuers will be subject to Indian income tax. The tax rate in the case of a rupee-denominated debt obligation is 43.26%. However if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, interest income earned from June 1, 2013 to May 31, 2015 on rupee denominated bonds of Indian companies and Indian government securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 5.41%, provided that the rate of interest does not exceed the prescribed rates. In the case of a foreign-currency denominated debt obligation, the tax rate is 21.63%. For approved foreign-currency loans advanced from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41% and for approved foreign currency long-term bonds issued from October 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41%. However, if the Subsidiary is registered as a sub-account with SEBI, interest from securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 21.63%. |
| ■ | Securities Transaction Tax: Transactions involving the purchase or sale of shares or any other security traded on a recognized Indian stock exchange are subject to Securities Transaction Tax (“STT”). STT will be levied at the rate of 0.001% on the seller in case of actual delivery of the security and at the rate of 0.2% on the sale of unlisted shares in an initial public offering. This STT is not applicable to primary issuances of equity shares by a company or to off-market transactions. Hence, STT will be payable if the Subsidiary buys or sells listed securities on a recognized Indian stock exchange. |
| ■ | Capital Gains: The taxation of capital gains would be as follows: (i) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than twelve months) listed on a recognized stock exchange would not be taxable in India provided STT has been paid on the same (as discussed above); (ii) short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of twelve months or less) from the sale of Indian shares listed on a recognized stock exchange will be taxed at the rate of 16.223% provided STT has been paid on the same; (iii) long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 36 months) arising to the Subsidiary from the sale of unlisted securities will be taxed at the rate of 10.815% (without indexation) and short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 36 months or less) will be taxed at the rate of 43.26%;* (iv) capital gains realized on sale of listed equity shares not executed on a recognized stock exchange in India would be taxed at the rate of 21.63% for long-term gains (being |
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gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 12
months) and at 43.26% in the case of short-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 12 months or less);* and (v) capital gains arising from the transfer of depositary receipts outside India between non-resident investors will
not be subject to tax in India.
| * | However, if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, the rates will be 10.816% and 32.45%, respectively. |
Indirect Transfers. The current
legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because the Fund invests
in Indian securities through the Subsidiary, this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However,
the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012 clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any
assessment proceedings that were completed before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in
the Finance Act would be enforced. Given this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Fund does not expect that shareholders or the Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The GAAR introduced in the Income Tax Act, 1961 (“IT Act”) provides the Indian tax authorities a mechanism to deny any tax benefits in a transaction or any other arrangement that is believed to not have any commercial substance or
purpose other than to obtain tax benefit(s) under a treaty. The provisions of GAAR will be applicable to arrangements (including a step in or a part thereof) entered into by a taxpayer, which may be declared as an ‘impermissible avoidance
arrangement’.
GAAR will be effective from
the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards (assessment year 2016-17).
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for
the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| ■ | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| ■ | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| ■ | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| ■ | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
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If the Fund's use of the Subsidiary was considered to be such
an impermissible avoidance arrangement, the Fund would become subject directly to taxation in India. GAAR is expected to come into force from April 2015. The burden of proof in enforcing the rule will reside with the Indian government, not the
taxpayer, and India’s current double tax treaty arrangements will remain in force. However, GAAR may prevent the Fund from realizing the planned tax benefits of the Subsidiary, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions and may lead
to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, which may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiary structure.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit aggregations.
Information about the
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procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the
cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to
the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares
may pay fees for such services.
The following
table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $2,312,000 | 50,000 | $15,000 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may
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be
required, in its capacity as broker-dealer with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s
SAI.
Householding.
Householding is an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if
you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
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Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Feb. 8, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 43.15 | $ 45.30 | $ 52.58 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 1.36 | 1.34 | 1.00 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 6.83 | (2.11) | (7.54) | ||
| Total from investment operations | 8.19 | (0.77) | (6.54) | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (0.97) | (1.38) | (0.74) | ||
| Total distributions | (0.97) | (1.38) | (0.74) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 50.37 | $ 43.15 | $ 45.30 | ||
| Total return | 19.20% | (1.83)% | (12.41)% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $25,186 | $10,787 | $ 9,061 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.49% | 0.49% | 0.49% | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived feese | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 2.94% | 2.84% | 3.73% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 25% | 47% | 12% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the years ended August 31, 2014, August 31, 2013 and the period ended August 31, 2012, were 25%, 26% and 12%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
This Prospectus and the SAI have not been filed with SEBI, and
SEBI will not in any manner vouch for the financial soundness of the Fund/Subsidiary, BFA or the Portfolio Managers, or for the adequacy of the statements made in this Prospectus and the SAI. BFA or the Portfolio Managers will not be registered with
SEBI.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted
by MSCI or any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the
Fund particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and
calculated by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index.
MSCI is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither
MSCI nor any other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING,
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IN NO
EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NASDAQ. NASDAQ 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NASDAQ is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of,
prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NASDAQ 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.
NASDAQ does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of
the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NASDAQ makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of
the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NASDAQ makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NASDAQ 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
35
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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 5.0% and Less than 5.5% | 5 | 1.14% | ||
| Greater than 4.5% and Less than 5.0% | 9 | 2.05 | ||
| Greater than 4.0% and Less than 4.5% | 7 | 1.59 | ||
| Greater than 3.5% and Less than 4.0% | 12 | 2.73 | ||
| Greater than 3.0% and Less than 3.5% | 14 | 3.18 | ||
| Greater than 2.5% and Less than 3.0% | 25 | 5.67 | ||
| Greater than 2.0% and Less than 2.5% | 32 | 7.27 | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 71 | 16.14 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 80 | 18.18 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 89 | 20.23 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 84 | 19.09 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 9 | 2.05 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 3 | 0.68 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 19.20% | 20.62% | 19.77% | 19.20% | 20.62% | 19.77% | |
| Since Inception* | 0.96% | 2.07% | 1.41% | 2.49% | 5.38% | 3.64% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (2/8/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 2/9/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-EVAL-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | FM | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI Frontier Markets 100 Index” is a servicemark
of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc., nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI FRONTIER 100
ETF
| Ticker: FM | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF (the “Fund”)
seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of frontier market equities.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.79% | None | None | 0.79% | |||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $81 | $252 | $439 | $978 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”).
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was 18.29%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above
was 8.01% in the 1st quarter of 2013; the worst was 2.59% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 9/12/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | 25.60% | 24.31% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions2 | 25.16% | 23.98% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares2 | 14.64% | 18.56% | |
| MSCI Frontier Markets 100 Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | 25.91% | 24.90% |
| 2 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
The Fund may borrow as a temporary measure for extraordinary or
emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. The Fund does not intend to borrow money in order to leverage its portfolio. The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment
restriction such that, under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net assets.
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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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
A Further
Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to
various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the
Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
African Economic Risk.
Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may negatively affect the value of investments in
the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or
military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the
classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly
riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
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Commodity Risk. Economies and
companies whose performance is reflected in the Fund’s portfolio or Underlying Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including,
where applicable, high volatility, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies. Securities of companies held by
the Fund that are dependent on a single commodity, or are concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Energy Sector Risk. The energy
sector of an economy is cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of companies in the energy sector is strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, capital expenditures on
exploration and production of energy sources, energy conservation efforts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, increased competition and technological advances, among other factors. Companies in this sector may be
subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion of the revenues of these companies depends on a relatively
small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or
engage in transactions involving countries with, less developed regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a significant risk of liability from accidents
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resulting in injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other
environmental problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism, political strife and natural disasters. Any such event could have serious consequences for the general population of the affected area and
could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, specific products (e.g., oil and
natural gas) and services, exploration and production spending, government subsidization, world events and general economic conditions.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the
risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset
valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets,
thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. A number of large financial institutions failed during that time, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the
financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even
ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the
securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely
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impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on
the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the
Index Provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the
Index Provider does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index
Provider’s methodology. BFA’s mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for
Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less
commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents,
the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider
errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk
exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The Fund's investment strategy is to invest in frontier markets. These
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frontier markets are generally less liquid than developed markets. To the
extent the Fund invests in illiquid securities or securities that become less liquid, such investments may have a negative effect on the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or
price. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly
during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. There
can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or
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discounts than might be experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase
and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund
shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant
to “circuit breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the
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Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest
a larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments,
and the stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are
more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Middle Eastern Economic Risk.
Many Middle Eastern countries have little or no democratic tradition and the political and legal systems in such countries may adversely impact the companies in which the Fund invests and, as a result, the value of the Fund. Middle Eastern
governments have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. Many economies in the Middle East are highly reliant on income from the sale of oil or trade with countries involved in the sale of
oil, and their economies are therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency values. As global demand for oil fluctuates, many Middle Eastern economies may be significantly impacted. A sustained decrease in commodity
prices could have a significant negative impact on all aspects of the economy in the region. Middle Eastern economies may be subject to acts of terrorism, political strife, religious, ethnic or socioeconomic unrest and sudden outbreaks of
hostilities with neighboring countries.
Certain
Middle Eastern countries have strained relations with other Middle Eastern countries due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, religious tensions or defense concerns, which may adversely affect the economies of these countries. Certain
Middle Eastern countries experience significant unemployment, as well as widespread underemployment.
Recently, many Middle Eastern countries have experienced
political, economic and social unrest as protestors have called for widespread reform. Some of these protests have resulted in a regime change. If further regime changes were to occur in any of these countries, the new government may not immediately
stabilize such country, which could adversely affect the economies of Middle Eastern countries in which the Fund invests and could decrease the value of the Fund’s investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
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| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index,
regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in frontier market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of frontier market countries
by any of their key trading partners, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of the frontier market countries included in the
Underlying Index.
Risk of Investing in Frontier
Markets. Frontier markets are those emerging markets considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid. Investments in frontier markets generally are subject to a greater risk of loss than
investments in developed markets or traditional emerging markets. This is due to, among other things, smaller economies, less developed capital markets, greater market volatility, lower trading volume, political and economic instability, greater
risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments than typically found in more developed markets. Frontier markets are even more prone to economic shocks associated with political and economic risks than are emerging
markets generally.
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Many
frontier market countries may be dependent on commodities, foreign trade or foreign aid. As a result, those risks traditionally associated with investments in emerging markets may be more pronounced with respect to investments in frontier market
economies.
Risk of Investing in Kuwait. Kuwait is highly reliant on income from the sale of oil and trade with other countries involved in the sale of oil, and its economy is therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency values.
As global demand for oil fluctuates, Kuwait may be significantly impacted. Historically, tensions between Iraq and Kuwait have sometimes resulted in conflict. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries, or with other countries in the
region, could have a severe adverse effect on the Kuwaiti economy and its securities markets. Recently, Kuwait has experienced anti-government protests. If the current Kuwaiti government were to change or become unable to function, any resulting
instability could adversely affect the Kuwaiti economy.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
countries in which the Fund invests have experienced currency devaluations, substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions causing a negative effect on their economies and securities markets.
Telecommunications Sector Risk.
The telecommunications sector of a country's economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new
regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable.
Companies in the telecommunications sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological
innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying
Index,
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pricing differences (including differences between a security’s
price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or
the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and
expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that
are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be
able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation
as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the
Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Asian
Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have
experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in
the United States and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region,
as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political
risk, including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among
others, may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Borrowing Risk. Borrowing may
exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest
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expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s
return. Borrowing may also cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain frontier market countries are affected by the economies of Central and South American countries, some of which have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency
devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition, commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of the region's exports and many economies in this region are particularly sensitive to
fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in this region and on the financial sectors of emerging markets countries.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk.
The consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of using various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely
affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be
influenced by unpredictable factors.
Portfolio
Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists
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and
other investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.79%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments
in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from,
entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain
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losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts
achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
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Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “FM.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange. However, the Fund may take other measures to protect the Fund against frequent trading.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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
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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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that you hold in book-entry
or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of
underlying securities held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated
every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or
cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the
current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not
involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
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The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index. In certain markets, the Fund may utilize a third party vendor to supply evaluated, systematic fair value pricing.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by
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one
or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S.
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individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing
jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be
qualified dividend income to you if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided
that the Fund satisfies certain holding period requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on
securities lent out will not be qualified dividend income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes
an exchange of information program, or if the stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment
company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC
generally are qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
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lower treaty rate applies, provided that withholding tax will generally not
apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding, capital gains and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the
total assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities (generally, for this purpose, depositary receipts, no matter where traded, of non-U.S. companies are treated as “non-U.S.”), the Fund may
“pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be
entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of
the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund
21
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shares held for one year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales
of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences
under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about
the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is
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not
a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to
the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares
may pay fees for such services.
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The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $1,916,000 | 50,000 | $6,800 | 5.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Period
from Sep. 12, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2013 | ||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 30.12 | $ 25.25 | |
| Income
from investment operations: | |||
| Net investment incomeb | 1.09 | 0.67 | |
| Net realized and unrealized gainc | 7.47 | 4.51 | |
| Total from investment operations | 8.56 | 5.18 | |
| Less distributions from: | |||
| Net investment income | (0.89) | (0.28) | |
| Return of capital | − | (0.03) | |
| Total distributions | (0.89) | (0.31) | |
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 37.79 | $ 30.12 | |
| Total return | 28.56% | 20.54% d | |
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $799,349 | $280,084 | |
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.79% | 0.79% | |
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 3.07% | 2.32% | |
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 61% | 18% | |
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the year ended August 31, 2014 and period ended August 31, 2013 were 42% and 10%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or
any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and calculated
by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. MSCI is not
responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any
other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
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Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 3.0% and Less than 3.5% | 6 | 1.36% | ||
| Greater than 2.5% and Less than 3.0% | 9 | 2.05 | ||
| Greater than 2.0% and Less than 2.5% | 53 | 12.05 | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 146 | 33.17 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 104 | 23.64 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 39 | 8.86 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 26 | 5.91 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 29 | 6.59 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 21 | 4.78 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 4 | 0.91 | ||
| Less than -2.0% and Greater than -2.5% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| Less than -2.5% and Greater than -3.0% | 2 | 0.45 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 28.56% | 27.73% | 29.55% | 28.56% | 27.73% | 29.55% | |
| Since Inception* | 24.91% | 25.52% | 25.57% | 54.97% | 56.47% | 56.49% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (9/12/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 9/13/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-FM-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
|
| ► | iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | VEGI | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI ACWI Select Agriculture Producers Investable Market
Index (IMI)” is a servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc. nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI GLOBAL
AGRICULTURE PRODUCERS ETF
| Ticker: VEGI | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of global equities of companies primarily engaged in the business of agriculture.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. “Acquired Fund
Fees and Expenses” reflect the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies. The impact of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses is included in the total
returns of the Fund. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not used to calculate the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”) and are not included in the calculation of the ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”). BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount equal
to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund's investments in other series of iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to
December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Acquired
Fund Fees and Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
Fee Waiver | Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | ||||||
| 0.39% | None | None | 0.01% | 0.40% | (0.01)% | 0.39% | ||||||
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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 these assumptions, your costs would
be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $40 | $127 | $223 | $504 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus. If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was -1.42%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above
was 6.63% in the 4th quarter of 2013; the worst was -5.65% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 1/31/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | 4.17% | 6.44% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions2 | 3.87% | 6.25% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares2 | 2.76% | 5.11% | |
| MSCI ACWI Select Agriculture Producers IMI (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | 4.52% | 6.81% |
| 2 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
Agriculture Production Industry Risk. Companies engaged in agricultural production may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices and labor costs, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. Many companies in the agricultural
production industry are subject to government subsidy policies and environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Any changes to these policies and regulations, or the imposition of tariffs or other trade restraints, may have a material
adverse effect on companies operating in this industry. Agricultural production companies also may be at risk for environmental damage claims, worker safety liability and other types of litigation. Companies in this industry may be adversely
affected by changes in commercial and consumer demand for their products. Adverse weather conditions (such as floods or droughts), natural disasters and other factors, such as disease outbreaks, also may adversely affect companies operating in this
industry.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Capital Goods Industry Group Risk. The capital goods industry group may be affected by fluctuations in the business cycle and by other factors affecting manufacturing demands. The capital goods industry group depends heavily on corporate spending.
Companies in the capital goods industry group may perform well during times of economic expansion, and as economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods may decrease. Many capital goods are sold internationally and companies in this
industry group are subject to market conditions in other countries and regions.
Commodity Risk. Companies whose
performance is reflected in the Fund’s portfolio or Underlying Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including, where applicable,
high volatility, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are
dependent on a single commodity, or are concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the
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securities of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries,
region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic,
market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk.
The consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of using various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely
affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate
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as
described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of the
quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or costs
associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be
influenced by unpredictable factors.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor
performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other
factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to
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the
risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of
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the
Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply
of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large
discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the
creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with
the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of
significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Materials Sector Risk.
Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor relations and government regulations, among other
factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor
investment returns.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may
be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S.
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securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of
the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
North American Economic
Risk. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or
all of the North American countries in which the Fund invests.
The United States is Canada's largest trading and investment
partner. The Canadian economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total
merchandise trade between the three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Canada's dependency
on the U.S. economy. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.
Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
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Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The economies of some countries in which the Fund invests are dependent on trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of these countries, institution of tariffs or other
trade barriers by any of their key trading partners or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of such countries.
Risk of Investing in Russia.
Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, in addition to those described under “Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Non-U.S. Securities Risk” that are not typically associated with investing in U.S.
securities, including:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in Russia; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund’s ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of Russian companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than by a central registration system; and |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because Russian banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by the Russian government. |
The United States and the EU, along
with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial sanctions on certain Russian
individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian
securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those
securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers
include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of
the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
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Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of (or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an
event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that
may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that
represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Risk of Investing in the United States. The Fund has significant exposure to U.S. issuers. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in trade regulations and/or an economic recession in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and
the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. The financial crisis that began in 2007 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of issuers in the United States. Policy and legislative changes in the United States are changing many aspects
of financial and other regulation and may have a significant effect on the U.S. markets generally, as well as the value of certain securities. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public debt level or U.S. austerity measures may adversely
affect U.S. economic growth and the securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending
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agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute
payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending program.
Security Risk. Some geographic
areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in the markets of these
geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
political, economic, legal and currency risks have contributed to a high degree of price volatility in the equity markets of some of the countries in which the Fund invests and could adversely affect investments in the Fund:
Political and Social Risk.
Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, among other factors, may exacerbate social unrest, violence and labor unrest in some of the countries in which the Fund invests.
Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses.
Economic Risk. Some countries
in which the Fund invests may experience economic instability, including instability resulting from substantial rates of inflation or significant devaluations of their currency, or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on the
economies and securities markets of their economies. Some of these countries may also impose restrictions on the exchange or export of currency or adverse currency exchange rates and may be characterized by a lack of available currency hedging
instruments.
Expropriation Risk. Investments in certain countries may be subject to loss due to expropriation or nationalization of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital.
Large Government Debt Risk.
Chronic structural public sector deficits in some countries in which the Fund invests may adversely impact securities held by the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain countries in which the Fund invests and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade
regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on economies of the countries in which the Fund invests and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has
exposure.
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Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that
are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be
able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation
as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the
Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Asian
Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have
experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in
the United States and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region,
as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political
risk, including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among
others, may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the EU requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing
imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an
economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to
concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and
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Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and
may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and, therefore, the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their
assets in stocks issued by mid- or large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments.
Securities of small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and
may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more
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vulnerable to experiencing adverse effects due to the loss of personnel.
Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.39%. BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in an amount equal to the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses attributable to the Fund's investments in other series of iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses) until
December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. In addition, BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its affiliates deal, trade
and invest for their own accounts in the types of securities in which the Fund may also invest.
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A discussion regarding the basis for the Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities
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in
which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider, investment manager, commodity trading advisor,
financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly
invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to
perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one
or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other
instruments as the Fund, including in securities issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in
certain securities that are adverse to those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation to share any investment
opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment activities may differ from
those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other
accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund
may, from time to time, enter into transactions in which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions
by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
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Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “VEGI.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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
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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 generally sells
and redeems its shares directly through transactions that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of
monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of
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the
current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not
involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent
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to
the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose
values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close
of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair
value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to
extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those
investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV
and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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
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information, based on current law. You should consult your own tax
professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
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If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries.
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Tax
conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass
through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to
either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of
the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be
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substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based
on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer,
23
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processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and
redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an
Authorized Participant on the day of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer
and processing expenses associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional
transaction charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire
or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $1,327,000 | 50,000 | $5,100 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
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| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Jan. 31, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 24.63 | $ 24.91 | $24.88 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 0.58 | 0.50 | 0.28 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 2.63 | (0.46) | (0.05) | ||
| Total from investment operations | 3.21 | 0.04 | 0.23 | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (0.55) | (0.32) | (0.20) | ||
| Total distributions | (0.55) | (0.32) | (0.20) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 27.29 | $ 24.63 | $ 24.91 | ||
| Total return | 13.05% | 0.10% | 0.97% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $46,395 | $35,716 | $ 9,965 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.38% | 0.38% | 0.38% | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived feese | 0.39% | 0.39% | 0.39% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 2.17% | 1.87% | 1.93% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 14% | 6% | 6% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the years ended August 31, 2014, August 31, 2013 and the period ended August 31, 2012 were 13%, 6% and 6%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or
any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and calculated
by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. MSCI is not
responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any
other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
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Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 2 | 0.45% | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 8 | 1.82 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 217 | 49.34 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 211 | 47.94 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 2 | 0.45 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 13.05% | 13.38% | 13.29% | 13.05% | 13.38% | 13.29% | |
| Since Inception* | 5.30% | 5.50% | 5.53% | 14.26% | 14.82% | 14.92% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (1/31/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 2/2/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-VEGI-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
|
| ► | iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | FILL | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI ACWI Select Energy Producers Investable Market
Index (IMI)” is a servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc. nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI GLOBAL
ENERGY PRODUCERS ETF
| Ticker: FILL | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of global equities of companies primarily engaged in the business of energy exploration and production.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.39% | None | None | 0.39% | |||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $40 | $125 | $219 | $493 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the
Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not
necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”).
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was 0.28%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period
shown above was 7.46% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -3.41% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at
www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
S-6
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Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 1/31/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | 13.29% | 5.34% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | 12.71% | 4.94% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | 8.15% | 4.29% | |
| MSCI ACWI Select Energy Producers IMI (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | 13.12% | 5.27% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
Asset Class Risk. The securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of
industries, markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Commodity Risk. Companies whose
performance is reflected in the Fund’s portfolio or Underlying Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including, where applicable,
high volatility, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are
dependent on a single commodity, or are concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Energy Exploration and Production Industry Risk. The profitability of companies in the energy exploration and production industry is related to worldwide energy prices and costs related to exploration and production. The energy industry is cyclical and
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highly dependent on commodity prices. Energy-related companies can be
significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, particular energy products (such as oil and natural gas). Companies in the energy exploration and production industry may be adversely affected by natural disasters or other catastrophes.
These companies may be at risk for environmental damage claims and other types of litigation. Companies in the energy exploration and production industry also may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, economic
conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, negative perception, efforts at energy conservation and world events in the regions in which the companies operate (e.g., expropriation,
nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence or labor unrest). Companies in the energy exploration and production
industry may have significant capital investments in, or engage in transactions involving, emerging market countries, which may heighten these risks.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro
and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely
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impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on
the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the
Index Provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the
Index Provider does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index
Provider’s methodology. BFA’s mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for
Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less
commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents,
the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider
errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be
influenced by unpredictable factors.
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Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a
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stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by
extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or
will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to
shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
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Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
North American Economic
Risk. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or
all of the North American countries in which the Fund invests.
The United States is Canada's largest trading and investment
partner. The Canadian economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total
merchandise trade between the three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Canada's dependency
on the U.S. economy. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.
Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances,
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investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the
inability of the newly privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses
will not recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The economies of some countries in which the Fund invests are dependent on trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of these countries, institution of tariffs or other
trade barriers by any of their key trading partners or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of such countries.
Risk of Investing in Russia.
Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, in addition to those described under “Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Non-U.S. Securities Risk” that are not typically associated with investing in U.S.
securities, including:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in Russia; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund’s ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of Russian companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than by a central registration system; and |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because Russian banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by the Russian government. |
The United States and the EU, along
with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial sanctions on certain Russian
individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian
securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those
securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers
include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or
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otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected
securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also
increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an
affected security is included in the Fund’s Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the
investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of (or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying
Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an
event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that
may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that
represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Risk of Investing in the United States. The Fund has significant exposure to U.S. issuers. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in trade regulations and/or an economic recession in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and
the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. The financial crisis that began in 2007 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of issuers in the United States. Policy and legislative changes in the United States are changing many aspects
of financial and other regulation and may have a significant effect on the U.S. markets generally, as well as the value of certain securities. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public debt level or U.S. austerity measures may adversely
affect U.S. economic growth and the securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided
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for
the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s
securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending program.
Security Risk. Some geographic
areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in the markets of these
geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
political, economic, legal and currency risks have contributed to a high degree of price volatility in the equity markets of some of the countries in which the Fund invests and could adversely affect investments in the Fund:
Political and Social Risk.
Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, among other factors, may exacerbate social unrest, violence and labor unrest in some of the countries in which the Fund invests.
Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses.
Economic Risk. Some countries
in which the Fund invests may experience economic instability, including instability resulting from substantial rates of inflation or significant devaluations of their currency, or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on the
economies and securities markets of their economies. Some of these countries may also impose restrictions on the exchange or export of currency or adverse currency exchange rates and may be characterized by a lack of available currency hedging
instruments.
Expropriation Risk. Investments in certain countries may be subject to loss due to expropriation or nationalization of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital.
Large Government Debt Risk.
Chronic structural public sector deficits in some countries in which the Fund invests may adversely impact securities held by the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain countries in which the Fund invests and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade
regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate or an
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economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on
economies of the countries in which the Fund invests and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that
are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be
able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation
as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the
Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Asian
Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have
experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in
the United States and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region,
as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political
risk, including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among
others, may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have
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less
diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and, therefore, the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their
assets in stocks issued by mid- or large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments.
Securities of small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and
may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more vulnerable to experiencing adverse effects due to the loss of personnel. Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of mid- or
large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists
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and
other investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.39%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments
in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from,
entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain
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losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts
achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
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Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “FILL.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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.
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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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that you hold in book-entry
or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of
underlying securities held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated
every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or
cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the
current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not
involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
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Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
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Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
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Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any
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gain
or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of
the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have
received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal
income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S.
shareholders of the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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
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such
shares. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences
under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about
the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 100,000 shares or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to
the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares
may pay fees for such services.
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The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $2,574,000 | 100,000 | $6,100 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Jan. 31, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $24.06 | $23.51 | $24.79 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 0.68 | 0.63 | 0.43 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 3.96 | 0.55 | (1.39) | ||
| Total from investment operations | 4.64 | 1.18 | (0.96) | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (0.64) | (0.63) | (0.32) | ||
| Total distributions | (0.64) | (0.63) | (0.32) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $28.06 | $24.06 | $23.51 | ||
| Total return | 19.44% | 5.10% | (3.77)% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $ 8,419 | $ 4,811 | $ 4,701 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.39% | 0.39% | 0.39% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 2.57% | 2.61% | 3.16% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 8% | 6% | 5% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the years ended August 31, 2014, August 31, 2013 and the period ended August 31, 2012 were 8%, 6% and 5%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or
any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and calculated
by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. MSCI is not
responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any
other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
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Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 1.0% | 2 | 0.45% | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 10 | 2.27 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 418 | 95.00 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 9 | 2.05 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 19.44% | 19.36% | 19.63% | 19.44% | 19.36% | 19.63% | |
| Since Inception* | 7.59% | 7.51% | 7.58% | 20.79% | 20.58% | 20.78% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (1/31/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 2/2/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-FILL-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | PICK | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI ACWI Select Metals & Mining Producers ex Gold
& Silver Investable Market Index (IMI)” is a servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc. nor does MSCI Inc. make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI GLOBAL
METALS & MINING PRODUCERS ETF
| Ticker: PICK | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of global equities of companies primarily engaged in mining, extraction or production of diversified metals, excluding gold and silver.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. “Acquired Fund
Fees and Expenses” reflect the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies. The impact of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses is included in the total
returns of the Fund. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not used to calculate the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”) and are not included in the calculation of the ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”). BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount equal
to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund's investments in other series of iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to
December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. During the most recently completed fiscal year, the amount of such expenses incurred and fees waived rounded to 0.00%.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Acquired
Fund Fees and Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
Fee Waiver | Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | ||||||
| 0.39% | None | None | 0.00% | 0.39% | (0.00)% | 0.39% | ||||||
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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 these assumptions, your costs would
be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $40 | $125 | $219 | $493 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus. If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was -6.74%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above
was 19.37% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -15.89% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 1/31/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -7.53% | -8.55% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions2 | -8.37% | -9.06% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares2 | -3.73% | -6.42% | |
| MSCI ACWI Select Metals & Mining Producers ex Gold & Silver IMI (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | -7.56% | -8.66% |
| 2 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high
inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States
and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on
major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk,
including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others,
may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Australasian Economic Risk. The
economies of Australasia, which include Australia and New Zealand, are dependent on exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. This makes Australasian economies susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets. Australasian economies are
also increasingly dependent on their growing service industries. Because the economies of Australasia are dependent on the economies of Asia, Europe and the United States as key trading partners and investors, reduction in spending by any of these
trading partners on Australasian products and services, or negative changes in any of these economies, may cause an adverse impact on some or all of the Australasian economies.
Commodity Risk. Companies whose
performance is reflected in the Fund’s portfolio or Underlying Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including, where applicable,
high volatility, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are
dependent on a single commodity, or are
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concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher
volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration
Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are
concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities,
may experience increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in
that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed
markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro
and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have
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other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by
governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact
of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
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Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a
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stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by
extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or
will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to
shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Materials Sector Risk.
Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor relations and government regulations, among other
factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials
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may
exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns.
Metals and Mining Industry
Risk. The Fund will invest in securities that are issued by and/or have exposure to, companies primarily involved in the metals and mining industry. Investments in metals and mining industry companies may be
speculative and subject to greater price volatility than investments in other types of companies. The profitability of companies in the metals and mining industry is related to, among other things, worldwide metal prices, and extraction and
production costs. Worldwide metal prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time, so the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. In addition, metals and mining companies may be significantly
affected by changes in global demand for certain metals, economic developments, energy conservation, exchange rates, the success of exploration projects, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, and
events in the regions that the companies to which the Fund has exposure operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and
property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence and labor unrest). Metals and mining companies may also be subject to the effects of competitive pressures in the
metals and mining industry.
Non-Diversification
Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the
Fund may be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
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| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index,
regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The economies of some countries in which the Fund invests are dependent on trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of these countries, institution of tariffs or other
trade barriers by any of their key trading partners or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of such countries.
Risk of Investing in Australia.
Investment in Australian issuers may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risk specific to Australia. The Australian economy is heavily dependent on exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. As a
result, the Australian economy is susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets. The Australian economy is also becoming increasingly dependent on its growing services industry. The Australian economy is dependent on trading with key trading
partners, including the United States, China, Japan, Singapore and certain European countries. Reduction in spending on Australian products and services, or changes in any of the economies may cause an adverse impact on the Australian
economy.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
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Risk of Investing in Russia.
Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, in addition to those described under “Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Non-U.S. Securities Risk” that are not typically associated with investing in U.S.
securities, including:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in Russia; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund’s ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of Russian companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than by a central registration system; and |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because Russian banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by the Russian government. |
The United States and the EU, along
with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial sanctions on certain Russian
individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian
securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those
securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers
include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of
the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in
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significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the
performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future
sanctions may result in Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In
the event of such a freeze of any fund assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the
Fund receiving substantially lower prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead to changes in the Fund’s
Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an event, it is expected that the
Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that may result in the trading
markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that represent the securities of
the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
political, economic, legal and currency risks have contributed to a high degree of price volatility in the equity markets of some of the countries in which the Fund invests and could adversely affect investments in the Fund:
Political and Social Risk.
Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, among other factors, may exacerbate social unrest, violence and labor unrest in some of the countries in which the Fund invests.
Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses.
Economic Risk. Some countries
in which the Fund invests may experience economic instability, including instability resulting from substantial rates of inflation or significant devaluations of their currency, or economic recessions, which would have a negative
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effect on the economies and securities markets of their economies. Some of
these countries may also impose restrictions on the exchange or export of currency or adverse currency exchange rates and may be characterized by a lack of available currency hedging instruments.
Expropriation Risk.
Investments in certain countries may be subject to loss due to expropriation or nationalization of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital.
Large Government Debt Risk.
Chronic structural public sector deficits in some countries in which the Fund invests may adversely impact securities held by the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain countries in which the Fund invests and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade
regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on economies of the countries in which the Fund invests and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has
exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade
in low volume or volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may
change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using
prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in
turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
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Central and South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition,
commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for these regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country
may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in these regions.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
North American Economic Risk. A
decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in
which the Fund invests.
The United States is
Canada's and Mexico's largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total merchandise trade between the three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership
of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Canada's and Mexico's dependency on the U.S. economy. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value
of certain securities held by the Fund.
The financial
crisis that began in 2007 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of issuers in the United States. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public debt level or U.S. austerity measures may adversely affect U.S. economic growth and
the securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and, therefore, the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their
assets in stocks issued by mid- or large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments.
Securities of small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and
may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more
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vulnerable to experiencing adverse effects due to the loss of personnel.
Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.39%. BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in an amount equal to the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses attributable to the Fund's investments in other series of iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses) until
December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. In addition, BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its affiliates deal, trade
and invest for their own accounts in the types of securities in which the Fund may also invest.
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A discussion regarding the basis for the Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities
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in
which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider, investment manager, commodity trading advisor,
financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly
invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to
perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one
or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other
instruments as the Fund, including in securities issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in
certain securities that are adverse to those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation to share any investment
opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment activities may differ from
those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other
accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund
may, from time to time, enter into transactions in which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions
by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
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Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “PICK.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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
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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 generally sells
and redeems its shares directly through transactions that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of
monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of
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the
current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not
involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent
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to
the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose
values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close
of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair
value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to
extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those
investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV
and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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
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information, based on current law. You should consult your own tax
professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
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If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries.
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Tax
conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass
through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to
either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of
the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be
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substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based
on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer,
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processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and
redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an
Authorized Participant on the day of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer
and processing expenses associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional
transaction charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire
or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $915,000 | 50,000 | $8,400 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
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| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Jan. 31, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 18.11 | $ 19.00 | $ 24.76 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.37 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | 2.23 | (1.00) | (6.00) | ||
| Total from investment operations | 2.73 | (0.50) | (5.63) | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (0.65) | (0.39) | (0.13) | ||
| Total distributions | (0.65) | (0.39) | (0.13) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 20.19 | $ 18.11 | $ 19.00 | ||
| Total return | 15.32% | (2.68)% | (22.76)% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $183,699 | $222,808 | $123,524 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.39% | 0.39% | 0.39% | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived feese | 0.39% | 0.39% | 0.39% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 2.53% | 2.51% | 2.98% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 18% | 11% | 1% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the years ended August 31, 2014, August 31, 2013 and the period ended August 31, 2012 were 15%, 7% and 1%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or
any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and calculated
by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. MSCI is not
responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any
other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
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Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 2.0% | 2 | 0.45% | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 13 | 2.95 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 69 | 15.68 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 125 | 28.41 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 200 | 45.46 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 20 | 4.55 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 10 | 2.27 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | 15.32% | 17.19% | 15.67% | 15.32% | 17.19% | 15.67% | |
| Since Inception* | (5.38)% | (5.21)% | (5.43)% | (13.31)% | (12.90)% | (13.43)% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (1/31/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 2/2/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-PICK-0615
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December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | HEEM | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI Emerging Markets 100% Hedged to USD Index” is
a servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc., nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® CURRENCY HEDGED
MSCI EMERGING MARKETS ETF
| Ticker: HEEM | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of large- and mid-capitalization emerging market equities while mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the component currencies and the U.S.
dollar.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. “Acquired Fund
Fees and Expenses” reflect the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies. The impact of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses is included in the total
returns of the Fund. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not used to calculate the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”). BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed until December 31, 2020 to a reduction in the
management fee of the Fund on those assets attributable to the Fund's investments in the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (“EEM”) (and those assets used by the Fund to hedge the Fund's exposure to the securities in EEM's portfolio
against the U.S. dollar) such that the management fee on such assets is equal to the management fee of EEM. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2020 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments)1 | ||||||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Acquired
Fund Fees and Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
Fee Waiver | Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | ||||||
| 0.78% | None | None | 0.68% | 1.46% | (0.78)% | 0.68% | ||||||
| 1 | The expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current fees. |
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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 these assumptions, your costs would
be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | ||||
| $69 | $218 |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities and other instruments intended to track a market index.
Unlike shares of a mutual fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as
defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at
market prices that change throughout the day.
The Fund
invests in a particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a currency hedged securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader
asset allocation strategies. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another for a number of reasons, including transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as
mergers and spin-offs), timing variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or
to the Fund’s use of representative sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error
will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. The Fund may be exposed to these risks directly, or indirectly through the Fund's investments
in the Underlying Fund. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian
economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency
devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States and Europe, and certain Asian
governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside
Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund or the Underlying Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including
corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may
adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s or the Underlying Fund's portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries,
markets, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition,
commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of the region’s exports and as a result many economies in this region are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one
country may have a significant adverse impact on the economies of other countries of this region.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's or the Underlying Fund's investments are concentrated in the
securities of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience
increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse
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economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those
securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Currency Hedging Risk. When a
derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it
can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and its reference asset, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. In seeking to track
the performance of the Underlying Index, the Fund will attempt to hedge the currency exposure of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities held in its portfolio or held by the Underlying Fund by investing in foreign currency forward contracts, which
may include both physically-settled forward contracts and NDFs. NDFs may be less liquid than deliverable forward currency contracts. A lack of liquidity in NDFs of the hedged currency could result in the Fund being unable to structure its hedging
transactions as intended. In addition, BFA may seek to limit the size of the Fund in order to attempt to reduce a situation where the Fund is unable to obtain sufficient liquidity in an underlying currency to implement its investment
objective.
There is no assurance that the
Fund’s hedging strategy will be effective in hedging fluctuations in the value of these currencies against the U.S. dollar. The effectiveness of the Fund’s currency hedging strategy will in general be affected by the volatility of both
the Underlying Index and the volatility of the U.S. dollar relative to the currencies to be hedged. Increased volatility will generally reduce the effectiveness of the Fund’s currency hedging strategy. The effectiveness of the Fund’s
currency hedging strategy may also be affected by interest rates, which may differ among the affected countries. Significant differences between U.S. dollar interest rates and some or all of the applicable foreign currency interest rates may impact
the effectiveness of the Fund’s currency hedging strategy. In addition, the currency hedging carried out by the Fund may result in lower returns than those generated through direct investments in the securities comprising the Underlying Index
or in the index tracked by the Underlying Fund when the local currency appreciates against the U.S. dollar.
Foreign currency forward contracts, including NDFs, do not
eliminate movements in the value of non-U.S. currencies and securities but rather allow the Fund to establish a fixed rate of exchange for a future point in time. When a derivative or other instrument is used as a hedge against positions that the
Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative or other instrument generally should be substantially offset by gains in the currency value embedded in the hedged investment and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also
reduce or eliminate gains. Exchange rates may be volatile and may change quickly and unpredictably in response to both global economic developments and economic conditions in a geographic region in which the Fund invests. In addition, the
Fund’s exposure to the value of the component currencies may not be fully hedged at all times. Also, governments from time to time intervene in the currency markets, directly and by regulation, in order to influence prices. From time to time,
governments may adopt policies designed to directly influence foreign exchange rates with respect to their currency. As a result, the Fund may not be able to structure its hedging transactions as anticipated or its hedging transactions may not
successfully reduce the currency risk included in the Fund’s
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portfolio in a way that tracks the Underlying Index. To the extent the Fund
enters into over-the-counter derivative transactions or other instruments to pursue its currency hedging strategy, the Fund will be subject to counterparty risk as well as market or liquidity risk with respect to these transactions. In addition, the
Fund’s currency hedging activities may involve frequent trading of currency instruments, which may increase transaction costs and cause the Fund’s return to deviate from the Underlying Index.
Investors, such as the Fund, seeking to trade in foreign
currencies may have limited access to certain currency markets due to a variety of factors, including government regulations, adverse tax treatment, exchange controls, currency convertibility issues and lack of market liquidity. These limitations
and restrictions may impact the availability, liquidity and pricing of the financial instruments that are necessary for the Fund to hedge exposure to the currency markets. If the Fund’s ability to enter into contracts to purchase or sell the
currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests is impaired, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective. In addition, these foreign currency hedging instruments often involve derivative investments and, therefore, expose
the Fund to the risks described under “Derivatives Risk.”
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s and the Underlying Fund's NAVs are determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar and the Fund’s attempt to
hedge currency exposure is unsuccessful. Generally, an increase in the value of the U.S. dollar against a foreign currency will reduce the value of a security denominated in that foreign currency, thereby decreasing the Fund’s overall NAV. In
addition, fluctuations in the exchange values of currencies could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in a geographic region in which the Fund or the Underlying Fund invests, causing an adverse impact on the
Fund’s or the Underlying Fund’s investments in the affected region and the United States. As a result, investors have the potential for losses regardless of the length of time they intend to hold Fund shares.
Custody Risk. Custody risk
refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets may make trades harder to complete
and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets. In
general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund will
use currency forwards and NDFs to hedge the currency exposure resulting from investments in foreign securities. The Fund’s use of these instruments, like instruments in other derivatives, may reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase
volatility. Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, a currency, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. Currency forwards, like other derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk,
which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual
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obligation. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the
fluctuations in their values may not correlate perfectly with the currency being hedged. The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could
expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. The Fund could also suffer losses related to its derivatives positions as a result of unanticipated market movements, which losses are potentially
unlimited. BFA’s use of derivatives is not intended to predict the direction of securities prices, currency exchange rates, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Fund’s derivatives positions to lose value.
Derivatives may give rise to a form of leverage and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. The U.S. and certain other countries have adopted or are in the process of adopting regulatory reforms affecting the derivatives markets.
These regulations may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability of derivatives, and may otherwise adversely affect the value and performance of derivatives.
Energy Sector Risk. The energy
sector of an economy is cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of companies in the energy sector is strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, capital expenditures on
exploration and production of energy sources, energy conservation efforts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, increased competition and technological advances, among other factors. Companies in this sector may be
subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion of the revenues of these companies depends on a relatively
small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or
engage in transactions involving countries with, less developed regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a significant risk of liability from accidents resulting in
injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism, political strife and natural disasters. Any such event could have serious
consequences for the general population of the affected area and could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s or the Underlying Fund's portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of,
and demand for, specific products (e.g., oil and natural gas) and services, exploration and production spending, government subsidization, world
events and general economic conditions.
Equity
Securities Risk. The Fund and the Underlying Fund each invest in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock
market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest
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rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may
significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default
by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have
experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely
affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the
risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset
valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets,
thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. A number of large financial institutions failed during that time, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the
financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even
ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may
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face
future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in
interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the markets in which the Fund or the Underlying Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions,
droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Similar risks exist for the Underlying Fund in tracking its
underlying index, which may result in the Fund's performance deviating from the return of the Underlying Index.
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Information Technology Sector Risk. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may
have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth
rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the
profitability of these companies.
Investment in
Underlying Funds Risk. The Fund expects to invest a substantial portion of its assets in the Underlying Fund, so the Fund’s investment performance is directly related to the performance of the Underlying
Fund. The Fund may also invest in other funds, including money market funds. The Fund’s NAV will change with changes in the value of the Underlying Fund and other securities in which the Fund invests based on their market valuations. An
investment in the Fund will entail more direct and indirect costs and expenses than a direct investment in the Underlying Fund. For example, the Fund indirectly pays a portion of the expenses (including operating expenses and management fees)
incurred by the Underlying Fund.
An investor in
the Fund may receive taxable gains from portfolio transactions by the Underlying Fund, as well as taxable gains from transactions in shares of the Underlying Fund held by the Fund. Certain of the funds may also hold common portfolio
securities.
As the Fund's allocations to the Underlying
Fund change from time to time, or to the extent that the expense ratio of the Underlying Fund changes, the weighted average operating expenses borne by the Fund may increase or decrease.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund or the Underlying Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by
poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of
distress or at their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund and the
Underlying Fund could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries
represented in the markets. The value of a security or asset may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or asset or due to factors that affect
a
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particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the
securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund and the Underlying Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized
Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings. The Fund's and the Underlying Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that
the Fund’s and the Underlying Fund's shares will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s and the Underlying Fund's shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any
exchange or in any market. The Fund's and the Underlying Fund's shares may be less actively traded in certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or
their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result
in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund and the Underlying Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund and the Underlying Fund do not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more
significant premiums or discounts than might be experienced at times when the Fund and the Underlying Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders. If the Fund purchases shares of the Underlying Fund at a time when the market price of Underlying Fund
shares is at a premium to their NAV or sells Underlying Fund shares when their market price is at a discount to their NAV, the Fund may incur losses.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund and the Underlying Fund May Trade at Prices
Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund and the Underlying Fund each trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business
day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s or the Underlying Fund's holdings. The trading price of each of the Fund's and the Underlying
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Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on
both market supply of and demand for their shares and the underlying value of their portfolio holdings or NAV. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s and the Underlying Fund's shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of
market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that
large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund or the Underlying Fund, as applicable, are not likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes
at premiums to, their NAVs). However, BFA may seek to limit the size of the Fund in order to attempt to reduce a situation where the Fund is unable to obtain sufficient liquidity in an underlying currency to implement its investment objective,
including by recommending that the Fund limit purchases of Fund shares through Creation Unit transactions. If the Fund elects to impose limitations on creation transactions, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium in the secondary
market. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s or the Underlying Fund's shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s or the Underlying Fund's next
calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers,
Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund or the Underlying Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
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| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
The United States and
the EU, along with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial sanctions on
certain Russian individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of
Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund or an Underlying Fund to buy, sell,
receive or deliver those securities.
The sanctions
against certain Russian issuers include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund or an Underlying Fund issued prior to the date of the
sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund or an Underlying Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected
securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or unlawful for the Fund or an Underlying Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if
deemed appropriate by the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund or an Underlying Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash
deposit, which may also increase the Fund or an Underlying Fund’s transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
or an Underlying Fund’s Underlying Index, the Fund or an Underlying Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the
investment results of its
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Underlying Index. The use of (or increased use of) a representative sampling
strategy may increase the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund or an Underlying Fund may not be able to effectively implement
a representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund or an Underlying Fund. In the event of such a
freeze of any fund assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund or an Underlying Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in
the Fund or an Underlying Fund receiving substantially lower prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead to changes in the Fund’s
Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an event, it is expected that the
Fund or an Underlying Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that may
result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that
represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund and the Underlying Fund are not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of
their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund or the Underlying Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the
inability of the newly privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses
will not recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The economies of some countries in which the Fund or the Underlying Fund invests are dependent on trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of these countries,
institution of tariffs or other trade barriers by any of their key trading partners or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of such countries.
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Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Local
securities markets in emerging market countries may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times.
Settlement procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States and other developed countries. In addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in registering the transfer of
securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Underlying Fund to value its portfolio securities and could cause the Underlying Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities.
Investing in emerging market countries may involve a greater
risk of loss than investing in developed markets due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested by certain emerging market
countries.
Securities Lending Risk. The Fund or the Underlying Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund or the Underlying Fund, as applicable, may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities
fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund or the Underlying Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any
investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax
impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending program.
Security Risk. Some geographic
areas in which the Fund or the Underlying Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in
the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies and the Fund's investments.
Tax Risk. Because the Fund is
expected to invest in the Underlying Fund, the Fund’s realized losses on sales of shares of the Underlying Fund may be indefinitely or permanently deferred as “wash sales.” Distributions of short-term capital gains by the
Underlying Fund will be recognized as ordinary income by the Fund and would not be
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offset by the Fund’s capital loss carryforwards, if any. Capital loss
carryforwards of the Underlying Fund, if any, would not offset net capital gains of the Fund. Each of these effects is caused by the Fund’s investment in the Underlying Fund and may result in distributions to Fund shareholders being of higher
magnitudes and less likely to qualify for lower capital gain tax rates than if the Fund were to invest otherwise.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities (including shares of the Underlying Fund) and other instruments held in the
Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV),
differences in transaction and hedging costs and forward rates achieved, the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends or interest, changes to the Underlying Index and the cost to the Fund of
complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. These risks may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions in the affected securities and/or foreign exchange markets. In addition,
tracking error may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not, and because the Fund accepts creations and redemptions during time periods between which it is able to adjust its currency hedges, whereas the
Underlying Index does not. To the extent that the Fund seeks its investment objective through investments in an Underlying Fund, the Fund may experience increased tracking error. The potential for increased tracking error may result from investments
in an Underlying Fund due to, among other things, differences in the composition of the investment portfolio of the Underlying Fund as compared to the index tracked by the Underlying Fund and differences in the Fund’s valuation of the
Underlying Fund (valued as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange, typically 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) and the valuation of the securities (generally valued as of each security’s local market close) and the foreign currency forward
contracts (generally valued at 4:00 p.m. London time) in the Underlying Index.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of, or foreign investor in, countries in which the Underlying Fund invests and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by changes in the U.S.
economy. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse impact on economies of those countries and, as a result, securities to
which the Underlying Fund has exposure.
Valuation
Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security or asset may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security or asset and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly
for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets
in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies
is
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converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of
valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference
between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies either directly or indirectly through the Fund's investments in the Underlying Fund.
African Economic Risk.
Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may negatively affect the value of investments in
the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or
military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the
classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly
riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in
demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be
subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
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Consumer Staples Sector Risk.
The consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of using various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely
affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies may be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Geopolitical events, acts of terrorism, and other instability in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities
markets in some Eastern European countries are substantially smaller and less developed, with less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and may be less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in the United States or
Western European countries. In addition, investing in securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may involve:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the EU as a whole. |
Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
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Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be
influenced by unpredictable factors.
Materials
Sector Risk. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor
relations and government regulations, among other factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market
imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s or the Underlying Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of
funds that invest a larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or
economic developments, and the stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than
large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
North American Economic Risk. A
decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in
which the Fund or an Underlying Fund invests.
The United States is Mexico's largest trading and investment
partner. The Mexican economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total
merchandise trade between the three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Mexico's dependency
on the U.S. economy. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund or an Underlying Fund.
Telecommunications Sector Risk.
The telecommunications sector of a country's economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory
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approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively
affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sector may
encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of
certain telecommunications companies obsolete.
Portfolio
Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
A Further Discussion of Principal Investment Strategies
Overview
The Fund allocates and reallocates its assets among direct
investments in securities and other instruments, and in investments in the Underlying Fund consistent with the allocation and reallocation of securities in the Underlying Index as determined by the Index Provider. The Fund will invest in foreign
currency forward contracts designed to hedge non-U.S. currency fluctuations inherent in the securities in the Underlying Index. In addition, the Fund may borrow, lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and financial institutions, and may
invest the collateral in certain short-term instruments, either directly or through one or more money market funds, as described in greater detail in the Fund’s SAI.
The Underlying Fund
The Fund will invest a substantial portion of its assets in the
Underlying Fund, so the Fund’s investment performance is directly related to the performance of the Underlying Fund. The Fund’s NAV will change with changes in the value of the Underlying Fund and other securities in which the Fund
invests, subject to the impact of currency hedges, which may cause the Fund to outperform or underperform the return of the Underlying Fund. An investment in the Fund will entail more direct and indirect costs and expenses than a direct investment
in the Underlying Fund. The Underlying Fund invests in non-U.S. securities without implementing a hedge of the local currency risk. This strategy is subject to additional risks, as described in this Prospectus and in the Fund’s SAI.
BFA is not required to invest the Fund’s assets in any
particular underlying fund, including the Underlying Fund, or allocate any particular percentage of the Fund’s assets to any particular underlying fund, including the Underlying Fund. As of its inception date, the Fund intends to initially
invest in the following Underlying Fund, the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF.
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The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF seeks investment results
that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, which is designed to measure equity market performance in the global emerging markets. “MSCI Emerging Markets
Index” is a servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BFA or its affiliates. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc. and MSCI Inc. makes no
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
In managing the Underlying Fund, BFA uses a representative
sampling index strategy. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively have an investment profile similar to a specified benchmark index. Securities selected for
the Underlying Fund are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity
measures similar to those of the applicable underlying index. The Underlying Fund may or may not hold all of the securities that are included in its underlying index and may hold certain securities that are not included in its underlying
index.
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA will be
paid a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.78%. BFA has contractually agreed until December 31, 2020 to a reduction in the management fee of the Fund on those assets
attributable to the Fund's investments in EEM (and those assets used by the Fund to hedge the Fund's exposure to the securities in EEM's portfolio against the U.S. dollar) such that the management fee on such assets is equal to the management fee of
EEM. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2020 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. In addition, BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
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BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA will be available in the Fund's semi-annual report for the period ending February 28.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui, Orlando Montalvo and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2014.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2014.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2014.
Orlando Montalvo has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2009. Prior to that, Mr. Montalvo was a senior portfolio manager from 2005 to 2009 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Montalvo has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2014.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2014.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC
Financial
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Services Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners,
trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies,
commodities, derivatives and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting
decisions with respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an
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Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop investment banking
relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research coverage. An Affiliate
may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may receive compensation for
such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
Legal Proceedings. On January
18, 2013, a lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by Laborers’ Local 265 Pension Fund and Plumbers and Pipefitters Local No. 572 Pension Fund against BFA, BTC, and the current members of the
iShares Trust Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of iShares, Inc. (collectively, “Defendants”) for alleged violations of, among other things, Sections 36(a) and 36(b) of the 1940 Act. The complaint purports to be brought
derivatively on behalf of iShares Trust and iShares, Inc., as well as the following eight funds: iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF; iShares MSCI EAFE ETF; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF; iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF; iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF;
iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF; iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF; and iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF (the “Affected Funds”). The complaint alleges, among other things, that BFA and BTC breached their fiduciary duties under the 1940 Act
by charging allegedly excessive fees in connection with the provision of securities lending services to the Affected Funds, that the individual defendants breached their fiduciary duties under the 1940 Act by approving those fee arrangements, and
that the securities lending contracts are unenforceable under Section 47(b) of the 1940 Act. Plaintiffs seek injunctive relief, rescission of the securities lending contracts and monetary damages of an unspecified amount. Defendants believe the
claims are without merit and intend to vigorously defend themselves against the allegations in the lawsuit. The Court dismissed the complaint with prejudice on October 24, 2013. The plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal on November 8, 2013. On
February 13, 2014, the plaintiffs filed an appeal brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Oral argument of the Plaintiff’s appeal was heard by the Sixth Circuit on July 30, 2014. On September 30, 2014, the Sixth
Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the lawsuit.
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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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “HEEM.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary Listing Exchange is NYSE Arca.
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Although the SEC has granted an exemptive order to the Company
permitting registered investment companies and unit investment trusts that enter into a participation agreement with the Company (“Investing Funds”) to invest in iShares Funds beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940
Act subject to certain terms and conditions, the exemptive order is not applicable to the Fund. Accordingly, Investing Funds must adhere to the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act when investing in 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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities or other assets and/or cash required to be
deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio.
Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from
broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities or other assets held by the Fund. The quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not
involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than
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the
U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time
for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market or exchange. 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, which
includes the values of the Underlying Fund shares in which the Fund invests, less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding shares of the Fund, generally rounded to the nearest cent.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments and investments in the Underlying Fund are
valued at market value, which is generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund may invest in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. The Fund may also invest in foreign currency forward contracts, which are generally valued as of 4:00 p.m., Eastern time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on
weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments
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using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current
market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a
difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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
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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. Long-term capital gains and qualified
dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals
with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to,
interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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.
Short term capital gains earned by an Underlying Fund will be
ordinary income when distributed to the Fund and will not be offset by the Fund's capital losses. Because the
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Fund
is expected to invest in the Underlying Fund, the Fund's realized losses on sales of shares of the Underlying Fund may be indefinitely or permanently deferred as “wash sales.”
If the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Underlying
Fund with respect to non-U.S. positions may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total
assets of the Underlying Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities (and 50% of the total assets of the Fund at the close of the year consists of foreign securities, or, at the
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close of each quarter, shares of the Underlying Fund), the Fund may
“pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund or the Underlying Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S.
taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of
the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
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The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based
on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation
and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table
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below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized
Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption
transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business
day. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole or in part) are available or specified) are also subject to an additional charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This charge is intended to
compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may
pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as
of September 30, 2014, the approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $ 1,205,000 | 50,000 | $500 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in
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certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the
intermediary, are not made by the Fund. Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes
referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to
receive. Therefore, such payments to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information
regarding these payments is contained in the Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its
Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
Financial highlights for the Fund are not available because, as
of the period ended August 31, 2014, the Fund has not commenced operations, and therefore has no financial highlights to report.
Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or
any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and calculated
by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. MSCI is not
responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any
other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR
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ANY
DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
Shares of the Fund are not
sponsored, endorsed or promoted by NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying
Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and other
information can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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 any questions about the Company or shares of the
Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-HEEM-0615
Table of Contents
December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF | RING | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI ACWI Select Gold Miners Investable Market Index
(IMI)” is a servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc. nor does MSCI Inc. make any
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iSHARES® MSCI GLOBAL GOLD
MINERS ETF
| Ticker: RING | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of global equities of companies primarily engaged in the business of gold mining.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.39% | None | None | 0.39% | |||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $40 | $125 | $219 | $493 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was 0.98%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above
was 8.57% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -38.25% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 1/31/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -52.16% | -40.40% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | -52.27% | -40.49% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | -29.32% | -28.72% | |
| MSCI ACWI Select Gold Miners IMI (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | -52.21% | -40.40% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high
inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States
and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on
major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk,
including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others,
may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Commodity Risk. Companies whose
performance is reflected in the Fund’s portfolio or Underlying Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including, where applicable,
high volatility, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are
dependent on a single commodity, or are concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or
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regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not
concentrate its investments.
Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local
currency value of the Fund's holdings in that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk
refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets may make trades harder to complete
and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets. In
general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Gold Mining Sub-Industry Risk.
The profitability of companies in the gold mining sub-industry is related to, among other things, the worldwide price of gold and the costs of extraction and production of gold. The price of gold may be affected by changes in inflation rates,
interest rates, monetary policy, economic conditions and political stability. A significant portion of the world’s gold reserves are held by governments, central banks and related institutions. If one or more of these institutions sold their
holdings of gold in significant quantities, it could cause gold prices to fall. Worldwide gold prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time, so the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. The
price of the equity securities of these companies and the price of gold may not always be closely correlated.
Gold mining companies may be adversely affected by changes in
exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, and world events in the regions in which the companies operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization,
confiscation of assets and property, repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence and labor unrest). The U.S. or foreign governments may pass laws or regulations limiting gold investments for strategic or other policy reasons.
Gold mining companies may also be subject to the effects of competitive pressures in the gold mining sub-industry.
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Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the
Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
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Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares
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fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market
supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large
discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the
creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with
the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of
significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Materials Sector Risk.
Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor relations and government regulations, among other
factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor
investment returns.
Mid-Capitalization Companies
Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest
a larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments,
and the stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are
more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
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Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
North American Economic
Risk. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or
all of the North American countries in which the Fund invests.
The United States is Canada's largest trading and investment
partner. The Canadian economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total
merchandise trade between the three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Canada's dependency
on the U.S. economy. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.
The financial crisis that began in 2007 caused a significant
decline in the value and liquidity of issuers in the United States. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public
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debt
level or U.S. austerity measures may adversely affect U.S. economic growth and the securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The economies of some countries in which the Fund invests are dependent on trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of these countries, institution of tariffs or other
trade barriers by any of their key trading partners or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of such countries.
Risk of Investing in Canada.
The United States is Canada’s largest trading and investment partner, and the Canadian economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total two-way merchandise trade between the United States and Canada has more than doubled. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security
and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Canada’s dependency on the U.S. economy. Any downturn in U.S. or Mexican economic activity is likely to have an adverse impact on the Canadian economy. The
Canadian economy is also dependent upon external trade with other key trading partners, including China and the EU. In addition, Canada is a large supplier of natural resources (e.g., oil, natural gas and agricultural products). As a result, the Canadian economy is sensitive to fluctuations in certain commodity prices.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
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Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
political, economic, legal and currency risks have contributed to a high degree of price volatility in the equity markets of some of the countries in which the Fund invests and could adversely affect investments in the Fund:
Political and Social Risk.
Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, among other factors, may exacerbate social unrest, violence and labor unrest in some of the countries in which the Fund invests.
Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses.
Economic Risk. Some countries
in which the Fund invests may experience economic instability, including instability resulting from substantial rates of inflation or significant devaluations of their currency, or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on the
economies and securities markets of their economies. Some of these countries may also impose restrictions on the exchange or export of currency or adverse currency exchange rates and may be characterized by a lack of available currency hedging
instruments.
Expropriation Risk. Investments in certain countries may be subject to loss due to expropriation or nationalization of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital.
Large Government Debt Risk.
Chronic structural public sector deficits in some countries in which the Fund invests may adversely impact securities held by the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
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U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain countries in which the Fund invests and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade
regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on economies of the countries in which the Fund invests and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has
exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade
in low volume or volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may
change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using
prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in
turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
African
Economic Risk. Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may
negatively affect the value of investments in the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political
instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may
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limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer
that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or
operating in countries in Africa significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
Australasian Economic Risk. The
economies of Australasia, which include Australia and New Zealand, are dependent on exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. This makes Australasian economies susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets. Australasian economies are
also increasingly dependent on their growing service industries. Because the economies of Australasia are dependent on the economies of Asia, Europe and the United States as key trading partners and investors, reduction in spending by any of these
trading partners on Australasian products and services, or negative changes in any of these economies, may cause an adverse impact on some or all of the Australasian economies.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition,
commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for these regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country
may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in these regions.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro
and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
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Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and, therefore, the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their
assets in stocks issued by mid- or large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments.
Securities of small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and
may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more vulnerable to experiencing adverse effects due to the loss of personnel. Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of mid- or
large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.39%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52
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trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the
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Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services
and asset management activities and may engage in the ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as
an investor, investment banker, research provider, investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in
securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make
voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also
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make
brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “RING.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
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The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the
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securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation
Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be
viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or
dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to
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its
lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event
subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S.
securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day
after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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
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will
be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased in the secondary market.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on
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which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the
case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer
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identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications
of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of
the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have
received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal
income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S.
shareholders of the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the
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composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of
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Rule
153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation
and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number
of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and
is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole or in part) are available or specified)
are also subject to an additional charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This charge is intended to compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash
transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $455,000 | 50,000 | $800 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Jan. 31, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 11.60 | $ 20.05 | $ 25.00 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 0.08 | 0.21 | 0.15 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized lossc | (0.33) | (8.47) | (5.02) | ||
| Total from investment operations | (0.25) | (8.26) | (4.87) | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (0.08) | (0.19) | (0.08) | ||
| Total distributions | (0.08) | (0.19) | (0.08) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 11.27 | $ 11.60 | $ 20.05 | ||
| Total return | (2.01)% | (41.28)% | (19.45)% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $70,976 | $38,285 | $32,084 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.39% | 0.39% | 0.39% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 0.81% | 1.37% | 1.25% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 22% | 19% | 11% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of processing capital share transactions in Creation Units. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or
any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and calculated
by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. MSCI is not
responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any
other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
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Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 2.0% | 3 | 0.68% | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 11 | 2.50 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 97 | 22.04 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 315 | 71.59 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 9 | 2.05 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 3 | 0.68 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | (2.01)% | (2.61)% | (1.90)% | (2.01)% | (2.61)% | (1.90)% | |
| Since Inception* | (25.75)% | (25.85)% | (25.67)% | (53.65)% | (53.82)% | (53.52)% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (1/31/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 2/2/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-RING-0615
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December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
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| ► | iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF | SLVP | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI ACWI Select Silver Miners Investable Market Index
(IMI)” is a servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc. nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI GLOBAL
SILVER
MINERS ETF
MINERS ETF
| Ticker: SLVP | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of global equities of companies primarily engaged in the business of silver mining.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.39% | None | None | 0.39% | |||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $40 | $125 | $219 | $493 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was -3.75%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above
was 9.34% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -35.97% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 1/31/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -51.39% | -35.10% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions2 | -51.60% | -35.36% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares2 | -28.94% | -25.25% | |
| MSCI ACWI Select Silver Miners IMI (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | -51.46% | -35.07% |
| 2 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative
sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high
inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States
and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on
major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk,
including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others,
may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Commodity Risk. Companies whose
performance is reflected in the Fund’s portfolio or Underlying Index may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices. Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including, where applicable,
high volatility, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are
dependent on a single commodity, or are concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or
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regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not
concentrate its investments.
Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local
currency value of the Fund's holdings in that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk
refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets may make trades harder to complete
and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets. In
general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Gold Mining Sub-Industry Risk.
The profitability of companies in the gold mining sub-industry is related to, among other things, the worldwide price of gold and the costs of extraction and production of gold. The price of gold may be affected by changes in inflation rates,
interest rates, monetary policy, economic conditions and political stability. A significant portion of the world’s gold reserves are held by governments, central banks and related institutions. If one or more of these institutions sold their
holdings of gold in significant quantities, it could cause gold prices to fall. Worldwide gold prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time, so the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than other types of
investments.
Gold mining companies may be
adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, and world events in the regions in which the companies operate
(e.g., expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property, repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence and labor unrest). The U.S. or foreign governments may pass laws or
regulations limiting gold investments for strategic or other policy reasons. Gold mining companies may also be subject to the effects of competitive pressures in the gold mining sub-industry.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will
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compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be
determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality,
accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund
consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur
from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be
borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying
Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors
will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart
from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced
and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne
directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors
and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries
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represented in the markets. The value of a security may decline due to general
market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple
asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading
Risk
Absence of Active Market. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized
Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings. The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares will
continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in certain
markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade Fund shares
on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from
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NAV
during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation
Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at
premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not
expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or
market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Materials Sector Risk.
Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor relations and government regulations, among other
factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor
investment returns.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may
be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
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| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
North American Economic
Risk. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or
all of the North American countries in which the Fund invests.
The United States is Canada's and Mexico's largest trading and
investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States
and Mexico, total merchandise trade between the three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected
Canada's and Mexico's dependency on the U.S. economy. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.
The financial crisis that began in 2007 caused a significant
decline in the value and liquidity of issuers in the United States. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public debt level or U.S. austerity measures may adversely affect U.S. economic growth and the securities to which the Fund has
exposure.
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index,
regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing
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regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of
such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The economies of some countries in which the Fund invests are dependent on trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of these countries, institution of tariffs or other
trade barriers by any of their key trading partners or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of such countries.
Risk of Investing in Canada.
The United States is Canada’s largest trading and investment partner, and the Canadian economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total two-way merchandise trade between the United States and Canada has more than doubled. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security
and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected Canada’s dependency on the U.S. economy. Any downturn in U.S. or Mexican economic activity is likely to have an adverse impact on the Canadian economy. The
Canadian economy is also dependent upon external trade with other key trading partners, including China and the EU. In addition, Canada is a large supplier of natural resources (e.g., oil, natural gas and agricultural products). As a result, the Canadian economy is sensitive to fluctuations in certain commodity prices.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Risk of
Investing in Mexico. Investment exposure to Mexican issuers involves risks that are specific to Mexico, including regulatory, political, and economic risks. The Mexican economy, among other things, is dependent upon
external trade with other economies, specifically with the United States. As a result, Mexico is dependent on, among other things, the U.S. economy and any change in the price or demand for Mexican exports may have an adverse impact on the Mexican
economy. Recently, Mexico has experienced an outbreak of violence related to drug trafficking. Incidents involving Mexico’s security may have an adverse effect on the Mexican economy and cause uncertainty in its financial markets. In the past,
Mexico has experienced high interest rates, economic volatility and high unemployment rates.
Political and Social Risk.
Mexico has been destabilized by local insurrections, social
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upheavals, drug related violence, and the public health crisis related to the
H1N1 influenza outbreak. Recurrence of these or similar conditions may adversely impact the Mexican economy. Recently, Mexican elections have been contentious and have been very closely decided. Changes in political parties or other Mexican
political events may affect the economy and cause instability.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Silver Mining Sub-Industry
Risk. The profitability of companies in the silver mining sub-industry is related to, among other things, the worldwide price of silver, and the costs of its extraction and production. The price of silver may be
affected by changes in inflation rates, interest rates, monetary policy and political stability. In addition, silver is used in a wide range of industrial applications and an economic slowdown could have a negative impact on its demand and,
consequently, its price. Worldwide silver prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time, so the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. The price of the equity securities of silver mining
companies and silver may not always be closely correlated.
Silver mining companies may be adversely affected by changes in
exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention and world events in the regions in which the companies operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization,
confiscation of assets and property, repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence and labor unrest). The U.S. or foreign governments may pass laws or regulations limiting silver investments for strategic or other policy reasons.
Silver mining companies may also be subject to the effects of competitive pressures in the silver mining sub-industry.
Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and, therefore, the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their
assets in stocks issued by mid- or large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments.
Securities of small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and
may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more
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vulnerable to experiencing adverse effects due to the loss of personnel.
Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products.
Structural Risk. Certain
political, economic, legal and currency risks have contributed to a high degree of price volatility in the equity markets of some of the countries in which the Fund invests and could adversely affect investments in the Fund:
Political and Social Risk.
Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, among other factors, may exacerbate social unrest, violence and labor unrest in some of the countries in which the Fund invests.
Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses.
Economic Risk. Some countries
in which the Fund invests may experience economic instability, including instability resulting from substantial rates of inflation or significant devaluations of their currency, or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on the
economies and securities markets of their economies. Some of these countries may also impose restrictions on the exchange or export of currency or adverse currency exchange rates and may be characterized by a lack of available currency hedging
instruments.
Expropriation Risk. Investments in certain countries may be subject to loss due to expropriation or nationalization of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital.
Large Government Debt Risk.
Chronic structural public sector deficits in some countries in which the Fund invests may adversely impact securities held by the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV), transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in
timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain countries in which the Fund invests and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade
regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on economies of the countries in which the Fund invests and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has
exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the
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Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low
volume or volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on
days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could
result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Central and
South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high
unemployment rates. In addition, commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for these regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse
economic events in one country may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in these regions.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro
and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
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Microcap Companies Risk. Stock
prices of microcap companies are significantly more volatile than those of larger companies and therefore the Fund's share price may increase or decrease by a much greater percentage than those of funds that invest solely in stocks issued by larger
capitalization companies. Stock prices of microcap companies are also more vulnerable than those of large companies to adverse business and economic developments and the stocks of microcap companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the
Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, microcap companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and may depend on a small number of key personnel, making them highly vulnerable to loss of personnel. These
companies also generally have less diverse product lines than larger capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.39%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its affiliates deal, trade
and invest for their own accounts in the types of securities in which the Fund may also invest.
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A discussion regarding the basis for the Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's annual report for the period ended August 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities
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in
which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider, investment manager, commodity trading advisor,
financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly
invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to
perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one
or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other
instruments as the Fund, including in securities issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in
certain securities that are adverse to those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation to share any investment
opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment activities may differ from
those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other
accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund
may, from time to time, enter into transactions in which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions
by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
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Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “SLVP.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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
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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 generally sells
and redeems its shares directly through transactions that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of
monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of
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the
current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not
involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent
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to
the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose
values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close
of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair
value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to
extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those
investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV
and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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
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information, based on current law. You should consult your own tax
professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
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If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries.
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Tax
conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass
through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to
either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of
the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 100,000 shares or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be
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substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based
on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and
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other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of
Creation Units. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit,
and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized
Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole
or in part) are available or specified) are also subject to an additional charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This charge is intended to compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other
costs and expenses related to cash transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $1,007,000 | 100,000 | $500 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
24
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Period
from Jan. 31, 2012a to Aug. 31, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 13.92 | $ 20.94 | $ 24.87 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 0.08 | 0.16 | 0.11 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | (1.15) | (6.90) | (3.90) | ||
| Total from investment operations | (1.07) | (6.74) | (3.79) | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (0.15) | (0.28) | (0.14) | ||
| Total distributions | (0.15) | (0.28) | (0.14) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 12.70 | $ 13.92 | $ 20.94 | ||
| Total return | (7.48)% | (32.49)% | (15.18)% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $13,975 | $ 6,959 | $ 2,094 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.39% | 0.39% | 0.39% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 0.63% | 1.03% | 0.86% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 22% | 13% | 9% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of processing capital share transactions in Creation Units. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or
any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and calculated
by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. MSCI is not
responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any
other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
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Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 3.0% and Less than 3.5% | 1 | 0.23% | ||
| Greater than 2.5% and Less than 3.0% | 3 | 0.68 | ||
| Greater than 2.0% and Less than 2.5% | 5 | 1.14 | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 13 | 2.95 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 47 | 10.68 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 123 | 27.95 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 237 | 53.87 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 5 | 1.14 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 6 | 1.36 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | (7.48)% | (7.49)% | (7.24)% | (7.48)% | (7.49)% | (7.24)% | |
| Since Inception* | (21.80)% | (21.54)% | (21.69)% | (47.02)% | (46.56)% | (46.84)% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (1/31/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 2/2/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-SLVP-0615
Table of Contents
November 3, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
|
| ► | iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF | ERUS | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI Russia 25/50 Index” is a servicemark of MSCI
Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc., nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI RUSSIA
CAPPED ETF
| Ticker: ERUS | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF (the “Fund”)
seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of Russian equities.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.62% | None | None | 0.62% | |||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $63 | $199 | $346 | $774 |
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Performance Information
The Fund is continuing the operations of the Predecessor Fund,
a series of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. Before the Fund commenced operations, all of the assets and liabilities of the Predecessor Fund were transferred to the Fund in a reorganization (the “Reorganization”), which was tax-free
for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Reorganization occurred on January 26, 2015. As a result of the Reorganization, the Fund assumed the performance and accounting history of the Predecessor Fund.
The bar chart and table that follow show how
the Predecessor Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Predecessor Fund. Past performance
(before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Predecessor Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return
Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”).
Year by Year Returns1 (Years Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Predecessor Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2014 was -19.14%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the periods shown above
was 19.15% in the 1st quarter of 2012; the worst was -31.19% in the 3rd quarter of 2011.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
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Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Predecessor Fund Inception | ||
| (Predecessor Fund Inception Date: 11/9/2010) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -3.22% | -2.50% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1 | -3.39% | -2.52% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares1 | -0.87% | -1.44% | |
| MSCI Russia 25/50 Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes) | -2.44% | -1.90% |
| 1 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing variances and
differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative sampling.
“Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high
inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States
and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on
major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk,
including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others,
may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Commodity Risk. The energy,
materials, and agriculture sectors of Russia’s economy account for a large portion of its exports. Any changes in these sectors or fluctuations in the commodity markets could have an adverse impact on the Russian economy. Commodity prices may
be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including, where applicable, high volatility, changes in supply and demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability, changes in interest rates and monetary
and other governmental policies. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are dependent on a single commodity, or are concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity
prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the
securities of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience
increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or
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regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not
concentrate its investments.
Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local
currency value of the Fund's holdings in that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk
refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets may make trades harder to complete
and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets. In
general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies will be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Acts of terrorism in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities markets in Eastern European countries are
substantially smaller and less developed, with less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and are less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in the United States or Western European countries. In addition, investing in
securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe involves:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the European Union (the “EU”) as a whole. |
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Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or
industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
Energy Sector Risk. Russian
securities markets are exposed to energy sector risk. The energy sector of an economy is cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of companies in the energy sector is strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global
energy prices, energy supply and demand, capital expenditures on exploration and production of energy sources, energy conservation efforts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, increased competition and technological
advances, among other factors. Companies in this sector may be subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion
of the revenues of these companies depends on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in
this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or engage in transactions involving countries with, less developed regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a
significant risk of liability from accidents resulting in injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism, political strife and
natural disasters. Any such event could have serious consequences for the general population of the affected area and could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly
affected by the supply of, and demand for, specific products (e.g., oil and natural gas) and services, exploration and production spending,
government subsidization, world events and general economic conditions.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the EU requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing
imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an
economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to
concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt
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levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy,
Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the
risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset
valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. In
the recent past, deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of
financial institutions and markets. A number of large financial institutions have failed, have merged with stronger institutions or have had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the financial markets has caused certain
financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial
companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies
to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Russia has
historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, droughts, floods, fires or tsunamis, and is economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event could result in a significant adverse impact on the Russian economy,
causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
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Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of
the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. Where the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to correlate it to the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the
Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the
costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor
performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other
factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
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Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries. During a
general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares
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fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market
supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large
discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the
creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with
the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of
significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Materials Sector Risk.
Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor relations and government regulations, among other
factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor
investment returns.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may
be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
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| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index,
regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Russia has
privatized certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory
and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Russia's economy is dependent on the economies of Asia, Europe and the United States. Reduction in spending by any of these economies on Russian products and services or negative changes in any of these economies may
cause an adverse impact on Russia's economy and have a material adverse effect on the Fund's performance.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging markets are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater market volatility, lower trading volume,
inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments than typically found in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in
accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities. In addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate
control. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large amounts of foreign trade and investment.
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Risk of Investing in Russia.
Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, in addition to those described under “Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Non-U.S. Securities Risk” that are not typically associated with investing in U.S.
securities, including:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in Russia; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund’s ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of Russian companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than by a central registration system; and |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because Russian banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by the Russian government. |
The United States and the EU, along
with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed sectoral economic sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian corporate entities. The
Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse
consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers include
prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of
the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund’s transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its
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Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s index provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an
event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that
may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that
represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Securities Market Risk. The Russian Trading System Stock Exchange may trade a smaller number of securities than do more established exchanges, and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt
liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times. Settlement procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States (and other developed countries). In addition, significant delays
may occur in certain markets in registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities.
Security Risk. Russia has
experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in the Russian markets and may adversely affect the Russian
economy.
Structural Risk. Russia is subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability, which could adversely affect investments in the Fund:
Economic Risk. Russia has
experienced currency devaluations, high rates of inflation
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and
high government debt, causing a negative effect on the Russian economy and securities market. Russia has also experienced severe economic recessions and was severely affected by the recent global financial crisis.
Labor Risk. A significant
portion of the workforce in Russia is unionized and certain regions and sectors of the country have experienced very high unemployment rates and periods of labor and social unrest.
Heavy Government Control and Regulation. Despite significant recent reform and privatization, the Russian government continues to control a large share of economic activity in the region. The Russian government owns shares in corporations in a range of sectors
including banking, energy production and distribution, automotive, transportation and telecommunications. Government spending in Russia remains high compared to that of other countries.
Political and Social Risk.
Russian national and regional governments remain authoritarian although Russia is undergoing a transition to a more market-oriented economic model. Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization and ethnic, religious and racial
disaffection have led to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses.
Expropriation Risk. Investing
in Russia involves a risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital already invested.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences, transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be
heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT
WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFS THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain markets, and the economies of these countries may be particularly affected by adverse changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in
U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the economies of these countries and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has
exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade
in low volume or volatile markets, or that are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of
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the
securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in
non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV
and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Telecommunications Sector Risk.
The telecommunications sector of a country's economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new
regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable.
Companies in the telecommunications sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological
innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing
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the
Fund, BFA may draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists
and other investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund corresponding to the Fund's allocable portion of an aggregate management fee based on the aggregate average daily net assets of the following iShares funds: iShares MSCI All Peru Capped ETF, iShares
MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI China ETF, iShares MSCI China Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Indonesia ETF, iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Philippines ETF, iShares
MSCI Poland Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Qatar Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Turkey ETF and iShares
MSCI UAE Capped ETF. The aggregate management fee is calculated as follows: 0.74% per annum of the aggregate net assets less than or equal to $2.0 billion, plus 0.69% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $2.0 billion, up to and including $4.0
billion, plus 0.64% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $4.0 billion, up to and including $8.0 billion, plus 0.57% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $8.0 billion, up to and including $16.0 billion, plus 0.51% per annum of the
aggregate net assets over $16.0 billion, up to and including $32.0 billion, plus 0.45% per annum of the aggregate net assets in excess of $32.0 billion. Based on assets of the iShares funds enumerated above as of August 31, 2014, for its investment
advisory services to the Fund, BFA is entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.62%. BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, may from time to time
voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of September 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.52 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA will be available in the Fund's semi-annual report for the six-month period ending February 28.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager is responsible for various functions related to portfolio management,
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including, but not limited to, investing cash inflows, coordinating with
members of his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited
responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA
and BTC (formerly, Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial
Solutions and a product manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception, and was a Portfolio Manager of the Predecessor Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception, and was a Portfolio Manager of the Predecessor Fund since
2010.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a
senior portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception, and was a Portfolio Manager of the Predecessor Fund since
2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a
senior portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception, and was a Portfolio Manager of the Predecessor Fund
since 2010.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier,
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underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or
principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with
and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end management investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the
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lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund, including a fee based on the
returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more Affiliates may be among the entities
to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “ERUS.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly
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through transactions that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the
conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares of the Fund are listed for trading on a national
securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on
which the Fund's shares are listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV
should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained
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from
broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the Fund. The quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or
responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by
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volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets
(e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
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Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company. Under current Internal Revenue Service
(“IRS”) guidance, the United States has a comprehensive income tax treaty with Russia.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC. It is expected that dividends received by the Fund from a REIT and distributed to a shareholder generally will be
taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income.
For a
dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during
the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before
such date.
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If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. The Fund’s capital loss carryforwards, if any, carried from taxable years beginning before 2011 do not
reduce current earnings and profits, even if such carryforwards offset current year realized gains. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the shareholder holds shares of the Fund as
capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a
citizen of the United States or if you are a non-U.S. 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 that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the
Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on
U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items, and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S.
investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and
indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers
of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain
payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable
intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each
substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
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Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of
the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have
received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal
income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S.
shareholders of the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
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Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
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Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation
and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number
of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and
is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole or in part) are available or specified)
are also subject to an additional charge (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This charge is intended to compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash
transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of September 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $868,500 | 50,000 | $2,300 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
26
Table of Contents
Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. The financial highlights included below represent the performance of the Predecessor Fund. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Predecessor
Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Predecessor Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Predecessor Fund's financial statements, in the Predecessor Fund's Annual Report (available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Aug. 31, 2014 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2013 |
Year
ended Aug. 31, 2012 |
Period
from Nov. 9, 2010a to Aug. 31, 2011 | ||||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 19.84 | $ 21.15 | $ 25.13 | $ 25.00 | |||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||||
| Net investment incomeb | 0.63 | 0.62 | 0.50 | 0.45 | |||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | (2.00) | (1.35) | (4.00) | 0.03 | |||
| Total from investment operations | (1.37) | (0.73) | (3.50) | 0.48 | |||
| Less distributions from: | |||||||
| Net investment income | (0.13) | (0.58) | (0.48) | (0.35) | |||
| Total distributions | (0.13) | (0.58) | (0.48) | (0.35) | |||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 18.34 | $ 19.84 | $ 21.15 | $ 25.13 | |||
| Total return | (7.00)% | (3.40)% | (13.75)% | 1.76% d | |||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $289,775 | $310,511 | $147,026 | $111,835 | |||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.62% | 0.61% | 0.61% | 0.58% | |||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 3.14% | 2.87% | 2.22% | 1.99% | |||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 15% | 14% | 16% | 22% | |||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Predecessor Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of processing capital share transactions in Creation Units. |
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Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or
any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and calculated
by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. MSCI is not
responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither MSCI nor any
other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE
RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE
INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
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Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
29
Table of Contents
Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Predecessor Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 4.5% | 1 | 0.23% | ||
| Greater than 4.0% and Less than 4.5% | 3 | 0.68 | ||
| Greater than 3.5% and Less than 4.0% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| Greater than 3.0% and Less than 3.5% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| Greater than 2.5% and Less than 3.0% | 1 | 0.23 | ||
| Greater than 2.0% and Less than 2.5% | 2 | 0.45 | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 5 | 1.14 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 18 | 4.09 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 59 | 13.41 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 268 | 60.90 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 48 | 10.91 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 20 | 4.55 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 6 | 1.36 | ||
| Less than -2.0% and Greater than -2.5% | 4 | 0.91 | ||
| Less than -2.5% | 3 | 0.68 | ||
| 440 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Predecessor Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the periods indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Predecessor Fund did not trade in the
secondary market until after the Predecessor Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Predecessor Fund, the NAV of the Predecessor Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to
calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of August 31, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | (7.00)% | (6.73)% | (6.65)% | (7.00)% | (6.73)% | (6.65)% | |
| Since Inception* | (6.05)% | (6.07)% | (5.55)% | (21.15)% | (21.24)% | (19.55)% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Predecessor Fund (11/9/10). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Predecessor Fund was 11/10/10. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-ERUS-0615
Table of Contents
September 1, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2014 Prospectus |
|
| ► | iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF | DVYE | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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S&P® is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“SPFS”); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). These trademarks have been licensed for use by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a
subsidiary of McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. (“SPDJI”) and its subsidiaries and sublicensed for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors and/or its affiliates. The Dow Jones Emerging Markets Select DividendTM Index (the “Underlying Index”) is a product of SPDJI and has been licensed for use by BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, SPFS, Dow Jones, their respective affiliates or their third party licensors and none of such parties makes any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s)
nor do they have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of the Underlying Index.
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iSHARES® EMERGING
MARKETS
DIVIDEND ETF
DIVIDEND ETF
| Ticker: DVYE | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of relatively high dividend paying equities in emerging markets.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. “Acquired Fund
Fees and Expenses” reflect the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies. The impact of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses is included in the total
returns of the Fund. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not used to calculate the Fund's net asset value per share (“NAV”) and are not included in the calculation of the ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights section of the Fund's prospectus (the “Prospectus”). BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount equal
to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund's direct investments in other iShares funds until August 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to August 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
During the most recently completed fiscal year, the amount of such expenses incurred and fees waived rounded to 0.00%. BFA has contractually agreed to waive any additional portion of its management fees necessary to limit the Total Annual Fund
Operating Expenses to 0.49% of the average daily net assets until August 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to August 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Acquired
Fund Fees and Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
Fee Waiver | Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | ||||||
| 0.68% | None | None | 0.00% | 0.68% | (0.19)% | 0.49% | ||||||
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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 these assumptions, your costs would
be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
| $50 | $198 | $360 | $829 |
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Performance Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has
performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily
indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund’s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the
Supplemental Information section of the Prospectus. If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.
Year by Year Returns1 (Year Ended December 31)
| 1 | The Fund’s total return for the six months ended June 30, 2014 was 2.92%. |
The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above
was 4.88% in the 3rd quarter of 2013; the worst was -6.85% in the 2nd quarter of 2013.
Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com
or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2013)
| One Year | Since
Fund Inception | ||
| (Inception Date: 2/23/2012) | |||
| Return Before Taxes | -9.51% | -2.10% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions2 | -10.60% | -2.98% | |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares2 | -4.70% | -1.45% | |
| Dow Jones Emerging Markets Select Dividend Index (Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes) | -10.01% | -2.52% |
| 2 | After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions. |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing variances and
differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the use of representative sampling.
“Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because the Fund uses a
representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high
inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States
and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on
major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk,
including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others,
may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Basic Materials Industry Risk.
Issuers in the basic materials industry may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls and increased competition. Production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or
economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Issuers in the basic materials industry are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims and may be adversely affected by depletion of resources, delays in technical progress,
labor relations and government regulations.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be more susceptible to an increased risk of loss due to adverse occurrences to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry,
group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or
regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund
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invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value
of the Fund's holdings in that market increases.
Custody
Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less
developed markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to
the standards of care of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Dividend-Paying Stock Risk. The
Fund's strategy of investing in dividend-paying stocks involves the risk that such stocks may fall out of favor with investors and underperform the market. Companies that issue dividend-paying stocks are not required to continue to pay dividends on
such stocks. Therefore, there is the possibility that such companies could reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends in the future or the anticipated acceleration of dividends could not occur. Depending upon market conditions, dividend-paying
stocks that meet the Fund’s investment criteria may not be widely available and/or may be highly concentrated in only a few market sectors.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be
more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the
risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset
valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. In
the recent past, deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of
financial institutions and markets. A number of large financial institutions have failed, have merged with stronger institutions or have had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the financial markets has caused certain
financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity
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securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed
significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value.
The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive
to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee for Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy
and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with
Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would
be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses
resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. Where the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to correlate it to the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the
Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the
costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Industrials
Sector Risk. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific
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products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products
of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of
companies in the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in
commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries. During a
general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock
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exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors
who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, to market participants or during periods of significant market volatility may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they
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are
willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for
investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies have and are
more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States. |
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The United States and the European Union (the
“EU”), along with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial
sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and
liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive
or deliver those securities.
The sanctions against
certain Russian issuers include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not
currently subject to any restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it
becomes impracticable or unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may
prohibit in-kind deposits of the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking counter
measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially lower
prices for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead
to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an
event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that
may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in,
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or
increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The economies of some countries in which the Fund invests are dependent on trade with certain key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of these countries, institution of tariffs or other
trade barriers by any of their key trading partners or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of such countries.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging markets are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater market volatility, lower trading volume,
inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments than typically found in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in
accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities. In addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate
control. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Risk of Investing in Russia.
Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, in addition to those described under “Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Non-U.S. Securities Risk” that are not typically associated with investing in U.S.
securities, including:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in Russia; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund’s portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund’s ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of Russian companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than by a central registration system; and |
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| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because Russian banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by the Russian government. |
Risk of Investing in Taiwan. Investments in Taiwanese issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks that are specific to Taiwan. Specifically, Taiwan’s geographic proximity and history of political
contention with China have resulted in ongoing tensions between the two countries. These tensions may materially affect the Taiwanese economy and its securities market. Taiwan's economy is export-oriented, so it depends on an open world trade regime
and remains vulnerable to fluctuations in the world economy.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. In addition,
BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
emerging market countries are subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability.
Economic Risk. Some emerging
market countries have experienced currency devaluations and substantial (and, in some cases, extremely high) rates of inflation, while others have experienced economic recessions causing a negative effect on the economies and securities markets of
such emerging countries.
Expropriation Risk. Investing in emerging market countries involves a great risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of
capital invested by certain emerging market countries.
Political and Social Risk.
Some governments in emerging market countries are authoritarian in nature or have been installed or removed as a result of military coups, and some governments have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace
and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, have also led to social unrest, violence and/or labor unrest in some emerging market countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and
significant investment losses.
Telecommunications
Sector Risk. The telecommunications sector is subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or
the
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enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of
telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sector may encounter distressed
cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain
telecommunications companies obsolete.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those
included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing
regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS.
U.S. Economic Risk. The Fund
has significant exposure to U.S. issuers. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in trade regulations and/or an economic recession in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and the securities listed on U.S.
exchanges. The financial crisis that began in 2007 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of issuers in the United States. Policy and legislative changes in the United States are changing many aspects of financial and other
regulation and may have a significant effect on the U.S. markets generally, as well as the value of certain securities. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public debt level or U.S. austerity measures may adversely affect U.S. economic growth
and the securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index , particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that are valued
using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or
sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or
more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and
the performance of the Underlying Index.
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A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
African
Economic Risk. Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may
negatively affect the value of investments in the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political
instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the
classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly
riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition,
commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of the region's exports and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country may
have a significant adverse effect on other countries of these regions.
Consumer Goods Industry Risk.
The consumer goods industry may be strongly affected by social trends, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Governmental regulation affecting the use of various food additives may affect the profitability of certain
consumer goods companies represented in the Underlying Index. Many consumer goods in the United States may also be marketed globally, and such consumer goods companies may be affected by the demand and market conditions in non-U.S.
countries.
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Consumer Services Industry
Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers (including food and drug retailers, general retailers, media, and travel and leisure companies) is tied closely to the performance of the domestic
and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates and consumer confidence. The consumer services industry depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Companies in the consumer services industry may be subject to
severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability. Changes in consumer demographics and preferences may affect the success of consumer products.
Eastern European Economic Risk.
An investment in issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks specific to Eastern Europe. Economies of certain Eastern
European countries rely heavily on the export of commodities, including oil, gas, and certain metals. As a result, such economies will be impacted by international commodity prices and are particularly vulnerable to global demand for these products.
Acts of terrorism in certain Eastern European countries may cause uncertainty in their financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The securities markets in Eastern European countries are
substantially smaller and less developed, with less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, and are less liquid and more volatile than securities markets in the United States or Western European countries. In addition, investing in
securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe involves:
| ■ | The risk of delays in settling portfolio transactions and the risk of loss arising out of the system of share registration and custody used in certain Eastern European countries; |
| ■ | Risks in connection with the maintenance of the Fund's portfolio securities and cash with foreign sub-custodians and securities depositories, including the risk that appropriate sub-custody arrangements will not be available to the Fund; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund's ownership rights in portfolio securities could be lost through fraud or negligence as a result of the fact that ownership in shares of certain Eastern European companies is recorded by the companies themselves and by registrars, rather than a central registration system; |
| ■ | The risk that the Fund may not be able to pursue claims on behalf of its shareholders because of the system of share registration and custody, and because certain Eastern European banking institutions and registrars are not guaranteed by their respective governments; and |
| ■ | Risks in connection with Eastern European countries' dependence on the economic health of Western European countries and the EU as a whole. |
Other risks related to investing in securities of issuers
located or operating in Eastern Europe include: the absence of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in
issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe as a result of expropriation; and certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s
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investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on
investing in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests.
Middle Eastern Economic Risk.
Many Middle Eastern countries have little or no democratic tradition and the political and legal systems in such countries may adversely impact the companies in which the Fund invests and the value of the Fund. Middle Eastern governments have
exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. Many economies in the Middle East are highly reliant on income from the sale of oil or trade with countries involved in the sale of oil, and their
economies are therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency values. As global demand for oil fluctuates, many Middle Eastern economies may be significantly impacted. A sustained decrease in commodity prices could have a
significant negative impact on all aspects of the economy in the region. Middle Eastern economies may be subject to acts of terrorism, political strife, religious, ethnic or socioeconomic unrest and sudden outbreaks of hostilities with neighboring
countries.
Certain Middle Eastern countries have
strained relations with other Middle Eastern countries due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, religious tensions or defense concerns, which may adversely affect the economies of these countries. Certain Middle Eastern countries
experience significant unemployment, as well as widespread underemployment.
Recently, many Middle Eastern countries have experienced
political, economic and social unrest as protestors have called for widespread reform. Some of these protests have resulted in regime change. If further regime change were to occur in any of these countries, the new government may not immediately
stabilize such country, which could adversely affect the economies of Middle Eastern countries in which the Fund invests and could decrease the value of the Fund’s investments.
Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and, therefore, the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their
assets in stocks issued by mid- or large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments.
Securities of small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and
may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more vulnerable to experiencing adverse effects due to the loss of personnel. Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than mid- or
large-capitalization companies have and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products.
Technology Sector Risk.
Technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of
technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable
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changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified
personnel. Companies in the technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. The technology sector may also be
adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Utilities Sector Risk.
Companies in the utilities sector may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, domestic and international competition, and governmental limitation on rates charged to customers. The value of regulated utility debt securities (and, to a
lesser extent, equity securities) tends to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Deregulation is subjecting utility companies to greater competition and may adversely affect their profitability. As deregulation allows
utility companies to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business, utility companies may engage in riskier ventures. Companies in the utilities industry may have difficulty obtaining an adequate
return on invested capital, raising capital, or financing large construction programs during periods of inflation or unsettled capital markets; face restrictions on operations and increased cost and delays attributable to environmental
considerations and regulation; find that existing plants, equipment or products have been rendered obsolete by technological innovations; or be subject to increased costs because of the scarcity of certain fuels or the effects of man-made or natural
disasters. Existing and future regulations or legislation may make it difficult for utility companies to operate profitably. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain
countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict utility companies’ access to new markets, thereby diminishing these companies’ long-term prospects. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will, in the future, grant rate
increases, or that such increases will be adequate to permit the payment of dividends on stocks issued by a utility company. The deregulation of certain utility companies may eliminate restrictions on profits, but may also subject these companies to
greater risks of loss. Energy conservation and changes in climate policy may also have a significant adverse impact on the revenues and expenses of utility companies.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management
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affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities . In seeking to
achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.68%. BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount equal to the Acquired
Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund's direct investments in other iShares funds until August 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to August 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. BFA has
contractually agreed to waive any additional portion of its management fees necessary to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of the average daily net assets until August 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to
August 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of June 30, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.59 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Fund's semi-annual report for the six-month period ended October 31.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2013.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2012.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading adviser, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests, in securities, currencies, commodities and other
instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain
services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment management companies, including investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
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No Affiliate is under any obligation to share any investment
opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment activities may differ from
those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other
accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund
may, from time to time, enter into transactions in which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions
by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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
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and
Redemptions section of this Prospectus. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may engage in creation or redemption transactions
directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “DVYE.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NYSE Arca.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that
you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund, economic
conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by
the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange for a
Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should
not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or
dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
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The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by
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one
or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S.
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individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing
jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be
qualified dividend income to you if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided
that the Fund satisfies certain holding period requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on
securities lent out will not be qualified dividend income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes
an exchange of information program, or if the stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment
company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a real
estate investment trust (“REIT”) or another RIC generally are qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such REIT or RIC. It is expected that dividends
received by the Fund from a REIT and distributed to a shareholder generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the
dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days
before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
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If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax will be imposed on U.S.-source dividends,
interest and other income items paid after June 30, 2014, and proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds,
unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information
regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and
taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained,
agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in
the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer
identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding, capital gains and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the
total assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities (generally, for this purpose, depositary receipts, no matter where traded, of non-U.S. companies are treated as “non-U.S.”), the Fund may
“pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be
entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of
the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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.
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Taxes When Shares are Sold.
Currently, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
If your shares are lent out pursuant to a
securities lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use the non-U.S. tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends (paid while the shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividend income.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences
under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about
the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
As a result of any system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
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To the extent the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the
Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any securities used
to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified
institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may also be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up
to the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services
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of a
broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of May 31, 2014, the approximate
value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $2,443,500 | 50,000 | $3,000 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
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Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help investors
understand the Fund’s financial performance since inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report is included, along with the Fund's financial statements, in the Fund's Annual Report
(available upon request).
Financial Highlights
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
(For a share outstanding throughout each period)
| Year
ended Apr. 30,2014 |
Year
ended Apr. 30, 2013 |
Period
from Feb. 23, 2012a to Apr. 30, 2012 | |||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 53.80 | $ 53.23 | $ 54.61 | ||
| Income
from investment operations: | |||||
| Net investment incomeb | 1.96 | 2.02 | 0.74 | ||
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)c | (5.18) | 0.56 | (1.98) | ||
| Total from investment operations | (3.22) | 2.58 | (1.24) | ||
| Less distributions from: | |||||
| Net investment income | (2.25) | (2.01) | (0.14) | ||
| Total distributions | (2.25) | (2.01) | (0.14) | ||
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 48.33 | $ 53.80 | $ 53.23 | ||
| Total return | (5.86)% | 5.09% | (2.27)% d | ||
| Ratios/Supplemental data: | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000s) | $178,838 | $131,806 | $15,970 | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assetse | 0.49% | 0.49% | 0.49% | ||
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets prior to waived feese | 0.68% | 0.68% | 0.68% | ||
| Ratio of net investment income to average net assetse | 4.01% | 3.80% | 7.51% | ||
| Portfolio turnover ratef | 44% | 41% | 2% | ||
| a | Commencement of operations. |
| b | Based on average shares outstanding throughout each period. |
| c | The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund's underlying securities. |
| d | Not annualized. |
| e | Annualized for periods of less than one year. |
| f | Portfolio turnover rates exclude portfolio securities received or delivered in Creation Units but include portfolio transactions that are executed as a result of the Fund processing capital share transactions in Creation Units partially for cash in U.S. dollars. Excluding such cash transactions, the portfolio turnover rates for the years ended April 30, 2014 and April 30, 2013 were 39% and 41%, respectively. |
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Index Provider
The Underlying Index is a product of SPDJI, and has been
licensed for use by BFA or its affiliates. S&P® is a registered trademark of SPFS; Dow
Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones; and these trademarks have been licensed for use by SPDJI and sublicensed for certain purposes by BFA or its affiliates.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, SPFS or any of their respective affiliates or third party licensors (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices make no representation
or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general market
performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to BFA or its affiliates with respect to the Underlying Index is the licensing of the Underlying Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones
Indices and/or its licensors. The Underlying Index is determined, composed and calculated by S& P Dow Jones Indices without regard to BFA or its affiliates or the Fund. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation to take the needs of BFA or its
affiliates or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of the
Fund or the timing of the issuance or sale of the Fund or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is to be converted into cash, surrendered or redeemed, as the case may be. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation
or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund. There is no assurance that investment products based on the Underlying Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. SPDJI
is not an investment advisor. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.
S&P DOW JONES INDICES DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY,
ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE UNDERLYING INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P
DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY BFA OR ITS AFFILIATES, OWNERS OF SHARES OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE UNDERLYING INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING
ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL,
EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBLITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR
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OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR
ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND BFA OR ITS AFFILATES, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.
SPDJI is the world’s largest, global resource for
index-based concepts, data and research. Home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®, SPDJI has over 115 years of experience constructing innovative and transparent solutions that fulfill the needs of institutional and retail investors. More assets are
invested in products based upon SPDJI’s indices than any other provider in the world. With over 830,000 indices covering a wide range of asset classes across the globe, SPDJI defines the way investors measure and trade the markets. To learn
more about SPDJI, please visit www.spdji.com.
BFA or its
affiliates have entered into a license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
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Disclaimers
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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Supplemental Information
I. Premium/Discount Information
The table that follows presents information about the
differences between the daily market price on secondary markets for shares of the Fund and the Fund’s NAV. NAV is the price at which the Fund issues and redeems shares. It is calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing
mutual fund shares. The price used to calculate market returns (“Market Price”) of the Fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary securities exchange on which shares of the
Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund’s NAV is calculated. The Fund’s Market Price may be at, above or below its NAV. The NAV of the Fund will fluctuate with changes in the value of its portfolio holdings. The Market
Price of the Fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as market supply and demand.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a
percentage) between the NAV and Market Price of the Fund on a given day, generally at the time the NAV is calculated. A premium is the amount that the Fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV. A discount is the
amount that the Fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of the NAV.
The following information shows the frequency of distributions
of premiums and discounts for the Fund for each full calendar quarter of 2013 through June 30, 2014.
Each line in the table shows the number of trading days in
which the Fund traded within the premium/discount range indicated. The number of trading days in each premium/discount range is also shown as a percentage of the total number of trading days in the period covered by the table. All data presented
here represents past performance, which cannot be used to predict future results.
| Premium/Discount Range | Number of Days | Percentage of Total Days | ||
| Greater than 2.0% | 1 | 0.27% | ||
| Greater than 1.5% and Less than 2.0% | 1 | 0.27 | ||
| Greater than 1.0% and Less than 1.5% | 15 | 3.99 | ||
| Greater than 0.5% and Less than 1.0% | 99 | 26.33 | ||
| Between 0.5% and -0.5% | 208 | 55.31 | ||
| Less than -0.5% and Greater than -1.0% | 35 | 9.31 | ||
| Less than -1.0% and Greater than -1.5% | 14 | 3.72 | ||
| Less than -1.5% and Greater than -2.0% | 1 | 0.27 | ||
| Less than -2.0% and Greater than -2.5% | 2 | 0.53 | ||
| 376 | 100.00% |
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II. Total Return Information
The table that follows presents information about the total
returns of the Fund and the Underlying Index as of the fiscal year ended April 30, 2014.
“Average Annual Total Returns” represent the
average annual change in value of an investment over the periods indicated. “Cumulative Total Returns” represent the total change in value of an investment over the period indicated.
The Fund’s NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as
calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the Market Price of the Fund. Market Price generally is determined by using the
midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest ask on the primary stock exchange on which shares of the Fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the Fund's NAV is calculated. Since shares of the Fund did not trade in the secondary market
until after the Fund's inception, for the period from inception to the first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund, the NAV of the Fund is used as a proxy for the Market Price to calculate market returns. Market and NAV returns
assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively.
An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified
financial market or sector. Unlike the Fund, the Underlying Index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by the Fund. These expenses negatively impact the performance of the Fund. Also,
market returns do not include brokerage commissions that may be payable on secondary market transactions. If brokerage commissions were included, market returns would be lower. The returns shown in the following table do not reflect the deduction of
taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption or sale of Fund shares. The investment return and principal value of shares of the Fund will vary with changes in market conditions. Shares of the Fund may be worth more or
less than their original cost when they are redeemed or sold in the market. The Fund’s past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Performance as of April 30, 2014
| Average Annual Total Returns | Cumulative Total Returns | ||||||
| NAV | MARKET | INDEX | NAV | MARKET | INDEX | ||
| 1 Year | (5.86)% | (5.96)% | (6.35)% | (5.86)% | (5.96)% | (6.35)% | |
| Since Inception* | (1.53)% | (1.25)% | (1.80)% | (3.31)% | (2.72)% | (3.88)% | |
| * | Total returns for the period since inception are calculated from the inception date of the Fund (2/23/12). The first day of secondary market trading in shares of the Fund was 2/24/12. |
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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent
shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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.
Additional information about the Fund's investments is
available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual reports to shareholders. In the Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last
fiscal year.
If you have any questions about the Company
or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual report free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2014 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-DVYE-0615
Table of Contents
March 1, 2015
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2015 Prospectus |
|
| ► | iShares Latin America Bond ETF | LTAM | NASDAQ |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“Barclays Capital Inc.” and “Barclays Latin
America Bond Index” are trademarks of Barclays Bank PLC and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares®
and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
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iSHARES® LATIN AMERICA
BOND ETF
| Ticker: LTAM | Stock Exchange: NASDAQ |
Investment Objective
The iShares Latin America Bond ETF (the “Fund”)
seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, corporate, sovereign and quasi-sovereign Latin American bonds.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.49% | None | None | 0.49% | |||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | ||||
| $50 | $157 |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on The NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the Fund's use of
representative sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because
the Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high
inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States
and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on
major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk,
including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others,
may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Call Risk. During periods of
falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a
decline in the Fund’s income.
Concentration
Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are
concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities,
may experience increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the
risk that an issuer or guarantor of debt instruments or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or loan of portfolio securities will be unable or unwilling to make its timely interest and/or principal payments or to
otherwise honor its obligations. Debt instruments are subject to
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varying degrees of credit risk, which may be reflected in their credit
ratings. There is the chance that the Fund’s portfolio holdings will have their credit ratings downgraded or will default (i.e., fail to make scheduled interest or principal payments), potentially
reducing the Fund’s income level or share price.
Custody Risk. Custody risk
refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets may make trades harder to complete
and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets. In
general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro
and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Extension Risk. During periods
of rising interest rates, certain debt obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income and potentially in the
value of the Fund’s investments.
Geographic
Risk. Some of the markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, drought, hurricanes or tsunamis
and are economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these countries and the value of the Fund.
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High Yield Securities Risk.
Securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as “junk bonds,” including those bonds rated lower than “BBB-” by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch or “Baa3” by
Moody’s), or are unrated, may be deemed speculative and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity.
High yield securities may also be subject to greater levels of
credit or default risk than higher-rated securities. The value of high yield securities can be adversely affected by overall economic conditions, such as an economic downturn or a period of rising interest rates, and high yield securities may be
less liquid and more difficult to sell at an advantageous time or price or to value than higher-rated securities.
In particular, high yield securities are often issued by
smaller, less creditworthy countries and companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) countries and companies, which are generally less able than more financially stable countries and companies to make scheduled payments of interest and
principal.
Income Risk.
The Fund’s income may decline when interest rates fall. This decline can occur because the Fund may subsequently invest in lower-yielding bonds as bonds in its portfolio mature, bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted or the Fund
otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity
guidelines.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the
Index Provider will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the
Index Provider does not provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index
Provider’s methodology. BFA’s mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee
against Index Provider errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are
less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect
constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to
Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced
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and
the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by
the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to additional tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may not track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors
and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be
influenced by unpredictable factors.
Interest Rate
Risk. As interest rates rise, the value of a fixed-income security held by the Fund is likely to decrease. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, usually making their
prices more volatile than securities with shorter durations. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed-income securities with longer-term maturities, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund’s
investments to decline significantly.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor
performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other
factors.
Latin American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Latin American countries have experienced high interest and inflation rates, economic volatility, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition, commodities
(such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of the region’s exports and many economies in this region are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. The economies of Latin American countries are heavily
dependent on trading relationships with key trading partners, including the United States, Europe, Asia and other Latin American countries. Adverse economic events in one country may have a significant adverse effect on other countries of this
region. In addition, in the past, certain Latin American economies have been influenced by changing supply and demand for a particular currency, monetary policies of governments (including exchange control programs, restrictions on local exchanges
or markets and limitations on foreign investment in a country or on investment by residents of a country in other countries), and currency devaluations and revaluations. For example, the government of Brazil imposes a tax on foreign investment in
Brazilian
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stocks and bonds, which may affect the value of the Fund's investments in the
securities of Brazilian issuers.
| ■ | Structural Risk. Certain Latin American countries are subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability, which could adversely affect investments in the Fund. |
| ■ | Economic Risk. Certain Latin American countries have experienced economic instability resulting from periods of high inflation and currency devaluations. |
| ■ | Political and Social Risk. Certain Latin American countries have experienced periods of instability and social unrest in the past. For example, Mexico has been destabilized by local insurrections, social upheavals and drug related violence. Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization and capital market development and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection may exacerbate social unrest, violence and labor unrest in a number of Latin American countries. Certain Latin American countries experience significant unemployment in certain regions, as well as widespread underemployment. |
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk
exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent the Fund invests in illiquid securities or securities that become less liquid, such investments may have a negative effect on the returns of the Fund because the
Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk.
Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to
meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. The Fund invests primarily in emerging market bonds and, as a result, the Fund’s portfolio may have greater exposure to market risk than a
fund that invests in securities of developed markets. Fixed-income securities with short-term maturities are generally less sensitive to such changes than are fixed-income securities with longer term maturities.
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Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in
certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade
Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk.
Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be
experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more
likely
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that
the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and
other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for
shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Issuers Risk.
Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers have different risks from securities issued by U.S. issuers. These risks include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation,
adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less
governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource
self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions. In addition, the value of these securities may fluctuate due to changes in the exchange rate of the issuer’s local currency against the U.S. dollar.
Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be affected adversely by the economies of their
trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or
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inflation rates. These countries may be subject to other protectionist
measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade.
Risk of Investing in Brazil.
Investment in Brazilian issuers involves risks that are specific to Brazil, including legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks. Specifically, Brazilian issuers are subject to possible regulatory and economic interventions by the
Brazilian government, including the imposition of wage and price controls and the limitation of imports. In addition, the market for Brazilian securities is directly influenced by the flow of international capital and economic and market conditions
of certain countries, especially other emerging market countries in Central and South America. The Brazilian economy has historically been exposed to high rates of inflation and a high level of debt, each of which may reduce and/or prevent economic
growth.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found
in more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In
addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large
amounts of foreign trade and investment.
Risk of
Investing in Mexico. Investment exposure to Mexican issuers involves risks that are specific to Mexico, including regulatory, political, and economic risks. The Mexican economy, among other things, is dependent upon
external trade with other economies, specifically with the United States and certain Latin American countries. As a result, Mexico is dependent on, among other things, the U.S. economy and any change in the price or demand for Mexican exports
may have an adverse impact on the Mexican economy. Recently, Mexico has experienced an outbreak of violence related to drug trafficking. Incidents involving Mexico’s security may have an adverse effect on the Mexican economy and cause
uncertainty in its financial markets. In the past, Mexico has experienced high interest rates, economic volatility and high unemployment rates.
Securities Lending Risk. The
Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the
event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s securities lending
program.
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Security Risk. Some geographic
areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in the markets of these
geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations Risk. An investment in sovereign or quasi-sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign
government, and quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued by or guaranteed by an entity affiliated with or backed by a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to
repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to the financial condition or credit rating of a government may cause the value of a sovereign debt, including
treasury obligations, to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations and may affect the Fund's NAV. In the past, certain emerging market countries
have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several countries in which the Fund invests have
defaulted on their sovereign obligations in the past or encountered downgrades of their sovereign obligations, and those countries (or other countries) may default or risk further downgrades in the future.
Tracking Error Risk. Tracking
error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing
differences, transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of distributions, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be
heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a large trading and investment partner of Latin American countries. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in the United States may have an adverse impact on
Latin American economies and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that
are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. stock exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will
not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date
of
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valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may
result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
Financials
Sector Risk. Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can
charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of
recent or future regulation in various countries on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of
investments outside this sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses,
decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may
have an adverse impact on their profitability. During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S.
and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. During the financial crisis, a number of large financial institutions failed, merged with stronger institutions or had significant
government infusions of capital. Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as
the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased
government intervention. Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
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Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA will be
paid a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.49%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating
Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of December 31, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.65 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA will be available in the Fund's annual report for the period ending October 31.
Portfolio Managers. James Mauro
and Scott Radell 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 his portfolio management team to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing investment strategy and overseeing members of his portfolio management team that have more limited
responsibilities.
James Mauro has been employed by
BFA and BTC as a portfolio manager since 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Mauro was a Vice President at State Street Global Advisors. Mr. Mauro has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception.
Scott Radell has been employed by BFA and BTC as a portfolio
manager since 2004. Mr. Radell was a credit strategist from 2003 to 2004 and became a portfolio manager at BGFA and Barclays Global Investors, N.A. in 2004. Mr. Radell has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception.
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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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies,
commodities and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with
respect to, or obtain services from, entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain
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losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts
achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
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Shares of the Fund will be listed on a national securities
exchange for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange.
The Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “LTAM.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread;” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread
varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market
liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in
instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary listing exchange is NASDAQ.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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.
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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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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 other securities that you hold in book-entry
or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and underlying
securities held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15
seconds throughout each trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash
required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the
current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not
involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
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The Fund values fixed-income portfolio securities using prices
provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market makers, or independent third-party pricing services which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market transactions for the same or similar assets, to derive values.
Certain short-term debt securities may be valued on the basis of amortized cost.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
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Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund 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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. There is no guarantee that shares of the Fund will receive certain
regulatory or accounting treatment. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a
tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income, including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund's net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. The Fund's
distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the shares. Distributions from the Fund are subject to a 3.8% U.S. federal
Medicare contribution tax on “net investment income,” for individuals with incomes exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly) and of estates and trusts. In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. 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 your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities
lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
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If the Fund's distributions exceed current and accumulated
earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of
the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder's cost basis and will result
in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the shareholder holds
shares of the Fund as capital assets.
Interest received
by the Fund with respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total
assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of securities of non-U.S. corporations, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be
considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your U.S. federal taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in
calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
If you are
neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a non-U.S. 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. federal
withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies.
A
30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign
financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain
other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will
provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS
certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain
other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other
foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply.
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If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 200,000 shares or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation baskets will generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the Fund.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund (“Fund Securities”) and a specified amount of cash. Except
when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based
on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
The portfolio of securities required for purchase of a Creation
Unit may be different than the portfolio of securities the Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund shares. The Deposit Securities and Fund Securities, as applicable, in connection with a purchase or redemption of a Creation Unit, generally will
correspond pro rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by the Fund.
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Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent
the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities
accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized
Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 that has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an
underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation
and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number
of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on
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the
applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed
by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole or in part) are available or specified) are also subject to an additional charge (up to the maximum
amounts shown in the table below). This charge is intended to compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other
financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of November 30, 2014, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $10,000,000 | 200,000 | $1,300 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
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Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an
intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the
Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
Financial Highlights
Financial highlights for the Fund are not available because, as
of the effective date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations, and therefore has no financial highlights to report.
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Index Provider
The Underlying Index is maintained by Barclays. Barclays is not
affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates has entered into a license agreement with
the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored or endorsed by Barclays. Barclays makes
no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of owning or trading in shares of the Fund. The Underlying Index is determined, composed and calculated by
Barclays without regard to the Company or the owners of shares of the Fund. Barclays has no obligation to take the needs of BFA or its affiliates, or the owners of shares of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the
Underlying Index. Barclays is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination or the timing of prices, or quantities of shares to be listed or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which shares are to be converted
into cash. Barclays has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration of the Company or the marketing or trading of shares of the Fund. Barclays does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Index or
any data included therein. Barclays shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein.
Barclays makes no warranty, express or implied, as to the results
to be obtained by BFA or its affiliates, or owners of shares of the Fund, or any other person or entity, from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Barclays 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 Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall Barclays have any liability for any lost profits or
special, punitive, direct, indirect, or consequential damages even if notified thereof.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NASDAQ. NASDAQ 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NASDAQ is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of,
prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NASDAQ 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.
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NASDAQ does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of
the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NASDAQ makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of
the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use.
NASDAQ makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NASDAQ 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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|
|
For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and other
information can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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 any questions about the Company or shares of the
Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2015 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-LTAM-0615
Table of Contents
January 26, 2015
(as revised June 22, 2015)
| 2015 Prospectus |
|
| ► | iShares MSCI Emerging Workforce ETF | EMWK | NYSE ARCA |
The Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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“MSCI Emerging + Frontier Markets Workforce Index”
is a servicemark of MSCI Inc. and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares® and BlackRock® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by MSCI Inc., nor does MSCI Inc. make any
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
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iSHARES® MSCI EMERGING
WORKFORCE ETF
WORKFORCE ETF
| Ticker: EMWK | Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca |
Investment Objective
The iShares MSCI Emerging Workforce ETF (the
“Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of an index comprised primarily of companies in emerging markets that meet certain workforce demographic criteria.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you
will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the “Company”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (formerly, Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”)) (the
“Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions
when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
| Annual
Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) | ||||||
| Management
Fees |
Distribution
and Service (12b-1) Fees |
Other
Expenses |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses | |||
| 0.67% | None | None | 0.67% | |||
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 these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | ||||
| $68 | $214 |
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More Information About the Fund
This Prospectus contains important information about investing
in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.
BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund
are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded
securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents a partial ownership in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual
fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this Prospectus). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that
change throughout the day.
The Fund invests in a
particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that generally is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies.
Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.
An index is a theoretical financial calculation while the Fund
is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary from one another due to transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing
variances and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index or to the Fund's use of
representative sampling. “Tracking error” is the divergence of the performance (return) of the Fund's portfolio from that of the Underlying Index. BFA expects that, over time, the Fund’s tracking error will not exceed 5%. Because
the Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used 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.
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, BFA or any of its affiliates.
The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be
changed without shareholder approval.
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A Further Discussion of Principal Risks
The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal
risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform
other investments.
Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high
inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. During the recent global recession, many of the export-driven Asian economies experienced the effects of the economic slowdown in the United States
and Europe, and certain Asian governments implemented stimulus plans, low-rate monetary policies and currency devaluations. Economic events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on
major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the countries in which the Fund invests. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk,
including corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others,
may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Asset Class Risk. The
securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform the returns of other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, asset classes or
sectors. Various types of securities or indexes tend to experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets.
Calculation Methodology Risk.
The Underlying Index relies on various sources of information to assess the demographic criteria of issuers included in the Parent Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor BFA can offer
assurances that the Underlying Index’s calculation methodology will accurately assess the demographic criteria of included countries.
Central and South American Economic Risk. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition,
commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for these regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country
may have a significant adverse effect on other countries in these regions.
Commodity Risk. The energy,
materials, and agriculture sectors account for a large portion of the exports of certain countries in which the Fund invests. Any changes in these sectors or fluctuations in the commodity markets could have an adverse impact on a country's economy.
Commodity prices may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors, including, where applicable, high volatility, changes in supply
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and
demand relationships, weather, agriculture, trade, pestilence, political instability, changes in interest rates and monetary and other governmental policies. Securities of companies held by the Fund that are dependent on a single commodity, or are
concentrated in a single commodity sector, may typically exhibit even higher volatility attributable to commodity prices.
Concentration Risk. The Fund
may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse occurrences affecting the Fund more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities of a particular issuer or
issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities, may experience increased price volatility and may be
more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in
demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be
subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Consumer Staples Sector Risk.
The consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of using various product components and production methods, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Tobacco companies, in particular, may be adversely
affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors.
Currency Risk. Because the
Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of currency,
even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in that market increases.
Custody Risk. Custody risk
refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets may make trades harder to complete
and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets. In
general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.
Equity Securities Risk. The
Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or
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to
general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be more volatile than investments in other asset classes.
European Economic Risk. The
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every
country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on
its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse
trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro
and may continue to significantly affect other European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments,
central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or
restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from
the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Financials Sector Risk.
Companies in the financials sector of an economy are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must
maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various
countries on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector,
including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money
or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their
profitability. During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank
money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. During the financial crisis, a number of large financial institutions failed, merged with
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stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital.
Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity
securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those
actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value. The financials sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates.
Geographic Risk. Some of the
markets in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive to environmental
events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.
Index-Related Risk. The Fund
seeks to achieve a return which corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider will compile the Underlying
Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, the Index Provider does not provide any
warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA’s
mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. Consequently, BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee against Index Provider errors. Errors in respect
of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time, particularly where the indices are less commonly used. Therefore, gains, losses or
costs associated with Index Provider errors will generally be borne by the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Fund’s Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such
constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. Any gains due to Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its
shareholders and any losses resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider may carry
out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index in order, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index of the Fund is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt
to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Unscheduled
rebalances to the Underlying Index may also expose the Fund to tracking error risk, which is the risk that the Fund’s returns may
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not
track those of the Underlying Index. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider to the Underlying Index may increase the costs and market exposure risk of the Fund.
Issuer Risk. The performance of
the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management
decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at
their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk
exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent the Fund invests in illiquid securities or securities that become less liquid, such investments may have a negative effect on the returns of the Fund because the
Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk.
Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to
meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Management Risk. The Fund may
not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of
constraints, may not produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The Fund could
lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or due to factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries.
During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Market Trading Risk
Absence of Active Market.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Risk of Secondary Listings.
The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s shares
will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund’s shares will
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continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in
any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for
execution. Certain information available to investors who trade Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such
markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading
Risk. Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant
premiums or discounts than might be experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a
stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed
on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility associated with short selling.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value
of the Fund’s holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As
a result, the trading prices of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S
SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely
to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely
that the Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand
imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading
prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV.
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Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the “bid” price) and
the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the “ask” price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund
shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The
Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that the Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks
associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.
Non-U.S. Securities Market
Risk. Non-U.S. securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or
impossible at times. Settlement procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the United States (and other developed countries). In addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in
registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk.
Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation or nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and
political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:
| ■ | Lower levels of liquidity and market efficiency; |
| ■ | Greater securities price volatility; |
| ■ | Exchange rate fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ■ | Less availability of public information about issuers; |
| ■ | Limitations on foreign ownership of securities; |
| ■ | Imposition of withholding or other taxes; |
| ■ | Imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund; |
| ■ | Higher transaction and custody costs and delays in settlement procedures; |
| ■ | Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; |
| ■ | Lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; |
| ■ | Weaker accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements; and |
| ■ | Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and |
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liabilities and stockholders’ rights in markets in
which the Fund invests may differ and/or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the United States.
Passive Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits.
BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.
Privatization Risk. Some
countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have suffered losses due to the inability of the newly
privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that such losses will not
recur.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. Economies in emerging market countries generally are heavily dependent upon commodity prices and international trade. Accordingly, these countries have been and may continue to be affected adversely by the economies of
their trading partners, trade barriers, exchange controls or managed adjustments in relative currency values and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates.
Risk of Investing in China. The
Chinese economy is subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability:
Political and Social Risk. The
Chinese government is authoritarian and has periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth and the pace of economic liberalization may lead to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest. In addition, China continues to
experience disagreements related to integration with Hong Kong and religious and nationalist disputes in Tibet and Xinjiang. There is also a greater risk in China than in many other countries of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility,
interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation as a result of internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. China's growing
income inequality and worsening environmental conditions also are factors that may affect the Chinese economy.
Government Control and Regulations. The Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in the economy, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms.
There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive and the Chinese government may restrict foreign
ownership of Chinese corporations and/or repatriate assets. Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies that may be connected to governmental influence, a lack of publicly-available
information and/or political and social instability.
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Economic Risk. The Chinese economy has grown rapidly during the past several years and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. In fact, the Chinese economy may experience a significant slowdown as a result of, among other things, a deterioration in global demand for Chinese exports, as well as contraction in spending on domestic goods by Chinese consumers. In addition, China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on its economy and securities market. Delays in enterprise restructuring, slow development of well-functioning financial markets and widespread corruption have also hindered performance of the Chinese economy. China continues to receive substantial pressure from trading partners to liberalize official currency exchange rates.
Expropriation Risk. The
Chinese government maintains a major role in economic policymaking and investing in China involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments
and on repatriation of capital invested.
Chinese
Equity Markets. The Fund invests in H-Shares (securities of companies incorporated in the People's Republic of China (“PRC”) that are denominated in Hong Kong dollars and listed on the Hong Kong Exchange)
and B-Shares (securities of companies incorporated in the PRC and listed for foreign investment on stock exchanges in the PRC). The Fund also invests in certain Hong Kong listed securities known as Red-Chips (securities issued by companies
incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by entities owned by the national government or local governments in the PRC and derive substantial revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC) and
P-Chips (securities issued by companies incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by individuals in the PRC and derive substantial revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC). Securities
listed on the Shanghai or Shenzhen stock exchanges are divided into two classes: A-Shares, which are mostly limited to domestic investors and denominated in renminbi, and B-Shares, which are allocated for both international and domestic investors
and denominated in U.S. dollars on the Shanghai exchange and Hong Kong dollars on the Shenzhen exchange. The B-Shares market is generally smaller, less liquid and has a smaller issuer base than the A-Shares market, which may lead to significant
price volatility. B-Shares, A-Shares, P-Chips or Red-Chips of issuers that also issue A-Shares may trade at significant discounts to their A-Shares counterparts. The issuance of B-Shares and H-Shares by Chinese companies and the ability to obtain a
“back-door listing” through Red-Chips or P-Chips is still regarded by the Chinese authorities as an experiment in economic reform. “Back-door listing” is a means by which a mainland Chinese company issues Red-Chips or P-Chips
to obtain quick access to international listing and international capital. All of these share mechanisms are relatively untested and subject to political and economic policy in China.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater
market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, political and economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on
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foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found in
more developed markets. Moreover, emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, less reliable securities valuation and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. In addition,
emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large amounts of
foreign trade and investment.
Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The
Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences
for the Fund. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”), the Fund’s securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund’s
securities lending program.
Security Risk. Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or other defense concerns. These situations may
cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect their economies.
Structural Risk. Certain
emerging market countries are subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability.
Economic Risk. Some emerging
market countries have experienced currency devaluations and substantial (and, in some cases, extremely high) rates of inflation, while others have experienced economic recessions causing a negative effect on the economies and securities markets of
such emerging countries.
Expropriation Risk. Investing in emerging market countries involves a great risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of
capital invested by certain emerging market countries.
Political and Social Risk.
Some governments in emerging market countries are authoritarian in nature or have been installed or removed as a result of military coups, and some governments have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace
and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, may exacerbate social unrest, violence and/or labor unrest in some emerging market countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and
significant investment losses.
Telecommunications
Sector Risk. The telecommunications sector of a country's economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required
regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and
prices, can be
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arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sector may
encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in developing new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of
certain telecommunications companies obsolete.
Tracking
Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s
portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the intrinsic value of a security at the time of calculation of the NAV),
transaction costs, the Fund holding uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened
during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. FUNDS THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN
EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER INDEX ETFS THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.
U.S. Economic Risk. The United
States is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of certain markets in which the Fund invests. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rates or an economic slowdown in
the United States may have an adverse impact on these markets and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Valuation Risk. The sale price
the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets, or that
are valued using a fair value methodology. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be
able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation
as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the
Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
Workforce Risk. The composition
of a country’s workforce or the demographics of a country used by the index methodology for country selection may not translate into the positive performance of any individual security or securities market.
A Further Discussion of Other Risks
The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated
with its investments and investment strategies.
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African Economic Risk.
Investing in the economies of African countries involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions, that may negatively affect the value of investments in
the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or
military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest.
The securities markets in Africa are underdeveloped and are
often considered to be less correlated to global economic cycles than markets located in more developed economies, countries or geographic regions. Securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market
volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover,
trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Certain governments in African countries may restrict or
control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment
by foreign investors; may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer; may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the
classes available for purchase by domestic investors of those countries; and/or may impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly
riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
Energy Sector Risk. The energy
sector of an economy is cyclical and highly dependent on energy prices. The market value of companies in the energy sector is strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, capital expenditures on
exploration and production of energy sources, energy conservation efforts, exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, increased competition and technological advances, among other factors. Companies in this sector may be
subject to substantial government regulation and contractual fixed pricing, which may increase the cost of doing business and limit the earnings of these companies. A significant portion of the revenues of these companies depends on a relatively
small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. As a result, governmental budget constraints may have a material adverse effect on the stock prices of companies in this sector. Energy companies may also operate in, or
engage in transactions involving countries with, less developed regulatory regimes or a history of expropriation, nationalization or other adverse policies. Energy companies also face a significant risk of liability from accidents resulting in
injury or loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental problems, equipment malfunctions or mishandling of materials and a risk of loss from terrorism, political strife and natural disasters. Any such event could have serious
consequences
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for
the general population of the affected area and could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s portfolio and the performance of the Fund. Energy companies can be significantly affected by the supply of, and demand for, specific products (e.g., oil and natural gas) and services, exploration and production spending, government subsidization, world events and general economic conditions.
Industrials Sector Risk. The
value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may
face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be
influenced by unpredictable factors.
Materials
Sector Risk. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor
relations and government regulations, among other factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market
imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns.
Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the
stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more
susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Middle Eastern Economic Risk.
Many Middle Eastern countries have little or no democratic tradition and the political and legal systems in such countries may adversely impact the companies in which the Fund invests and, as a result, the value of the Fund. Middle Eastern
governments have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. Many economies in the Middle East are highly reliant on income from the sale of oil or trade with countries involved in the sale of
oil, and their economies are therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency values. As global demand for oil fluctuates, many Middle Eastern economies may be significantly impacted. A sustained decrease in commodity
prices could have a significant negative impact on all aspects of the economy in the region. Middle Eastern economies may be subject to acts of terrorism, political strife, religious, ethnic or socioeconomic unrest and sudden outbreaks of
hostilities with neighboring countries.
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Certain Middle Eastern countries have strained relations with
other Middle Eastern countries due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, religious tensions or defense concerns, which may adversely affect the economies of these countries. Certain Middle Eastern countries experience significant
unemployment, as well as widespread underemployment.
Recently, many Middle Eastern countries have experienced
political, economic and social unrest as protestors have called for widespread reform. Some of these protests have resulted in a governmental regime change. If further regime changes were to occur in any of these countries, the new government may
not immediately stabilize such country, which could adversely affect the economies of Middle Eastern countries in which the Fund invests and could decrease the value of the Fund’s investments.
North American Economic Risk. A
decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country may have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in
which the Fund invests.
The United States is
Mexico's largest trading and investment partner. The Mexican economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the
United States and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities
held by the Fund.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the Company'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 (1-800-474-2737).
Management
Investment Adviser. As
investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Company. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund’s assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may
draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other
investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and
the Company (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses.
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For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA will be
paid a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.67%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating
Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). As of December 31, 2014, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $4.65 trillion. BFA and its 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 Company's Board of
Directors' (the “Board”) approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA will be available in the Fund's semi-annual report for the six-month period ending February 28.
Portfolio Managers. Matthew
Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage 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 his or her portfolio management 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 that have more limited responsibilities.
Matthew Goff has been employed by BFA and BTC (formerly,
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (“BGI”)) as a portfolio manager since 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Goff was a portfolio manager from 2007 to 2008 for US Trust, a product manager from 2006 to 2007 for Iris Financial Solutions and a product
manager from 2003 to 2006 for MSCI Barra. Mr. Goff has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception.
Diane Hsiung has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsiung was a portfolio manager from 2002 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsiung has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception.
Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for BGFA and BGI. Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception.
Greg Savage has been employed by BFA and BTC as a senior
portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA and BGI. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since its inception.
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. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
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Conflicts of Interest. BFA
wants you to know that it has relationships with certain entities that may give rise to conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest. These entities are BFA’s affiliates, including BlackRock and The PNC Financial Services
Group, Inc., and each of their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees (collectively, the “Affiliates”).
The activities of BFA and the Affiliates in the management of,
or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and the Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and
discretionary managed accounts that may follow an investment program similar to that of the Fund. BFA and the Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the
ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more of the Affiliates acts, or may act, as an investor, investment banker, research provider,
investment manager, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities and other instruments
in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from,
entities for which BFA or an Affiliate seeks to perform investment banking or other services.
BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading
and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund, including in securities
issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are adverse to
those of the Fund.
No Affiliate is under any obligation
to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. As a result of this and several other factors, the results of the Fund's investment
activities may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading
for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
The Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in
which BFA’s or an Affiliate’s clients have an interest adverse to the Fund. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by Affiliate-advised clients may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Affiliate-advised clients or BFA may
have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.
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The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory
restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. In addition, the Fund may invest in securities of companies with which an Affiliate has developed or is trying to develop
investment banking relationships or in which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund also may invest in securities of companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research
coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase, distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may
receive compensation for such services. The Fund may also make brokerage and other payments to Affiliates in connection with the Fund's portfolio investment transactions.
Pursuant to a securities lending program approved by the Board,
the Fund has retained an Affiliate of BFA to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund,
including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund’s investment of the cash received as collateral for any loaned securities. BFA may receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of cash collateral. In addition, one or more
Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
The activities of BFA or the Affiliates may give rise to other
conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the Fund's SAI for further information.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares.
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. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section) may
engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange
for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly traded companies. The Company does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange. The
Fund's shares trade under the trading symbol “EMWK.”
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types
of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. The commission is frequently a fixed amount
and may be a significant
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proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of
shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market
liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The
Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
The Board 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 generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions
that are in-kind and/or for cash, subject to the conditions described below under Creations and Redemptions. The Board has not adopted a policy of monitoring for other frequent trading activity because shares
of the Fund are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.
The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are
listed is open for trading 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. The Fund’s primary Listing Exchange is NYSE Arca.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by
investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. 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 SEC rules
or in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Company. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) pursuant to the exemptive relief obtained by the Company, the registered
investment company must enter into an agreement with the Company.
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 shares of the Fund. DTC participants include 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
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participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other
securities that you hold in book-entry or “street name” form.
Share Prices. The trading
prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund,
economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of the Fund, also known as the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading
day by the national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange
for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time or the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV
should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the Fund's NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally 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 quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States. The Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the
calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and makes no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (“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 Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing
market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market
or exchange. 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.
The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities
held by the Fund are determined pursuant to valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. The Fund's assets and liabilities are valued on the basis of market quotations, when readily available.
Equity investments are valued at market value, which is
generally determined using the last reported official closing price or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation.
The Fund invests in non-U.S. securities. Foreign currency
exchange rates are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Non-U.S. securities held by the Fund may trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares. As a result, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when
Authorized Participants will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares.
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Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government
securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are
determined as of such times.
When market quotations are
not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value. Fair value determinations are made by BFA in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Company's Board. BFA may
conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of liquidity, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations
or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, or where there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. A “significant event” is an
event that, in the judgment of BFA, is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the asset or liability held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or
highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm’s-length
transaction. Valuing the Fund’s investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which
the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn,
could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
The value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S.
currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the
Fund’s ability to track the Underlying Index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. Dividends
from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Company may make distributions on a
more frequent basis for the Fund. The Company reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) or
to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund are
distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC
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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 Company. 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.
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, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of
an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your
investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions.
Distributions from the Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable
to you as 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. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate
of 15% for non-corporate shareholders with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married and filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for individuals with any income above these amounts that is net long-term capital gain
or qualified dividend income. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on “net investment income,” including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding
$200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are
attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period
requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend
income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States, which includes an exchange of information program, or if the
stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is
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readily tradable on an established United States securities market. The term
excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are
qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC. It is expected that dividends received by the Fund from a REIT and distributed to a shareholder generally will be
taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income.
For a
dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during
the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before
such date.
In general, your distributions are subject to
U.S. 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 the Fund’s distributions exceed current and
accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in
excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. 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. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the
shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United
States or if you are a non-U.S. 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
that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain
information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names,
addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S.
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accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts
maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders,
or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and
taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with
respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of
the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may “pass through” to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have
received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal
income tax.
If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant
to a securities lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of
the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, thereby limiting a U.S. person's ability to use such credits.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by
law, back-up withholding at a 28% rate 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 Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one
year or less is generally treated as 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. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in “net investment income” for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned
above.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of
the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal
tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
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Brazilian Tax Disclosure. With
respect to Brazil, a 6% Imposto sobre Operacões Financeiras (“IOF”) tax, with the rate subject to change, applies to certain foreign exchange inflows into Brazil. A previous 1% IOF tax on currency derivatives has been eliminated. A
previous 1.5% IOF tax applicable to the creation of new American or Global Depositary Receipt issuances with respect to Brazilian equities and a previous 0.38% IOF tax applicable to the cancellation of American or Global Depositary Receipts if the
underlying equities are issued in the Brazil (local) markets have been removed. If incurred by the Fund, an IOF tax would not be creditable against U.S. income tax liability.
Chinese Tax Disclosure.
Although the People's Republic of China's enactment of the Enterprise Income Tax Law, effective January 1, 2008, provided a 10% withholding tax upon non-residents with respect to capital gains, significant uncertainties remain regarding this law.
Such uncertainties may result in capital gains imposed upon the Fund relative to companies headquartered, managed or listed in China. While the application and enforcement of this law to the Fund remains subject to clarification, to the extent that
such taxes are imposed on any capital gains of the Fund relative to companies headquartered, managed or listed in China, the Fund's NAV or returns may be adversely impacted.
Creations and Redemptions.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund 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” or
“Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), an affiliate of BFA.
A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the
transfer agent, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash
approximating the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. To the extent practicable, the composition of such portfolio generally corresponds pro rata to the holdings of the
Fund. However, creation and redemption baskets may differ.
Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units,
generally for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the Fund and a specified amount of cash. Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund.
The
prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation
Units directly with the Fund.
In the event of a system
failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund
may not be able to place or change orders.
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To the extent the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the
Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any securities used
to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified
institutional buyer,” as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
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 has executed an agreement with the Distributor 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 Fund's 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 1933 Act, may be occurring. 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is
an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
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(a)(3)(C) of the
1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is
available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The
standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are charged on each Creation Unit created or redeemed, as applicable, by an Authorized Participant on the day
of the transaction. The standard transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased or redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses
associated with the creation or redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of cash, the Authorized Participant may be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to
the maximum amounts shown in the table below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to a creation or redemption transaction. Investors who use the services
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of a
broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of Fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of January 26, 2015, the
approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional charges for creations and redemptions (as described above):
| Approximate
Value of a Creation Unit |
Creation
Unit Size |
Standard
Creation/ Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Creations* |
Maximum
Additional Charge for Redemptions* | ||||
| $1,250,000 | 50,000 | $10,600 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive, in the case of redemptions, of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a purchase or redemption consists solely or partially of
cash and the Fund places a brokerage transaction for portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer
with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through a brokerage execution guarantee, as further described in the Fund’s SAI.
Householding. Householding is
an option available to certain Fund investors. 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. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are
currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the
Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The
Distributor’s principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
BFA or its Affiliates make payments to broker-dealers,
registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and
reporting systems, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund.
Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its Affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A
financial intermediary may make decisions about which
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investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services
provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or
other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the Fund's SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding
any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its Affiliates.
Financial Highlights
Financial highlights for the Fund are not available because, as
of the effective date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations, and therefore has no financial highlights to report.
Index Provider
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools
to investors globally. MSCI products and services include indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools. MSCI is not affiliated with the Company, BFA, State Street, the Distributor or any of their respective
affiliates.
BFA or its affiliates have entered into a
license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Company at no charge.
Disclaimers
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI or
any affiliate of MSCI. Neither MSCI nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in funds generally or in the Fund
particularly or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general stock market performance. MSCI is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of MSCI and of the Underlying Index, which is determined, composed and
calculated by MSCI without regard to the issuer of the Fund or the Fund. MSCI has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer of the Fund or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index.
MSCI is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither
MSCI nor any other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR
USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES
ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, LICENSEE'S CUSTOMERS AND COUNTERPARTIES, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDEXES
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OR ANY
DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI NOR ANY OTHER PARTY MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND MSCI HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI OR ANY OTHER PARTY 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.
Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by
NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca 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 Underlying Index or the
ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing
of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca 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.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness
of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Company on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee’s customers and counterparties, owners of the shares
of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby
expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca 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.
The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to
future performance. BFA does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA makes no warranty, express or
implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA
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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For more information visit www.iShares.com or call
1-800-474-2737
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and other
information can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about 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 any questions about the Company or shares of the
Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI free of charge, please:
| Call: | 1-800-iShares
or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) |
| Email: | iSharesETFs@blackrock.com |
| Write: | c/o
BlackRock Investments, LLC 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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 website 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 to the SEC's Public
Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
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 this Prospectus for future reference.
©2015 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09102
IS-P-EMWK-0615
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iShares®, Inc.
Statement of Additional Information
Dated March 1, 2015
(as revised June 22, 2015)
(as revised June 22, 2015)
This combined Statement of Additional Information
(“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectuses (each, a “Prospectus” and collectively, the “Prospectuses”) for the following funds of iShares, Inc. (the
“Company”):
| Funds | Ticker | Stock Exchange | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF | CEMB | BATS | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF | EMHY | BATS | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | LEMB | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | HYXU | BATS | ||
| iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | GHYG | BATS |
The Prospectuses for the
above-listed funds (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) are dated March 1, 2015, as amended and supplemented from time to time. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the
applicable Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. The Financial Statements and Notes contained in the applicable Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report of the Company for the Funds are incorporated by reference into and are deemed to be part of this SAI.
A copy of each Fund's Prospectus, Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report may be obtained without charge by writing to the Company's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor” or “BRIL”), 1 University Square
Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or visiting www.iShares.com. Each Fund's Prospectus is incorporated by reference into this SAI.
References to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the “Investment Company Act” or the “1940 Act”), or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”), SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.
iShares® is a registered trademark of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
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General Description of the Company and the Funds
The Company currently consists of more than 60 investment
series or portfolios. The Company was organized as a Maryland corporation on September 1, 1994 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Company is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940
Act. The offering of the Company's shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). This SAI relates to the following Funds:
| • | iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF |
| • | iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF |
| • | iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF |
| • | iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF |
| • | iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF |
Each Fund is managed by BlackRock Fund Advisors
(“BFA”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc., and generally seeks to track the investment results of the specific benchmark index identified in the applicable Prospectus for that Fund (each, an “Underlying
Index”). BlackRock International Limited, an affiliate of BFA, serves as the sub-adviser (the “Sub-Adviser”) to the iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares
Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF.
Each Fund offers
and issues shares at their net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (“Creation Units”), generally in exchange for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of
such securities for which cash may be substituted) included in its Underlying Index (the “Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”). Shares of the Funds are listed for
trading on national securities exchanges such as BATS Exchange, Inc. (“BATS”) or NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) (each, a “Listing Exchange”). Shares of each Fund are traded in the secondary market and elsewhere at
market prices that may be at, above or below the Fund's NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Units, and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a Cash Component. Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares,
generally ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 shares or multiples thereof.
The Company reserves the right to permit or require that
creations and redemptions of shares are effected fully or partially in cash. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities, subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain with the Company a cash deposit equal
to at least 105% and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change from time to time, of the market value of the omitted Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI.
Transaction fees and other costs associated with creations or redemptions that include a cash portion may be higher than the transaction fees and other costs associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, conditions and fees will be
limited in accordance with the requirements of SEC rules and regulations 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 each Fund is contained in the Shareholder Information section of each Fund's Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section
of the applicable Prospectus.
Shares of each Fund are
listed for trading, and trade throughout the day, on the applicable Listing Exchange and other secondary markets. Shares of the Funds may also be listed on certain non-U.S. exchanges. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing
Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of any Fund will continue to be met. The Listing Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares of a Fund from listing if (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the
commencement of trading of Fund shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days, (ii) the value of the Underlying Index on which a Fund is based is no longer calculated or available,
(iii) the “indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”) of the Fund is no longer calculated or available, or (iv) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes
further dealings
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on
the Listing Exchange inadvisable. The Listing Exchange will also remove shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you
buy or sell shares through a broker, you will incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker.
In order to provide additional information regarding the
indicative value of shares of the Funds, the Listing Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association, or through other widely disseminated means, an updated IOPV
for the Funds as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Company is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IOPVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of
the IOPVs.
An IOPV has a fixed-income securities
component and a cash component. The fixed-income securities values included in an IOPV are the values of the Deposit Securities for a Fund. While the IOPV reflects the current value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection
with the purchase of a Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the Fund may include securities that
are not a part of the current Deposit Securities. Therefore, a Fund’s IOPV disseminated during the Listing Exchange trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the Fund’s NAV, which is calculated only once a day.
The cash component included in an IOPV consists of estimated
accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses. If applicable, each IOPV also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the applicable currency.
The Company reserves the right to adjust the share prices of
the Funds 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 Funds or an investor's equity
interest in the Funds.
Investment Strategies and
Risks
Each Fund seeks to achieve its objective by
investing primarily in both fixed-income securities that comprise its relevant Underlying Index and through transactions that provide substantially similar exposure to securities in the Underlying Index. Each Fund operates as an index fund and will
not be actively managed. Adverse performance of a security in a Fund’s portfolio will ordinarily not result in the elimination of the security from the Fund’s portfolio.
Each Fund engages in representative sampling, which is
investing in a sample of securities selected by BFA to have a collective investment profile similar to that of the Fund's Underlying Index. Securities selected have aggregate investment characteristics (based on market capitalization and industry
weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as yield, credit rating, maturity and duration) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. A fund that uses representative sampling generally does not hold all of the securities
that are in its underlying index.
Although the Funds do
not seek leveraged returns, certain instruments used by the Funds may have a leveraging effect as described below.
Each Fund generally will invest at least 90% of its assets in
the component securities of its Underlying Index and may invest up to 10% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates
(“BlackRock Cash Funds”), as well as in securities not included in its Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track its Underlying Index. From time to time when conditions warrant, however, each Fund may invest at
least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its Underlying Index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of BlackRock Cash Funds, as well as in
securities not included in its Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track its Underlying Index.
Bonds. Each Fund, other
than the iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, invests a substantial portion of its assets in U.S. dollar-denominated bonds. The
iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF invest a substantial portion of their assets in non-U.S.
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dollar denominated bonds. A bond is an interest-bearing security issued by a
U.S. or non-U.S. company, or U.S. or non-U.S. governmental unit. The issuer of a bond has a contractual obligation to pay interest at a stated rate on specific dates and to repay principal (the bond’s face value) periodically or on a specified
maturity date. Bonds generally are used by corporations and governments to borrow money from investors.
An issuer may have the right to redeem or “call” a
bond before maturity, in which case a fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower market rates. Similarly, a fund may have to reinvest interest income or payments received when bonds mature, sometimes at lower market rates. Most bonds bear
interest income at a “coupon” rate that is fixed for the life of the bond. The value of a fixed-rate bond usually rises when market interest rates fall, and falls when market interest rates rise. Accordingly, a fixed-rate bond’s
yield (income as a percent of the bond’s current value) may differ from its coupon rate as its value rises or falls. When an investor purchases a fixed-rate bond at a price that is greater than its face value, the investor is purchasing the
bond at a premium. Conversely, when an investor purchases a fixed-rate bond at a price that is less than its face value, the investor is purchasing the bond at a discount. Fixed-rate bonds that are purchased at a discount pay less current income
than securities with comparable yields that are purchased at face value, with the result that prices for such fixed-rate securities can be more volatile than prices for such securities that are purchased at face value. Other types of bonds bear
interest at an interest rate that is adjusted periodically. Interest rates on “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds may be higher or lower than current market rates for fixed-rate bonds of comparable quality with similar
final maturities. Because of their adjustable interest rates, the value of “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds fluctuates much less in response to market interest rate movements than the value of fixed-rate bonds, but
their value may decline if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Each Fund may treat some of these bonds as having a shorter maturity for purposes of calculating the weighted average maturity of its
investment portfolio. Generally, prices of higher quality issues tend to fluctuate less with changes in market interest rates than prices of lower quality issues and prices of longer maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter
maturity issues. Bonds may be senior or subordinated obligations. Senior obligations generally have the first claim on a corporation’s earnings and assets and, in the event of liquidation, are paid before subordinated obligations. Bonds may be
unsecured (backed only by the issuer’s general creditworthiness) or secured (backed by specified collateral).
Borrowing. Each Fund may
borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. Under normal market conditions, any borrowing by a Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net
assets; however, each Fund generally does not intend to borrow money.
The purchase of securities while borrowings are outstanding
may have the effect of leveraging a Fund. The incurrence of leverage increases a Fund’s exposure to risk, and borrowed funds are subject to interest costs that will reduce net income. Purchasing securities while borrowings are outstanding
creates special risks, such as the potential for greater volatility in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the yield on a Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the interest expenses from borrowings may exceed the income generated by a
Fund’s portfolio and, therefore, the amount available (if any) for distribution to shareholders as dividends may be reduced. BFA may determine to maintain outstanding borrowings if it expects that the benefits to a Fund’s shareholders
will outweigh the current reduced return.
Certain types
of borrowings by a Fund may result in a Fund being subject to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage, portfolio composition requirements and other matters. It is not anticipated that observance of such covenants would impede BFA
from managing a Fund’s portfolio in accordance with a Fund’s investment objectives and policies. However, a breach of any such covenants not cured within the specified cure period may result in acceleration of outstanding indebtedness
and require a Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
Brady Bonds. Certain of
the Funds may invest in Brady bonds. Brady bonds are securities created through the exchange of existing commercial bank loans to public and private entities in certain emerging markets for new bonds in connection with debt restructurings. Brady
bonds have been issued since 1989. In light of the history of defaults of countries issuing Brady bonds on their commercial bank loans, investments in Brady bonds may be viewed as speculative and subject to the same risks as emerging market
securities. Brady bonds may be fully or partially collateralized or uncollateralized, are issued in various currencies (but primarily the U.S. dollar) and are actively traded in over-the-counter (“OTC”) secondary markets. Incomplete
collateralization of interest or principal payment obligations results in increased credit risk. U.S. dollar-denominated collateralized Brady bonds, which may be either fixed-rate or floating rate bonds, are generally collateralized by U.S. Treasury
securities.
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Corporate Bonds. Certain
of the Funds may invest in investment-grade and/or high yield corporate bonds. The investment return of corporate bonds reflects interest earned on the security and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate bond
may be affected by changes in the market rate of interest, the credit rating of the corporation, the corporation’s performance and perceptions of the corporation in the market place. There is a risk that the issuers of the securities may not
be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument.
Diversification Status.
Each Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” A non-diversified fund is a fund that 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 (or securities of issuers in particular industries) may dominate the underlying index of such a fund and, consequently, the fund’s investment portfolio. This may adversely affect a fund’s performance or
subject the fund’s shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by more diversified investment companies.
Each Fund intends to maintain the required level of
diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for purposes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and to relieve
the Fund of any liability for U.S. federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders, provided that the Fund satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the
Internal Revenue Code may limit the investment flexibility of certain Funds and may make it less likely that the Funds will meet their respective investment objectives.
Futures and Options.
Futures contracts and options may be used by a Fund to simulate investment in its Underlying Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. Each Fund may enter into futures contracts and options that are traded on a U.S. or
non-U.S. exchange. Each Fund will not use futures or options for speculative purposes. Each Fund intends to use futures and options in accordance with Rule 4.5 of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”). BFA, with respect to certain funds,
has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that BFA, in respect of such Funds, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the
CEA. See the Regulation Regarding Derivatives section of this SAI for more information.
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. Each Fund may enter into futures contracts to purchase securities indexes when BFA anticipates purchasing the
underlying securities and believes prices will rise before the purchase will be made. To the extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
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 an exercise 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. Each 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. Each 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. Investments in futures contracts and other investments that contain leverage may require each Fund to maintain liquid assets. Generally,
each Fund maintains an amount of liquid assets equal to its obligations relative to the position involved, adjusted daily on a marked-to-market basis. With respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to “cash-settle,”
each Fund maintains liquid assets in an amount at least equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market obligation (i.e., each Fund’s daily net liability, if any), rather than the contracts’
notional value (i.e., the value of the underlying asset). By maintaining assets equal to its net obligation under cash-settled futures contracts, each Fund may employ leverage to a greater extent than if the
Fund set aside assets equal to the futures contracts’ full notional value. Each Fund bases its asset maintenance policies on methods permitted by the SEC staff and may modify these policies in the future to comply with any changes in the
guidance articulated from time to time by the SEC or its staff.
High Yield Securities.
Non-investment grade or “high yield” fixed income or convertible securities commonly known to investors as “junk bonds” or “high yield bonds” are debt securities that are rated below investment grade by the
major rating agencies or are unrated securities that Fund management believes are of comparable quality. While generally providing greater income and opportunity for gain, non-investment grade debt securities may be subject to greater risks than
securities that have higher credit ratings, including a high risk of default, and their yields will fluctuate over time. High yield securities will generally be in the lower rating categories of recognized rating agencies (rated “Ba” or
lower by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”) or “BB” or lower by Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”) or Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services) or will be
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unrated. The credit rating of a high yield security does not necessarily
address its market value risk, and ratings may from time to time change, positively or negatively, to reflect developments regarding the issuer’s financial condition. High yield securities are considered to be speculative with respect to the
capacity of the issuer to timely repay principal and pay interest in accordance with the terms of the obligation and may have more credit risk than higher rated securities.
The major risks of high yield bond investments include the
following:
| • | High yield bonds may be issued by less creditworthy companies. These securities are vulnerable to adverse changes in the issuer’s industry and to general economic conditions. Issuers of high yield bonds may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments or the unavailability of additional financing. |
| • | The issuers of high yield bonds may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade bonds. If the issuer experiences financial stress, it may be unable to meet its debt obligations. The issuer’s ability to pay its debt obligations also may be lessened by specific issuer developments, or the unavailability of additional financing. Issuers of high yield securities are often in the growth stage of their development and/or involved in a reorganization or takeover. |
| • | High yield bonds are frequently ranked junior to claims by other creditors. If the issuer cannot meet its obligations, the senior obligations are generally paid off before the junior obligations, which will potentially limit a Fund’s ability to fully recover principal or to receive interest payments when senior securities are in default. Thus, investors in high yield securities frequently have a lower degree of protection with respect to principal and interest payments than do investors in higher rated securities. |
| • | High yield bonds frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from a Fund before it matures. If an issuer redeems the high yield bonds, a Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income. |
| • | Prices of high yield bonds are subject to extreme fluctuations. Negative economic developments may have a greater impact on the prices of high yield bonds than on those of other higher rated fixed income securities. |
| • | High yield bonds may be less liquid than higher rated fixed income securities even under normal economic conditions. Under certain economic and/or market conditions, a Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain high yield securities due to the limited number of investors in that sector of the market. There are fewer dealers in the high yield bond market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for high yield bonds by dealers, and such quotations may not be the actual prices available for a purchase or sale. Because high yield bonds are less liquid, judgment may play a greater role in the prices and values generated for such securities than in the case of securities trading in a more liquid market. |
| • | The secondary markets for high yield securities are not as liquid as the secondary markets for higher rated securities. The secondary markets for high yield securities are concentrated in relatively few market makers and participants in the markets are mostly institutional investors, including insurance companies, banks, other financial institutions and mutual funds. In addition, the trading volume for high yield securities is generally lower than that for higher rated securities and the secondary markets could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. Under certain economic and/or market conditions, a Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain high yield securities due to the limited number of investors in that sector of the market. A less liquid secondary market may adversely affect the market price of the high yield security, which may result in increased difficulty selling the particular issue and obtaining accurate market quotations on the issue when valuing a Fund’s assets. Market quotations on high yield securities are available only from a limited number of dealers, and such quotations may not be the actual prices available for a purchase or sale. When the secondary market for high yield securities becomes more illiquid, or in the absence of readily available market quotations for such securities, the relative lack of reliable objective data makes it more difficult to value such securities, and judgment plays a more important role in determining such valuations. |
| • | A Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer. |
| • | The high yield bond markets may react strongly to adverse news about an issuer or the economy, or to the perception or expectation of adverse news, whether or not it is based on fundamental analysis. Additionally, prices for high yield securities may be affected by legislative and regulatory developments. These developments could adversely affect a Fund’s net asset value and investment practices, the secondary market for high yield securities, |
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| the financial condition of issuers of these securities and the value and liquidity of outstanding high yield securities, especially in a thinly traded market. For example, federal legislation requiring the divestiture by federally insured savings and loan associations of their investments in high yield bonds and limiting the deductibility of interest by certain corporate issuers of high yield bonds adversely affected the market in the past. |
Illiquid Securities.
Each Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment). Illiquid securities may include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other
instruments that lack readily available markets, as determined in accordance with SEC staff guidance. The liquidity of a security relates to the ability to readily dispose of the security and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the
security, which may be lower than the price that would be obtained for a comparable, more liquid security. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount to comparable, more liquid securities and may impair a Fund’s ability to dispose of
securities in a timely fashion at their expected price.
Lending Portfolio Securities.
Each Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain borrowers determined to be creditworthy by BFA, including borrowers affiliated with BFA. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an amount at least equal to the current market
value of the securities loaned. No securities loan shall be made on behalf of a Fund if, as a result, the aggregate value of all securities loaned by the particular Fund exceeds one-third of the value of such Fund's total assets (including the value
of the collateral received). A Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned. Each 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 may be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash collateral. The Funds are 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, a 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
the lending Fund or through one or more joint accounts or money market funds, including those affiliated with BFA; such investments are subject to investment risk.
Each Fund conducts its securities lending pursuant to an
exemptive order from the SEC permitting it to lend portfolio securities to borrowers affiliated with the Fund and to retain an affiliate of the Fund as lending agent. To the extent that a Fund engages in securities lending, BlackRock Institutional
Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”) acts as securities lending agent for the Fund, subject to the overall supervision of BFA. BTC administers the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the Company's Board of Directors (the
“Board” or the “Directors”).
Each Fund retains a portion of the securities lending income
and remits the remaining portion to BTC as compensation for its services as securities lending agent. Securities lending income is equal to the total of income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral (and excludes collateral investment fees
as defined below), and any fees or other payments to and from borrowers of securities. As securities lending agent, BTC bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending. Each Fund is responsible for fees in connection with the
investment of cash collateral received for securities on loan in a money market fund managed by BFA however, BTC has agreed to reduce the amount of securities lending income it receives in order to effectively limit the collateral investment fees
the Fund bears to an annual rate of 0.04% (the “collateral investment fees”). Such money market fund shares will not be subject to a sales load, redemption fee, distribution fee or service fee.
Pursuant to the current securities lending agreement:
(i) Fixed income funds, such as the Funds, retain 80% of
securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees) and (ii) this amount can never be less than 70% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
Under the securities lending program, the Funds are
categorized into one of several specific asset classes. The determination of a Fund’s asset class category (fixed income, domestic equity, international equity or fund-of-funds), each of which may be subject to a different fee arrangement, is
based on a methodology agreed to by the Company and BTC.
In addition, commencing the business day following the date
that the aggregate securities lending income (which includes, for this purpose, collateral investment fees) earned across the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (as defined under “Management—Directors and Officers”) in a calendar year exceeds the aggregate securities lending income earned across the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex in calendar year 2013 (the “Hurdle Date”), each fixed
income fund, pursuant to the securities lending agreement, will receive for the remainder of that calendar year securities lending income as follows:
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(i) 85% of securities lending income (which excludes
collateral investment fees) and (ii) this amount can never be less than 70% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
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 a Fund has agreed to pay a borrower), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risk. If a securities lending counterparty were to default, a Fund would be subject to the
risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. 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 do 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. This event could
trigger adverse tax consequences for a Fund. A Fund could lose money if its short-term investment of the collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Substitute payments for dividends received by a Fund for securities loaned out by the
Fund will not be considered qualified dividend income. BTC will take into account the tax effects on shareholders caused by this difference in connection with a Fund’s securities lending program. Substitute payments received on tax-exempt
securities loaned out will not be tax-exempt income.
Non-U.S. Securities.
Certain of the Funds invest in certain obligations or securities of non-U.S. issuers. An issuer of a security may be deemed to be located in a particular country if (i) the principal trading market for the
security is in such country, (ii) the issuer is organized under the laws of such country, (iii) the issuer derives at least 50% of its revenues or profits from such country or has at least 50% of its assets situated in such country or, (iv) the
issuer is the particular country.
Options on
Futures Contracts. Each Fund may invest in 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 each Fund. The potential for loss related to writing call options is unlimited. The potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to the agreed upon price per share, also known as the “strike
price,” less the premium received from writing the put.
Each Fund may purchase and write put and call options on
futures contracts that are traded on an 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, each 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 each 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 the expiration of a futures contract, each Fund may elect to close the position by taking an
opposite position, which will operate to terminate each Fund's existing position in the contract.
Privately-Issued Securities.
The iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF may invest in privately-issued securities,
including those that may be resold only in accordance with Rule 144A or Regulation S under the 1933 Act (“Restricted Securities”). Restricted Securities are not publicly-traded and are subject to a variety of restrictions, which limit a
purchaser's ability to acquire or resell such securities. Accordingly, the liquidity of the market for specific Restricted Securities may vary. Delay or difficulty in selling such securities may result in a loss to a Fund.
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Ratings. An
investment-grade rating means the security or issuer is rated investment-grade by Moody’s, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, Fitch, Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited (“Dominion”), or another credit rating agency designated
as a nationally-recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) by the SEC, or is unrated but considered to be of equivalent quality by BFA. Bonds rated Baa3 or above by Moody’s, BBBL or above by Dominion or BBB- or above by
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch are considered “investment-grade” securities, bonds rated Baa are considered medium grade obligations subject to moderate credit risk and may possess certain speculative characteristics,
while bonds rated BBB are regarded as having adequate capacity to meet financial commitments.
Subsequent to purchase by a Fund, a rated security may cease
to be rated or its rating may be reduced below an investment-grade rating. Bonds rated lower than Baa3 by Moody’s or BBB- by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services or Fitch are considered below investment-grade quality and are obligations of
issuers that are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal according to the terms of the obligation and, therefore, carry greater investment risk, including the possibility
of issuer default and bankruptcy and increased market price volatility. Such securities (“lower-rated securities”) are commonly referred to as “junk bonds” and are subject to a substantial degree of credit risk. Lower-rated
securities are often issued by smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) firms, which are generally less able than more financially stable firms to make scheduled payments of interest and principal. The risks posed by
securities issued under such circumstances are substantial. Bonds rated below investment-grade tend to be less marketable than higher-quality bonds because the market for them is less broad. The market for unrated bonds is even narrower. Please see
Appendix A of this SAI for a description of each rating category of Moody's, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, Fitch and Dominion.
Regulation Regarding Derivatives. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if a fund that is advised by the investment adviser either (i) invests,
directly or indirectly, more than a prescribed level of its liquidation value in CFTC-regulated futures, options and swaps (“CFTC Derivatives”), or (ii) markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. The CFTC
also subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if the registered investment company invests in one or more commodity pools. To the extent a Fund uses CFTC Derivatives, it intends to do so below such prescribed
levels and will not market itself as a “commodity pool” or a vehicle for trading such instruments.
BFA has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term
“commodity pool operator” under the CEA pursuant to Rule 4.5 under the CEA with respect to the iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF,
iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF. BFA is not, therefore, subject to registration or regulation as a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA with respect to the
Funds.
Repurchase Agreements. A repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser (i.e., a Fund) acquires the security and the
seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans
by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities will not be considered to be owned by a Fund but only to constitute
collateral for the seller’s obligation to pay the repurchase price, and, in the event of a default by the seller, the Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or losses in connection with the disposition of the collateral.
In any repurchase transaction, the collateral for a repurchase
agreement may include: (i) cash items; (ii) obligations issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities; or (iii) obligations that, at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into, are determined to (A) have exceptionally
strong capacity to meet their financial obligations and (B) are sufficiently liquid such that they can be sold at approximately their carrying value in the ordinary course of business within seven days.
Repurchase agreements pose certain risks for a Fund that
utilizes them. Such risks are not unique to the Funds, but are inherent in repurchase agreements. Each Fund seeks to minimize such risks, but because of the inherent legal uncertainties involved in repurchase agreements, such risks cannot be
eliminated. Lower quality collateral and collateral with longer maturities may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with shorter maturities. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to default,
lower quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterparty’s repurchase obligation, a Fund would retain
the status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty (i.e., the position a Fund
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would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies,
other unsecured debt securities of the defaulting counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, a Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements.
Reverse repurchase agreements 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. Generally, the effect of such
transactions is that a 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 advantageous only if a Fund has an opportunity to earn a rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions that is greater 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 a Fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only when BFA believes it will be
advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any increase or decrease in the value of a Fund’s assets. A Fund’s exposure to reverse repurchase agreements will be covered by liquid assets having a
value equal to or greater than such commitments. The use of reverse repurchase agreements is a form of leverage because the proceeds derived from reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities.
Securities of Investment Companies. Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) to the extent allowed by law, regulation, exemptive order or SEC staff guidance. 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. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, the Funds intend from time to time to invest their assets in securities of investment
companies, including but not limited to money market funds, including those advised by BFA or otherwise affiliated with BFA, in excess of the limits discussed above. Other investment companies in which a Fund invests can be expected to incur fees
and expenses for operations, such as investment advisory and administration fees, which would be in addition to those incurred by a Fund. Pursuant to guidance issued by the SEC staff, fees and expenses of money market funds used for cash collateral
received in connection with loans of securities are not treated as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which reflect a Fund’s pro rata share of
the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies (as disclosed in the Prospectus, as applicable).
Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments. Each Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including variable rate demand notes, short-term municipal securities, short-term municipal money market funds and money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to
provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds (including those advised by BFA or otherwise affiliated with BFA); (ii)
obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’ acceptances, fixed-time deposits
and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody's, “F-1” by Fitch or “A-1” by
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by BFA; (v) 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 satisfy the rating requirements set
forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of BFA, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S.
banks which may be purchased by a Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest
rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations. Certain of the Funds may invest in sovereign and quasi-sovereign obligations. An investment in sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes
securities issued or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign government. Quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued or guaranteed by an entity affiliated with or backed by a sovereign government. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the
repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and a Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a default. Similar to other issuers, changes to financial condition or credit rating of a non-U.S.
government may cause the value of a sovereign debt to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt obligations may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations, which may affect a Fund's NAV. In the
past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments
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of
principal and interest and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several sovereign issuers have experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about rising government debt levels, including
Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. In the past, sovereign issuers have also defaulted on their debt obligations, including Russia, Argentina, Indonesia and Uruguay.
A sovereign debtor's willingness or ability to repay principal
and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its non-U.S. currency reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange, the relative size of the debt service burden, the
sovereign debtor's policy toward principal international lenders and local political constraints. Sovereign debtors may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and other entities to reduce
principal and interest arrears on their debt. The failure of a sovereign debtor to implement economic reforms, achieve specified levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of third-party
commitments to lend funds to the sovereign debtor, which may further impair such debtor's ability or willingness to service its debts. Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and less standardized than government debt.
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 performed on a net basis, with a Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of the
excess, if any, of a Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained by the
Fund.
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.
U.S.-Registered Securities of
Non-U.S. Issuers. Each Fund (other than the iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF and iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF) may invest in U.S.-registered, U.S. dollar-denominated
bonds of non-U.S. governments, agencies, supranational entities and corporate issuers. Investing in U.S.-registered, U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by non-U.S. issuers involves some risks and considerations not typically associated with
investing in U.S. issuers. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political
instability which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. In addition, the risk that the
issuer may fail to meet its obligations on these securities may be affected by fluctuations in non-U.S. currency exchange rates between the issuer's local currency and the U.S. dollar. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or
unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product (“GDP”), rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions.
Future Developments. The
Board may, in the future, authorize each Fund to invest in securities contracts and investments other than those listed in this SAI and in the Prospectus, provided they are consistent with each Fund's investment objective and do not violate any
investment restrictions or policies.
General
Considerations and Risks
A discussion of some of the
principal risks associated with an investment in a Fund is contained in each Fund's Prospectus. An investment in a 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 bonds in general, and other factors that affect the market.
Borrowing Risk.
Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on a Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost a Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may
reduce a Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause a Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
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Call Risk. During
periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Funds may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in a Fund having to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting
in a decline in the Fund's income.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and to the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less
developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets, and thus may be subject to limited or no government oversight. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses
of security certificates. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems. Practices in relation to the settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher
risks than those in developed markets, in part because of the use of brokers and counterparties that are often less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence,
undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being lost. In addition, the laws of certain countries may put
limits on a Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or an agent of any of the foregoing goes bankrupt. A Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such custody problems and may have no
successful claim for compensation.
Cyber Security
Risk. With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, each Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result
from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g.,
through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require
gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended
users). Cyber security failures by or breaches of a systems of the Fund’s adviser, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, index providers, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators),
market makers, Authorized Participants (as defined in the Portfolio Holdings Information section of this SAI) or the issuers of securities in which the Funds invest, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations,
potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with a Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory
fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the Funds have established
business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the
Funds cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Funds, issuers in which the Funds invest, market makers or Authorized Participants. The Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a
result.
Extension Risk. During periods of rising interest rates, certain obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply, resulting in a decline to a
Fund’s income and potentially in the value of a Fund’s investments.
Issuer Insolvency Risk.
Each Fund’s potential exposure to financially or operationally troubled issuers involves a high degree of credit and market risk, which may be heightened during an economic downturn or recession. Should an issuer of securities held by
each Fund become involved in a bankruptcy proceeding, reorganization or financial restructuring, a wide variety of considerations make an evaluation of the outcome of each Fund’s exposure to the issuer uncertain.
During the period of a bankruptcy proceeding, reorganization
or financial restructuring, it is unlikely that each Fund will receive any interest payments on the securities of the issuer, each Fund will be subject to significant uncertainty as to whether the reorganization will be completed, and each Fund may
bear certain extraordinary expenses to protect and recover its investment. Each Fund will also be subject to significant uncertainty as to when and in what manner and for what value the obligations evidenced by the securities of the issuer held by
each Fund will eventually be satisfied. Even if a plan of reorganization is adopted with respect to the securities of the issuer held by each Fund, there can be no assurance that the securities or other assets received by each Fund in connection
with such plan of reorganization will not have a lower value or income potential than may have been anticipated or no value. Each Fund as a creditor may be unable to enforce its claims or rights in any collateral or may have its claims or security
interest in any collateral challenged, disallowed or subordinated to
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the
claims or security interests of other creditors. In addition, amendments to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or other relevant laws could alter the expected outcome or introduce greater uncertainty regarding the outcome of each Fund’s securities
holdings in the issuer.In a bankruptcy proceeding, a reorganization or restructuring, the securities of the issuer held by each Fund could be re-characterized or each Fund may receive different securities or other assets, including equity
securities. These types of equity securities may include, for example: common stock; preferred stock (including convertible preferred stock); bonds, notes and debentures convertible into common or preferred stock; stock purchase warrants and rights;
equity interests in trusts; and depositary receipts. The value of equity securities received by each Fund could decline if the financial condition of the issuer deteriorates or if overall market and economic conditions, or conditions within the
issuer’s region or industry, deteriorate.
To the
extent that each Fund receives other assets in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding, reorganization or financial restructuring, each Fund may also be subject to additional risks associated with the assets received. One example of assets that each
Fund could receive is an interest in one or more loans made to the issuer as part of a workout agreed to by a consortium of lienholders and creditors of the issuer. Each Fund may receive such interests in loans to the extent permitted by the
Investment Company Act.
Securities or other assets
received in a reorganization typically entail a higher degree of risk than investments in securities of issuers that have not undergone a reorganization or restructuring and may be subject to heavy selling or downward pricing pressure after
completion of the reorganization or restructuring. The post-reorganization assets and securities may also be illiquid and difficult to sell or value. If each Fund participates in negotiations with respect to a plan of reorganization with respect to
securities of the issuer held by each Fund, each Fund also may be restricted from disposing such securities for a period of time. If each Fund becomes involved in such proceedings, each Fund may have more active participation in the affairs of the
issuer than that assumed generally by an investor.
Operational Risk. BFA
and a Funds' other service providers may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Funds. While service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, their methods
of operational risk management may differ from a Funds' in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. BFA, through its monitoring and oversight of service providers, seeks to ensure
that service providers take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors. However, it is not possible for BFA or the other Fund service providers to identify all of the operational risks
that may affect a Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.
Risk of 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, a commodity (such as gold or silver), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the
S&P 500 or the prime lending rate). Each Fund may invest in variable rate demand notes and obligations, and tender option bonds, which may be considered derivatives. Compared to conventional securities, derivatives can be more sensitive to
changes in interest rates or to sudden fluctuations in market prices and thus a Fund's losses may be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests only in conventional securities. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is
the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations.
Risk of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. 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 each 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 bond index future and the movement in the
relevant Underlying Index. In the event of adverse price movements, a Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if a 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, a Fund may be required to deliver the instruments underlying the futures contracts it has sold.
The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered
call options in some strategies (e.g., selling uncovered bond index futures contracts) is potentially unlimited. Each 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
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relative to the size of a required margin deposit. Each Fund, however,
intends to utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit its risk exposure to levels comparable to a direct investment in the types of bonds in which it invest.
Utilization of futures and options on futures by a Fund
involves the risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to its Underlying Index if the index underlying the futures contract differs from the Underlying Index. There is also the risk of loss by a Fund of margin deposits in the event of
bankruptcy of a broker with whom a Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option. The purchase of put or call options will be based upon predictions by BFA as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.
Because the futures market generally 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 each Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse price movements, each Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin.
Risk of Investing in Non-U.S. Debt Securities. The Funds may invest in non-U.S. debt securities. An issuer of a security may be deemed to be located in a particular country if (i) the principal trading market for the security is in such country, (ii) the issuer
is organized under the laws of such country, (iii) the issuer derives at least 50% of its revenues or profits from such country or has at least 50% of its assets situated in such country, or (iv) the issuer is the particular country. An investment
in a Fund involves risks associated with investing in a portfolio of debt securities traded on foreign exchanges and over-the-counter (“OTC”) in the respective countries covered by a Fund. These risks typically include market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in bond prices. Investing in a Fund whose portfolio contains non-U.S. issuers involves certain risks and considerations not
typically associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers. These risks include generally less liquid and less efficient securities markets; generally greater price volatility; less publicly-available information about issuers; the
imposition of withholding or other taxes; the imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of funds or other assets of a Fund; higher transaction and custody costs; delays and risks attendant in settlement procedures; difficulties in enforcing
contractual obligations; lower liquidity and significantly smaller market capitalization of most non-U.S. securities markets; different accounting and disclosure standards; lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; more substantial
government interference with the economy; higher rates of inflation; greater social, economic, and political uncertainty; and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets and risk of war.
The United States and the European Union (the
“EU”), along with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectoral
sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and
liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of a Fund to buy, sell, receive or
deliver those securities.
The sanctions against certain
Russian issuers include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by a Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently
subject to any restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of a Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes
impracticable or unlawful for a Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind
deposits of the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in a Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase a
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Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a
significant percentage of the Underlying Index, a Fund may not be able to effectively implement a representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its
Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result
in Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by a Fund. In the event of such a
freeze of any fund assets, including depositary receipts, a Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in a Fund receiving
substantially lower prices for its securities.
These
sanctions may also lead to changes in a fund’s Underlying Index. A fund’s index provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic
sanctions. In such an event, it is expected that a Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions,
the volatility that may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause a fund to invest in, or increase a fund’s investments in, depositary
receipts that represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Risk of Investing in Africa.
Investments in securities of issuers in certain African countries involve heightened risks including, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or
military involvement in governmental decision-making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest and, in certain countries, genocidal warfare.
Certain countries in Africa generally have less developed
capital markets than traditional emerging market countries, and, consequently, the risks of investing in foreign securities are magnified in such countries. Because securities markets of countries in Africa are generally underdeveloped and are less
correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries, securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume,
illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations and uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets. Moreover, trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Market volatility may also be heightened by the actions of a
small number of investors. Brokerage firms in certain countries in Africa may be fewer in number and less established than brokerage firms in more developed markets. Since a Fund may need to effect securities transactions through these brokerage
firms, the Fund is subject to the risk that these brokerage firms will not be able to fulfill their obligations to the Fund (i.e., counterparty risk). This risk is magnified to the extent that a Fund effects
securities transactions through a single brokerage firm or a small number of brokerage firms.
Certain governments in African countries restrict or control
to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment by foreign
investors and may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer, and may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes
available for purchase by domestic investors of the countries and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. A delay in obtaining a government approval or a license would delay investments in a particular country, and, as a result, a Fund may
not be able to invest in certain securities while approval is pending. The government of a particular country may also withdraw or decline to renew a license that enables a Fund to invest in such country. These factors make investing in issuers
located or operating in countries in Africa significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries, and any one of these factors could cause a decline in the value of a Fund’s investments. Issuers
located or operating in countries in Africa are not subject to the same rules and regulations as issuers located or operating in more developed countries. Therefore, there may be less financial and other information publicly available with regard to
issuers located or operating in countries in Africa and such issuers are not subject to the uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards applicable to issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
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In addition, governments of certain countries in Africa in
which a Fund may invest may levy withholding or other taxes on income such as dividends, interest and realized capital gains. Although in certain countries in Africa a portion of these taxes are recoverable, the non-recovered portion of foreign
withholding taxes will reduce the income received from investments in such countries.
Investment in countries in Africa may be subject to a greater
degree of risk associated with governmental approval in connection with the repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors. In addition, there is the risk that if an African country’s
balance of payments declines, such African country may impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances. Consequently, a Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, required governmental approval for
repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Fund of any restrictions on investments. Additionally, investments in countries in Africa may require a Fund to adopt special procedures, seek local government approvals or take other
actions, each of which may involve additional costs to the Fund.
Securities laws in many countries in Africa are relatively new
and unsettled and, consequently, there is a risk of rapid and unpredictable change in laws regarding foreign investment, securities regulation, title to securities and shareholder rights. Accordingly, foreign investors may be adversely affected by
new or amended laws and regulations. In addition, there may be no single centralized securities exchange on which securities are traded in certain countries in Africa and the systems of corporate governance to which issuers located in countries in
Africa are subject may be less advanced than those systems to which issuers located in more developed countries are subject, and therefore, shareholders of issuers located in such countries may not receive many of the protections available to
shareholders of issuers located in more developed countries. In circumstances where adequate laws and shareholder rights exist, it may not be possible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of the law. In addition, the enforcement of systems of
taxation at federal, regional and local levels in countries in Africa may be inconsistent and subject to sudden change.
Certain countries in Africa may be heavily dependent upon
international trade and, consequently, have been and may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries
with which they trade. These countries also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. Certain countries in Africa depend to a significant extent upon exports of primary
commodities such as gold, silver, copper and diamonds. These countries therefore are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices, which may be affected by a variety of factors. In addition, certain issuers located in countries in Africa in which a
Fund invests may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations, and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As a
result, an issuer may sustain damage to its reputation if it is identified as an issuer which operates in, or has dealings with, such countries. A Fund, as an investor in such issuers, will be indirectly subject to those risks.
The governments of certain countries in Africa may exercise
substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in such countries, which could have a negative impact on
private sector companies. There is also the possibility of diplomatic developments that could adversely affect investments in certain countries in Africa. Some countries in Africa may be affected by a greater degree of public corruption and crime,
including organized crime.
In addition, recent political
instability and protests in North Africa and the Middle East have caused significant disruptions to many industries. This instability has demonstrated that political and social unrest can spread quickly through the region, and that developments in
one country can influence the political events in neighboring countries. Some protests have turned violent, and civil war and political reconstruction in certain countries such as Libya poses a risk to investments in the region. Continued political
and social unrest in these regions may negatively affect the value of an investment in a Fund.
Risk of Investing in Asia.
Investments in securities of issuers in certain Asian countries involve risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in other regions. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or
nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision-making, armed conflict and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or
socio-economic unrest. Certain Asian economies have experienced rapid rates of economic growth and industrialization in recent years, and there is no assurance that these rates of economic growth and industrialization will be
maintained.
Certain Asian countries have
democracies with relatively short histories, which may increase the risk of political instability. These countries have faced political and military unrest, and further unrest could present a risk to their local economies and
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securities markets. Indonesia and the Philippines have each experienced
violence and terrorism, which has negatively impacted their economies. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two countries present the risk of war; in the recent past, these
tensions have escalated. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy and securities market. Increased political and social unrest in these geographic areas could adversely
affect the performance of investments in this region.
Certain governments in this region administer prices on
several basic goods, including fuel and electricity, within their respective countries. Certain governments may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector in their respective countries and may own or control many
companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in this region, which in turn could have a negative impact on private sector companies. There is also the possibility of diplomatic developments
adversely affecting investments in the region.
Corruption and the perceived lack of a rule of law in dealings
with international companies in certain Asian countries may discourage foreign investment and could negatively impact the long-term growth of certain economies in this region. In addition, certain countries in the region are experiencing high
unemployment and corruption, and have fragile banking sectors.
Some economies in this region are dependent on a range of
commodities, including oil, natural gas and coal. Accordingly, they are strongly affected by international commodity prices and particularly vulnerable to any weakening in global demand for these products. The market for securities in this region
may also be directly influenced by the flow of international capital, and by the economic and market conditions of neighboring countries. Adverse economic conditions or developments in neighboring countries may increase investors' perception of the
risk of investing in the region as a whole, which may adversely impact the market value of the securities issued by companies in the region.
Risk of Investing in Australasia. The economies of Australasia, which include Australia and New Zealand, are dependent on exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. This makes Australasian economies susceptible to fluctuations in the
commodity markets. Australasian economies are also increasingly dependent on their growing service industries. Australia and New Zealand are located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters, such as drought and
flooding. Any such event in the future could have a significant adverse impact on the economies of Australia and New Zealand and affect the value of securities held by a relevant Fund. The economies of Australia and New Zealand are dependent on
trading with certain key trading partners, including Asia, Europe and the United States. The Australia–U.S. Free Trade Agreement has significantly expanded the trading relationship between the United States and Australia. In 2003, Australia
and Singapore entered into the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (“SAFTA”). SAFTA is intended to further expand the economic relationship with Singapore, Australia’s largest trade and investment partner in Southeast Asia.
Thus, economic events in the United States, Asia, or in other key trading countries can have a significant economic effect on the Australian economy. The economies of Australia and New Zealand are heavily dependent on the mining sector. Passage of
new regulations limiting foreign ownership of companies in the mining sector or imposition of new taxes on profits of mining companies may dissuade foreign investment, and as a result, have a negative impact on companies to which a Fund has
exposure.
Risk of Investing in Central and South
America. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment
rates. In addition, commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for the regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events
in one country may have a significant adverse effect on other countries of these regions.
The governments of certain countries in Central and South
America may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in such countries, which could have a
negative impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Diplomatic developments may also adversely affect investments in certain countries in Central and South America. Some countries in Central and South America may be affected by public
corruption and crime, including organized crime.
Certain
countries in Central and South America may be heavily dependent upon international trade and, consequently, have been and may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values
and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. These countries also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they
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trade. In addition, certain issuers located in countries in Central and South
America in which the Fund invests may have dealings with countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. An
issuer may sustain damage to its reputation if it is identified as an issuer that has dealings with such countries. The Fund may be adversely affected if it invests in such issuers.
Risk of Investing in Eastern Europe. Investing in the securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe is highly speculative and involves risks not usually associated with investing in the more developed markets of Western Europe.
Political and economic reforms are too recent to establish a definite trend away from centrally planned economies and state-owned industries. In the past, some Eastern European governments have expropriated substantial amounts of private property,
and many claims of the property owners have never been fully settled.
Many Eastern European countries continue to move toward market
economies at different paces with different characteristics. Most Eastern European securities markets suffer from thin trading activity, dubious investor protections, and often a dearth of reliable corporate information. Information and transaction
costs, differential taxes, and sometimes political or transfer risk give a comparative advantage to the domestic investor rather than the foreign investor. In addition, these markets are particularly sensitive to social, political, economic, and
currency events in Russia and may suffer heavy losses as a result of their trading and investment links to the Russian economy and currency. Russia also may attempt to assert its influence in the region through economic or even military measures, as
it did with Georgia in the summer of 2008 and Ukraine in 2014. Eastern European economies may also be particularly susceptible to changes in the international credit markets due to their reliance on bank related inflows of capital. The global
economic crisis has restricted international credit supplies, and several Eastern European economies have faced significant credit and economic crises. Although some Eastern European economies are expanding again, major challenges are still present
as a result of their continued dependence on the Western European zone for credit.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market countries may be subject to greater risks than investments in developed countries. These risks include: (i) less social, political, and economic stability; (ii) greater illiquidity
and price volatility due to smaller or limited local capital markets for such securities, or low or non-existent trading volumes; (iii) foreign exchanges and broker-dealers may be subject to less scrutiny and regulation by local authorities; (iv)
local governments may decide to seize or confiscate securities held by foreign investors and/or local governments may decide to suspend or limit an issuer's ability to make dividend or interest payments; (v) local governments may limit or entirely
restrict repatriation of invested capital, profits, and dividends; (vi) capital gains may be subject to local taxation, including on a retroactive basis; (vii) issuers facing restrictions on dollar or euro payments imposed by local governments may
attempt to make dividend or interest payments to foreign investors in the local currency; (viii) investors may experience difficulty in enforcing legal claims related to the securities and/or local judges may favor the interests of the issuer over
those of foreign investors; (ix) bankruptcy judgments may only be permitted to be paid in the local currency; (x) limited public information regarding the issuer may result in greater difficulty in determining market valuations of the securities,
and (xi) lack of financial reporting on a regular basis, substandard disclosure and differences in accounting standards may make it difficult to ascertain the financial health of an issuer.
Emerging market securities markets are typically marked by a
high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of ownership of such securities by a limited number of investors. In addition,
brokerage and other costs associated with transactions in emerging markets securities markets can be higher, sometimes significantly, than similar costs incurred in securities markets in developed countries. Although some emerging markets have
become more established and tend to issue securities of higher credit quality, the markets for securities in other emerging countries are in the earliest stages of their development, and these countries issue securities across the credit spectrum.
Even the markets for relatively widely traded securities in emerging countries may not be able to absorb, without price disruptions, a significant increase in trading volume or trades of a size customarily undertaken by institutional investors in
the securities markets of developed countries. The limited size of many of these securities markets can cause prices to be erratic for reasons apart from factors that affect the soundness and competitiveness of the securities issuers. For example,
prices may be unduly influenced by traders who control large positions in these markets. Additionally, market making and arbitrage activities are generally less extensive in such markets, which may contribute to increased volatility and reduced
liquidity of such markets. The limited liquidity of emerging country securities may also affect a Fund's ability to accurately value its portfolio securities or to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time it wishes to do so or in order
to meet redemption requests.
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Many emerging market countries suffer from uncertainty and
corruption in their legal frameworks. Legislation may be difficult to interpret and laws may be too new to provide any precedential value. Laws regarding foreign investment and private property may be weak or non-existent. Sudden changes in
governments may result in policies which are less favorable to investors such as policies designed to expropriate or nationalize “sovereign” assets. Certain emerging market countries in the past have expropriated large amounts of private
property, in many cases with little or no compensation, and there can be no assurance that such expropriation will not occur in the future.
Investment in the securities markets of certain emerging
countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions may limit a Fund's investment in certain emerging countries and may increase the expenses of the Fund. Certain emerging countries require governmental approval prior to
investments by foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuer's outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of
the company available for purchase by nationals.
Many
emerging market countries lack the social, political, and economic stability characteristic of the United States. Political instability among emerging market countries can be common and may be caused by an uneven distribution of wealth, social
unrest, labor strikes, civil wars, and religious oppression. Economic instability in emerging market countries may take the form of: (i) high interest rates; (ii) high levels of inflation, including hyperinflation; (iii) high levels of unemployment
or underemployment; (iv) changes in government economic and tax policies, including confiscatory taxation; and (v) imposition of trade barriers.
A Fund's income and, in some cases, capital gains from foreign
securities will be subject to applicable taxation in certain of the emerging market countries in which it invests, and treaties between the United States and such countries may not be available in some cases to reduce the otherwise applicable tax
rates.
Emerging markets also have different clearance
and settlement procedures, and in certain of these emerging markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions.
In the past, certain governments in emerging market countries
have become overly reliant on the international capital markets and other forms of foreign credit to finance large public spending programs, which in the past have caused huge budget deficits. Often, interest payments have become too overwhelming
for a government to meet, representing a large percentage of total GDP. These foreign obligations have become the subject of political debate and served as fuel for political parties of the opposition, which pressure the government not to make
payments to foreign creditors, but instead to use these funds for, among other things, social programs. Either due to an inability to pay or submission to political pressure, foreign governments have been forced to seek a restructuring of their loan
and/or bond obligations, have declared a temporary suspension of interest payments or have defaulted. These events have adversely affected the values of securities issued by foreign governments and corporations domiciled in those countries and have
negatively affected not only their cost of borrowing, but their ability to borrow in the future as well.
Risk of Investing in Europe.
Investing in European countries may expose a Fund to the economic and political risks associated with Europe in general and the specific European countries in which it invests. The economies and markets of
European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one European country can have an adverse impact on other European countries. A Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, or have
significant operations in, member countries of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”), which requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and
fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain
EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and major trading
partners outside Europe. Although certain European countries do not use the euro, many of these countries are obliged to meet the criteria for joining the euro zone. Consequently, these countries must comply with many of the restrictions noted
above. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns, rising government debt levels and the possible default of government debt in several European countries,
including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. In order to prevent further economic deterioration, certain countries, without prior warning, can institute “capital controls.” Countries may use these controls to restrict volatile
movements of capital entering and exiting their country. Such controls may negatively affect a Fund’s investments. A default
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or
debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country's debt and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country's creditworthiness, which may be located in countries other than those listed above. In
addition, the credit ratings of certain European countries were recently downgraded. These downgrades may result in further deterioration of investor confidence. These events have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may
continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including
austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other
entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact of these actions,
especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Risk of Investing in the Middle East. Many Middle Eastern countries have little or no democratic tradition, and the political and legal systems in such countries may have an adverse impact on a Fund. Many economies in the Middle East are highly reliant
on income from the sale of oil or trade with countries involved in the sale of oil, and their economies are therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency values. As global demand for oil fluctuates, many Middle Eastern
economies may be significantly impacted.
In
addition, many Middle Eastern governments have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In certain cases, a Middle Eastern country’s government may own or control many companies,
including some of the largest companies in the country. Accordingly, governmental actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in Middle Eastern countries. This could affect private sector companies and a Fund, as
well as the value of securities in a Fund's portfolio.
Certain Middle Eastern markets are in the earliest stages of
development. As a result, there may be a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial
intermediaries. Brokers in Middle Eastern countries typically are fewer in number and less well capitalized than brokers in the United States.
The legal systems in certain Middle Eastern countries also may
have an adverse impact on a Fund. For example, the potential liability of a shareholder in a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation generally is limited to the amount of the shareholder’s investment. However, the notion of
limited liability is less clear in certain Middle Eastern countries. Each Fund therefore may be liable in certain Middle Eastern countries for the acts of a corporation in which it invests for an amount greater than its actual investment in that
corporation. Similarly, the rights of investors in Middle Eastern issuers may be more limited than those of shareholders of a U.S. corporation. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain or enforce a legal judgment in a Middle Eastern country. Some
Middle Eastern countries prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on investments in their capital markets, particularly their equity markets, by foreign entities such as a Fund. For example, certain countries may require governmental approval
prior to investment by foreign persons or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular issuer. Certain Middle Eastern countries may also limit the investment by foreign persons to only a specific class of securities of an issuer
that may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the issuer available for purchase by nationals.
The manner in which foreign investors may invest in companies
in certain Middle Eastern countries, as well as limitations on those investments, may have an adverse impact on the operations of a Fund. For example, in certain of these countries, a Fund may be required to invest initially through a local broker
or other entity and then have the shares that were purchased re-registered in the name of a Fund. Re-registration in some instances may not be possible on a timely basis. This may result in a delay during which a Fund may be denied certain of its
rights as an investor, including rights as to dividends or to be made aware of certain corporate actions. There also may be instances where a Fund places a purchase order but is subsequently informed, at the time of re-registration, that the
permissible allocation of the investment to foreign investors has been filled.
Substantial limitations may exist in certain Middle Eastern
countries with respect to a Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income or capital gains. A Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by
the application to a Fund of any restrictions on investment.
Certain Middle Eastern countries may be heavily dependent upon
international trade and, consequently, have been and may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and
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other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with
which they trade. These countries also have been and may continue to be adversely impacted by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. In addition, certain issuers located in Middle Eastern countries in which a Fund invests may
operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations, and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As a result, an issuer may
sustain damage to its reputation if it is identified as an issuer which operates in, or has dealings with, such countries. A Fund, as an investor in such issuers, will be indirectly subject to those risks.
Certain Middle Eastern countries have strained relations with
other Middle Eastern countries due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or defense concerns, which may adversely affect the economies of these Middle Eastern countries. Certain Middle Eastern countries experience significant unemployment,
as well as widespread underemployment. Recently, many Middle Eastern countries have experienced political, economic and social unrest as protestors have called for widespread reform. These protests may adversely affect the economies of these Middle
Eastern countries.
Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations and/or an economic recession in any one North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region, and on some
or all of the North American countries in which a Fund invests.
The United States is Canada and Mexico's largest trading and
investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States
and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities, including
securities held by a Fund.
Risk of Investing in South
Korea. Investments in South Korean issuers involve risks that are specific to South Korea, including legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks. Substantial political tensions exist
between North Korea and South Korea and recently, these political tensions have escalated. The outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities will likely adversely impact the South Korean economy.
In addition, South Korea's economic growth potential has recently been on a decline, mainly because of a rapidly aging population and structural problems.
Risk of Investing in the United States. The Funds have significant exposure to United States issuers. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations and/or an economic recession in the United States may have a material adverse effect on
the U.S. economy and the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. The financial crisis that began in 2007 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of issuers in the United States. Policy and legislative changes in the United States are
changing many aspects of financial and other regulation and may have a significant effect on the U.S. markets generally, as well as the value of certain securities. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public debt level or U.S. austerity
measures may adversely affect U.S. economic growth and the securities to which a Fund has exposure.
Risk of Investing in the Basic Materials Industry Group. Issuers in the basic materials industry group could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls and increased competition. Companies in the basic materials industry group
may be subject to swift fluctuations in supply and demand. Fluctuations may be caused by events relating to political and economic developments, the environmental impact of basic materials operations, and the success of exploration projects.
Production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Issuers in the basic materials industry group are at risk for environmental damage and product liability
claims and may be adversely affected by depletion of resources, delays in technical progress, labor relations, tax and government regulations related to changes to, among other things, energy and environmental policies.
Risk of Investing in the Capital Goods Industry Group. The capital goods industry group may be affected by fluctuations in the business cycle and by other factors affecting manufacturing demands. The capital goods industry group depends heavily on corporate spending.
The capital goods industry group may perform well during times of economic expansion, and as economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods may decrease due to weakening demand, worsening business cash flows, tighter credit controls and
deteriorating profitability. During times of economic volatility, corporate spending may fall and adversely affect the capital goods industry group. This industry group may also be affected by changes in interest rates, corporate tax rates and other
government policies. Many capital goods are sold internationally and such companies are subject to market conditions in other countries and regions.
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Risk of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sector. Companies engaged in the design, production or distribution of products or services for the consumer discretionary sector (including, without limitation, television and radio broadcasting, manufacturing,
publishing, recording and musical instruments, motion pictures, photography, amusement and theme parks, gaming casinos, sporting goods and sports arenas, camping and recreational equipment, toys and games, apparel, travel-related services,
automobiles, hotels and motels, and fast food and other restaurants) are subject to the risk that their products or services may become obsolete quickly. The success of these companies can depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer
spending. During periods of an expanding economy, the consumer discretionary sector may outperform the consumer staples sector, but may underperform when economic conditions worsen. Moreover, the consumer discretionary sector can be significantly
affected by several factors, including, without limitation, the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, changing consumer preferences, demographics, marketing campaigns, cyclical revenue generation, consumer confidence,
commodity price volatility, labor relations, interest rates, import and export controls, intense competition, technological developments and government regulation.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Goods Industry. The success of the consumer goods industry is tied closely to the performance of the domestic and international economy, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence and consumer disposable
income. The consumer goods industry may be strongly affected by trends, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Governmental regulation affecting the use of various food additives may affect the profitability of certain
companies in the consumer goods industry. Moreover, international events may affect food and beverage companies that derive a substantial portion of their net income from foreign countries. In addition, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by
new laws, regulations and litigation. Many consumer goods may be marketed globally, and consumer goods companies may be affected by the demand and market conditions in other countries and regions. Companies in the consumer goods industry may be
subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability. Changes in demographics and consumer preferences may affect the success of consumer products.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Services Industry. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers (including food and drug retailers, general retailers, media, and travel and leisure) is tied closely to the performance of the domestic and international
economy, interest rates, exchange rates, competition and consumer confidence. The consumer services industry depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Companies in the consumer services industry may be subject to severe
competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability. Changes in demographics and consumer preferences may affect the success of consumer service providers.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Staples Sector. Companies in the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the
consumer staples sector may also be affected by changes in global economic, environmental and political events, economic conditions, the depletion of resources, and government regulation. For instance, government regulations may affect the
permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. In addition, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by the adoption of proposed legislation
and/or by litigation. Companies in the consumer staples sector also may be subject to risks pertaining to the supply of, demand for and prices of raw materials. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including,
without limitation, changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies, and seasonal and weather conditions. Companies in the consumer staples
sector may be subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. Companies in the energy sector are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, government regulations and policies, energy production and conservation efforts,
technological change, and other factors that a company cannot control. These companies may also lack resources and have limited business lines. The energy sector is cyclical and is highly dependent on commodity prices; prices and supplies of energy
may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to, among other things, national and international political changes, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) policies, changes in relationships among
OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economy of the key energy-consuming countries.
Companies in the energy sector may be adversely affected by
terrorism, natural disasters or other catastrophes. Companies in the energy sector are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other
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environmental damage claims. Disruptions in the oil industry or shifts in
fuel consumption may significantly impact companies in this sector. Significant oil and gas deposits are located in emerging markets countries where corruption and security may raise significant risks, in addition to the other risks of investing in
emerging markets. Additionally, the Middle East, where many companies in the energy sector may operate, has historically and recently experienced widespread social unrest.
Companies in the energy sector may also be adversely affected
by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, negative perception, efforts at energy conservation and world events in the regions in which the companies operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence or labor
unrest). Because a significant portion of revenues of companies in this sector is derived from a relatively small number of customers that are largely composed of governmental entities and utilities, governmental budget constraints may have a
significant impact on the stock prices of companies in this sector. The energy sector is highly regulated. Entities operating in the energy sector are subject to significant regulation of nearly every aspect of their operations by federal, state and
local governmental agencies. Such regulation can change rapidly or over time in both scope and intensity. Stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future which would likely increase compliance costs and may
materially adversely affect the financial performance of companies in the energy sector.
Risk of Investing in the Financials Sector. Companies in the financials sector include regional and money center banks, securities brokerage firms, asset management companies, savings banks and thrift institutions, specialty finance companies (e.g., credit card, mortgage providers), insurance and insurance brokerage firms, financial conglomerates and foreign banking and financial companies. The global
financial markets have experienced very difficult conditions and volatility as well as significant adverse trends. The conditions in these markets have resulted in a decrease in availability of corporate credit, capital and liquidity and have led
indirectly to the insolvency, closure or acquisition of a number of financial institutions. These conditions have also contributed to consolidation within the financial industry. In addition, the global financial industry has been materially and
adversely affected by a significant decline in the value of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, and by the sovereign debt crisis. The prospects of many financial companies are questionable and continue to evolve as financial companies
revise their outlooks and write down assets that they hold.
Most financial companies are subject to extensive governmental
regulation, which limits their activities and may affect their ability to earn a profit from a given line of business. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector,
including effects not intended by the regulation. Direct governmental intervention in the operations of financial companies and financial markets may materially and adversely affect the companies in which a Fund invests, including legislation in
many countries that may increase government regulation, repatriation and other intervention. The impact of governmental intervention and legislative changes on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. The valuation of financial companies has been and continues to be subject to unprecedented volatility and may be influenced by unpredictable factors, including interest rate risk and sovereign debt default. Certain financial businesses
are subject to intense competitive pressures, including market share and price competition. Financial companies in foreign countries are subject to market specific and general regulatory and interest rate concerns. In particular, government
regulation in certain foreign countries may include taxes and controls on interest rates, credit availability, minimum capital requirements, ban on short sales, prices and currency transfers. In addition, companies in the financials sector may be
the targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or customer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
The profitability of banks, savings and loan associations and
financial companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change; for instance, when interest rates go up, the value of securities issued by many types of companies in
the financials sector generally goes down. In other words, financial companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including, without limitation, during periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and
increase the cost of capital, and during periods of declining economic conditions, which may cause, among other things, credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers.
In addition, general economic conditions are important to the
operations of these companies, and financial difficulties of borrowers may have an adverse effect on the profitability of financial companies. Financial companies can be highly dependent upon access to capital markets and any impediments to such
access, such as adverse overall economic conditions or a negative perception in the capital markets of a financial company’s financial condition or prospects, could adversely affect its business. Deterioration of credit markets, as experienced
in 2008 and 2009, can have an adverse impact
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on
a broad range of financial markets, causing certain financial companies to incur large losses. In these conditions, companies in the financials sector may experience significant declines in the valuation of their assets, take actions to raise
capital and even cease operations. Some financial companies may also be required to accept or borrow significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased
government intervention. In addition, there is no guarantee that governments will provide any such relief in the future. These actions may cause the securities of many companies in the financials sector to decline in value.
Risk of Investing in the Healthcare Sector. Companies in the healthcare sector are often issuers whose profitability may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising or falling costs of
medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on
patent protection and the actual or perceived safety and efficiency of their products.
Patents have a limited duration and, upon expiration, other
companies may market substantially similar “generic” products that are typically sold at a lower price than the patented product, causing the original developer of the product to lose market share and/or reduce the price charged for the
product, resulting in lower profits for the original developer. As a result, the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
In addition, because the products and services of many
companies in the healthcare sector affect the health and well-being of many individuals, these companies are especially susceptible to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to
competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and
costly, resulting in increased development costs, delayed cost recovery and loss of competitive advantage to the extent that rival companies have developed competing products or procedures, adversely affecting the company’s revenues and
profitability. In other words, delays in the regulatory approval process may diminish the opportunity for a company to profit from a new product or to bring a new product to market, which could have a material adverse effect on a company’s
business. Healthcare companies may also be strongly affected by scientific biotechnology or technological developments and their products may quickly become obsolete. Also, many healthcare companies offer products and services that are subject to
governmental regulation and may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies or laws. Legislation introduced or considered by certain governments on any individual healthcare company or on the healthcare sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. These laws and proposals span a wide range of topics, including cost control, national health insurance, incentives for compensation in the provision of healthcare services, tax incentives and penalties related to healthcare insurance
premiums, and promotion of prepaid healthcare plans. No one can predict what proposals will be enacted or what potentially adverse effect they may have on healthcare-related or biotechnology-related companies.
Additionally, the expansion of facilities by
healthcare-related providers is subject to “determinations of need” by certain government authorities. This process not only increases the time and costs involved in these expansions, but also makes expansion plans uncertain, limiting
the revenue and profitability growth potential of healthcare-related facilities operators and negatively affecting the prices of their securities. Moreover, in recent years both local and national governmental budgets have come under pressure to
reduce spending and control healthcare costs, which could both adversely affect regulatory processes and public funding available for healthcare products, services and facilities.
Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be affected by supply and demand both for their specific products or services and for industrials sector products in general. The products
of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events and economic conditions affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. For example, commodity price declines and unit volume reductions resulting from an over-supply
of materials used in the industrials sector can adversely affect the sector. Furthermore, companies in the industrials sector may be subject to liability for environmental damage, product liability claims, depletion of resources, and mandated
expenditures for safety and pollution control.
Risk
of Investing in the Information Technology Sector. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like
other technology companies, information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products
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of
information technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Technology
companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and
intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the information
technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses. These risks are heightened for information
technology companies in foreign markets.
Risk of Investing
in the Materials Sector. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical
progress, labor relations and government regulations, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control, among other factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability
claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. These risks are heightened for companies in the materials sector located in foreign markets.
Risk of Investing in the Oil and Gas Industry. Companies in the oil and gas industry are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, oil and gas supply and demand, government regulations and policies, oil and gas production and
conservation efforts and technological change. The oil and gas industry is cyclical and from time to time may experience a shortage of drilling rigs, equipment, supplies or qualified personnel, or due to significant demand, such services may not be
available on commercially reasonable terms. Prices and supplies of oil and gas may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to national and international political changes, OPEC policies, changes in relationships among OPEC
members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economies of key energy-consuming countries. Disruptions in the oil sub-industry or shifts in energy consumption may significantly impact
companies in this industry. For instance, significant oil and gas deposits are located in emerging market countries where corruption and security may raise significant risks, in addition to the other risks of investing in emerging markets. In
addition, the Middle East, where many companies in the oil and gas industry may operate, has recently experienced widespread social unrest. Oil and gas companies operate in a highly competitive industry, with intense price competition. A significant
portion of their revenues may depend on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. Companies that own or operate gas pipelines are subject to certain risks, including pipeline and equipment leaks and
ruptures, explosions, fires, unscheduled downtime, transportation interruptions, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous gases and other environmental risks.
Risk of Investing in the Real Estate Industry Group. Companies in the real estate industry group include companies that invest in real estate, such as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) or a real estate holding company (collectively, “Real
Estate Companies”). Investing in Real Estate Companies exposes investors to the risks of owning real estate directly, as well as to risks that relate specifically to the way in which Real Estate Companies are organized and operated. The real
estate industry is highly sensitive to general and local economic conditions and developments, and characterized by intense competition and periodic overbuilding. Investing in Real Estate Companies involves various risks. Some risks that are
specific to Real Estate Companies are discussed in greater detail below.
Interest Rate Risk. Rising
interest rates could result in higher costs of capital for Real Estate Companies, which could negatively impact a Real Estate Company’s ability to meet its payment obligations.
Leverage Risk. Real Estate
Companies may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and could adversely affect a Real Estate Company’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. Real Estate Companies are also
exposed to the risks normally associated with debt financing. Financial covenants related to a Real Estate Company’s leverage may affect the ability of the Real Estate Company to operate effectively. In addition, real property may be subject
to the quality of credit extended and defaults by borrowers and tenants. If the properties do not generate sufficient income to meet operating expenses, including, where applicable, debt service, ground lease payments, tenant improvements,
third-party leasing commissions and other capital expenditures, the income and ability of a Real Estate Company to make payments of any interest and principal on its debt securities will be adversely affected.
Property Risk. Real Estate
Companies may be subject to risks relating to functional obsolescence or reduced desirability of properties; extended vacancies due to economic conditions and tenant bankruptcies; catastrophic events such as
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earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist acts; and casualty or condemnation
losses. Real estate income and values also may be greatly affected by demographic trends, such as population shifts or changing tastes and values, or increasing vacancies or declining rents resulting from legal, cultural, technological, global or
local economic developments.
Management Risk. Real Estate Companies are dependent upon management skills and may have limited financial resources. Real Estate Companies are generally not diversified and may be subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by
borrowers and voluntary liquidation. In addition, transactions between Real Estate Companies and their affiliates may be subject to conflicts of interest, which may adversely affect a Real Estate Company’s shareholders. A Real Estate Company
may also have joint venture investments in certain of its properties and, consequently, its ability to control decisions relating to such properties may be limited.
Liquidity Risk. Investing in
Real Estate Companies may involve risks similar to those associated with investing in small-capitalization companies. Real Estate Company securities, like the securities of smaller capitalization companies, may be more volatile than, and perform
differently from, shares of large-capitalization companies. There may be less trading in Real Estate Company shares, which means that buy and sell transactions in those shares could have a magnified impact on share price, resulting in abrupt or
erratic price fluctuations. In addition, real estate is relatively illiquid and, therefore, a Real Estate Company may have a limited ability to vary or liquidate properties in response to changes in economic or other conditions.
Concentration Risk. Real
Estate Companies may own a limited number of properties and concentrate their investments in a particular geographic region or property type.
U.S. Tax Risk. Certain U.S.
Real Estate Companies are subject to special U.S. federal tax requirements. A REIT that fails to comply with such tax requirements may be subject to U.S. federal income taxation, which may affect the value of the REIT and the characterization of the
REIT’s distributions. The U.S. federal tax requirement that a REIT distribute substantially all of its net income to its shareholders may result in a REIT having insufficient capital for future expenditures.
Regulatory Risk. Real estate
income and values may be adversely affected by such factors as applicable domestic and foreign laws (including tax laws). Government actions, such as tax increases, zoning law changes or environmental regulations, also may have a major impact on
real estate.
Risk of Investing in the Technology
Sector. Technology companies are characterized by periodic new product introductions, innovations and evolving industry standards, and, as a result, face intense competition, both domestically and
internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the technology sector are often smaller and less experienced companies and may be subject to greater risks than larger companies; these risks may be heightened for
technology companies in foreign markets. Technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and
frequent new product introduction, changes in consumer and business purchasing patterns, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. In addition, a rising interest rate environment tends to
negatively affect companies in the technology sector because, in such an environment, those companies with high market valuations may appear less attractive to investors, which may cause sharp decreases in the companies’ market prices.
Companies in the technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. The technology sector may also be adversely
affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the technology sector may be
particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
Risk of Investing in the Telecommunications Sector. The telecommunications sector of a country’s economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory
approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be
arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sector may experience distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using
new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and
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services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete. Finally, while all
companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the telecommunications sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have
a material adverse effect on their businesses.
Risk of
Investing in the Utilities Sector. The utilities sector may be adversely affected by changing commodity prices, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, increased tariffs, changes in tax
laws, interest rate fluctuations and changes in the cost of providing specific utility services. The utilities industry is also subject to potential terrorist attacks, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, as well as regulatory and
operational burdens associated with the operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may
also restrict a company’s access to new markets, thereby diminishing the company’s long-term prospects.
There are substantial differences among the regulatory
practices and policies of various jurisdictions, and any regulatory agency may make major shifts in policy from time to time. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will, in the future, grant rate increases. Additionally, existing and
possible future regulatory legislation may make it even more difficult for utilities to obtain adequate relief. Certain of the issuers of securities held in a Fund's portfolio may own or operate nuclear generating facilities. Governmental
authorities may from time to time review existing policies and impose additional requirements governing the licensing, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. Prolonged changes in climate conditions can also have a significant impact on
both the revenues of an electric and gas utility as well as the expenses of a utility, particularly a hydro-based electric utility.
The rates that traditional regulated utility companies may
charge their customers generally are subject to review and limitation by governmental regulatory commissions. Rate changes may occur only after a prolonged approval period or may not occur at all, which could adversely affect utility companies when
costs are rising. The value of regulated utility debt securities (and, to a lesser extent, equity securities) tends to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial
deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions
and their traditional lines of business. As a result, some companies may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. Deregulation may also permit a utility company to expand outside its traditional lines of business and
engage in riskier ventures.
Proxy Voting Policy
The Company has adopted proxy voting policies for each Fund
that incorporate and amplify the proxy voting guidelines of BFA, the investment adviser to each Fund. The Company has delegated to BFA the responsibility for voting proxies on the portfolio securities held by each Fund. The remainder of this section
discusses each Fund’s proxy voting guidelines and BFA’s role in implementing such guidelines.
BFA votes (or refrains from voting) proxies for each Fund in a
manner that BFA, in the exercise of its independent business judgment, concludes is in the best economic interests of such Fund. In some cases, BFA may determine that it is in the best economic interests of a Fund to refrain from exercising the
Fund’s proxy voting rights (such as, for example, proxies on certain non-U.S. securities that might impose costly or time-consuming in-person voting requirements). With regard to the relationship between securities lending and proxy voting,
BFA’s approach is also driven by each Fund's 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 BFA recalling loaned securities in order to ensure they are voted. Periodically, BFA 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. BFA will normally vote on specific proxy issues in accordance with its proxy voting guidelines. BFA’s proxy voting guidelines provide detailed guidance as to
how to vote proxies on certain important or commonly raised issues. BFA 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 a Fund. BFA votes (or refrains from voting) proxies without regard to the relationship of the issuer of the proxy (or any
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shareholder of such issuer) to a Fund, a Fund’s affiliates (if any),
BFA or BFA’s affiliates, or the Distributor or the Distributor’s affiliates. When voting proxies, BFA attempts to encourage issuers 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:
| • | Each Fund generally supports the board’s nominees in the election of directors and generally supports proposals that strengthen the independence of boards of directors; |
| • | When a director has committed himself or herself to service on more than four public company boards (but no more than six public company boards in most circumstances), a Fund will consider such director’s individual circumstances in determining whether the director will be able to commit sufficient focus and time to a particular company; |
| • | Each Fund generally defers to an issuer’s choice of auditors so long as the corporate auditors represent the interests of shareholders and provide an independent view of the propriety of financial reporting decisions of management; |
| • | Each Fund generally favors disclosure of a company’s compensation and benefits policies and opposes excessive compensation, but believes that compensation matters are normally best determined by a company’s board of directors; |
| • | Each Fund generally expects to support capital structure requests that it believes enhance the rights of common shareholders and oppose requests that appear to be unreasonably dilutive; |
| • | Each 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 |
| • | Each 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. |
BFA 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 a Fund, a Fund’s affiliates (if any), BFA or BFA’s affiliates (if any) or the Distributor or the Distributor’s affiliates,
from having undue influence on BFA’s proxy voting activity. In certain instances, BFA 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 BFA with instructions as to how to vote such proxies. In the latter case, BFA votes the proxy in accordance with the independent fiduciary’s determination.
Information with respect to how BFA voted proxies relating to
the Funds' portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 is available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or through the Funds' website at
www.iShares.com; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Portfolio Holdings Information
The Board has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of the
Funds' portfolio holdings information that requires that such information be disclosed in a manner that: (i) is consistent with applicable legal requirements and in the best interests of each Fund’s shareholders; (ii) does not put the
interests of BFA, the Distributor or any affiliated person of BFA or the Distributor, above those of Fund shareholders; (iii) 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 discussed below, and certain information may be provided to personnel of BFA and its affiliates who manage funds that invest a significant percentage of their assets in shares of the Fund for the purpose of facilitating risk
management and hedging activities; and (iv) 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 (iii) above are generally limited to National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) members, subscribers to various fee-based subscription services,
large institutional investors (known as “Authorized Participants”) that have been authorized by the Distributor to purchase and redeem large blocks of shares pursuant to legal requirements and market makers and other institutional market
participants and entities that provide information or transactional services.
Each business day, each Fund's portfolio holdings information
is 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
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those other fee-based subscription services, including market makers and
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 Funds in the secondary market or evaluating such potential
transactions. This information typically reflects each Fund’s anticipated holdings on the following business day.
Daily access to information concerning the Funds' 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; and (ii) to other personnel of
the Funds' investment adviser(and Sub-Adviser), the Distributor and their affiliates, and the administrator, custodian and fund accountant who deal directly with, or assist in, functions related to investment management, distribution,
administration, custody, securities lending and fund accounting, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with federal securities laws and regulations thereunder. In addition, each Fund discloses its
fixed income and equity portfolio holdings daily at www.iShares.com. More information about this disclosure is available at www.iShares.com.
Portfolio holdings information made available in connection
with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Funds in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC. From time to time, information concerning portfolio holdings
other than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Funds, including rating or ranking organizations, in the
ordinary course of business, no earlier than one business day following the date of the information.
Each Fund discloses its complete portfolio holdings schedule
in public filings with the SEC within 70 days of the end of the second and fourth fiscal quarters and within 60 days of the end of the first and third fiscal quarters and will provide that information to shareholders as required by federal
securities laws and regulations thereunder. A Fund may, however, 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 contemporaneously.
The Company's Chief Compliance Officer or his delegate may
authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information pursuant to the above policy and procedures.
The Board reviews the policy and procedures for disclosure of
portfolio holdings information at least annually.
Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Index
Descriptions of the Underlying Indexes are provided
below.
The Barclays Indexes
The Barclays Indexes are maintained by Barclays Capital Inc.,
which is not affiliated with BFA. BFA will have no role in maintaining the Underlying Indexes.
Barclays Emerging Markets Broad Local Currency Bond Index
Number of Components:
approximately 427
Index Description. The Barclays Emerging Markets Broad Local Currency Bond Index measures the performance of the local currency-denominated sovereign bond markets of emerging market countries.
Index Methodology. In order to
be eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index, a security must be issued by a country that meets certain eligibility requirements for emerging market countries, and meet certain requirements relating to outstanding face value, maturity and other
criteria.
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Eligible issuer countries must have a sovereign rating of
A1/A+ or lower using the middle foreign currency long-term debt rating of Moody’s, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, and Fitch, or be classified by the World Bank as a Low, Low/Middle, or Upper/Middle Income country as of July 1 of the
preceding year. Countries that are members of the eurozone will not be included in the Underlying Index, regardless of their rating or World Bank classification. Issuer countries included in the Underlying Index must also have aggregate local
currency treasury debt outstanding (with maturity greater than one year) of at least US $5 billion as of July 1 of the preceding year.
Securities must have the local currency equivalent of $1
billion face amount outstanding in order to be included in the Underlying Index. Each security in the Underlying Index must have an original maturity date of more than one year in the future, and pricing must be readily available. Treasury bills and
strips, floating-rate issues, inflation-linked bonds, dual currency bonds, and private placements are excluded from the Underlying Index.
The list of eligible issuer countries is reviewed every
September and rebalanced on an annual basis on January 1. At the security level, the Underlying Index is rebalanced monthly on the last business day of the month. No issuer country can hold greater than a 25% share of the Underlying Index. In
addition, no more than 48% of the Underlying Index can be comprised of issuer countries that individually hold a 5% or greater share of the Underlying Index. Finally, each issuer country that holds less than a 5% share of the Underlying Index is
capped at 4.5% of the total Underlying Index. These caps are imposed at each month-end rebalancing date. Adjustments to a given issuer country’s weight are applied proportionately to all of its constituent securities.
The total return of the Underlying Index is adjusted each
month by a fixed running cost, meant to reflect withholding and other local market taxes applicable to non-resident investors. Any changes in applicable taxes for any of the eligible issuer countries may result in a revision to the adjustment.
The Markit iBoxx Indexes
Markit iBoxx Global Developed Markets ex-US High Yield
Index
Number of
Components: approximately 448
Index Description. The Markit iBoxx Global Developed Markets ex-US High Yield Index measures the performance of the global ex-U.S. dollar high yield corporate bond market. As of September 30, 2014, the Underlying Index is a rules-based
index consisting of approximately 448 high yield corporate bonds denominated in euros, British pounds sterling and Canadian dollars. The Underlying Index seeks to maximize liquidity while maintaining representation of the broader global ex-U.S.
dollar high yield bond market.
Index Methodology. The Underlying Index is a subset of a broader high yield universe of sub-investment grade bonds. Bonds in the Underlying Index are selected from the universe of eligible bonds using defined rules. The bonds eligible for
inclusion in the Underlying Index include corporate bonds that (i) are denominated in euros, British pounds sterling or Canadian dollars; (ii) are issued by companies domiciled in countries classified as developed markets by the index provider;
(iii) have an average rating that is sub-investment grade based on ratings by Fitch, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services; (iv) are bond issues with at least €250 million for euro-denominated bonds, £250 million
for British pound sterling-denominated bonds and C$100 million for Canadian dollar-denominated bonds; (v) have original maturity dates of less than 15 years; and (vi) have at least one year remaining to maturity.
Component Selection Criteria.
Eligible bonds are chosen by applying the eligibility rules listed above. The Underlying Index is a market value weighted index with a cap on each issuer of 3%. There is no maximum number of bond issues per issuer eligible, but to avoid an
over-concentration in any single issuer, the methodology caps single issuer exposure to no more than 3% of the index weight, calculated on the last business day of each month. The Underlying Index is updated monthly after the close of business on
the last business day of each month.
Markit
iBoxx Global Developed Markets High Yield Index
Number of Components: approximately 1,375
Index Description. The Markit
iBoxx Global Developed Markets High Yield Index measures the performance of the global high yield corporate bond market. As of September 30, 2014, the Underlying Index is a rules-based index consisting of
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approximately 1375 high yield corporate bonds denominated in U.S. dollars,
euros, British pounds sterling and Canadian dollars. The Underlying Index seeks to maximize liquidity while maintaining representation of the broader global high yield bond market.
Index Methodology. The
Underlying Index is a subset of a broader high yield universe of sub-investment grade bonds. Bonds in the Underlying Index are selected from the universe of eligible bonds using defined rules. The bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index
include corporate bonds that (i) are denominated in U.S. dollars, euros, British pounds sterling or Canadian dollars; (ii) are issued by companies domiciled in countries classified as developed markets by the index provider; (iii) have an average
rating that is sub-investment grade based on ratings by Fitch, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services; (iv) are from issuers with at least $1 billion of outstanding face value for U.S. dollar-denominated bonds; (v) are bond
issues with at least $400 million of outstanding value for U.S. dollar-denominated bonds, €250 million for euro-denominated bonds, £250 million for British pound sterling-denominated bonds and C$100 million for Canadian dollar-denominated
bonds; (vi) have original maturity dates of less than 15 years; and (vii) have at least one year remaining to maturity.
Component Selection Criteria.
Eligible bonds are chosen by applying the eligibility rules listed above. The Underlying Index is a market value weighted index with a cap on each issuer of 3%. There is no maximum number of bond issues per eligible issuer, but to avoid an
over-concentration in any single issuer, the methodology caps single issuer exposure to no more than 3% of the index weight, calculated on the last business day of each month. The Underlying Index is updated monthly after the close of business on
the last business day of each month.
The
Morningstar® Indexes
Morningstar® Emerging Markets Corporate Bond IndexSM
Number of Components:
approximately 791
Index Description. The Morningstar® Emerging Markets Corporate Bond IndexSM tracks
the performance of the U.S. dollar-denominated emerging market corporate bond market. All bonds included in the Underlying Index are selected according to a set of rule-based inclusion criteria regarding issue size, bond type, maturity, and
liquidity. The securities included in the Underlying Index are rebalanced on the first business day of each month. Eligible countries are rebalanced annually at the end of September.
The Underlying Index includes bonds issued by corporations and
quasi-sovereign corporations (more than 50% government ownership) based in Latin American, Eastern European, Middle Eastern/African, and Asian (excluding Japan) countries which meet certain criteria to be classified as emerging market countries by
Morningstar, Inc.’s (”Morningstar”) proprietary index methodology. Eligible individual securities must have a minimum outstanding face value of $500 million or more, and eligible issuers must have aggregate outstanding debt of $1
billion or more to be included in the Underlying Index. Bonds with less than $500 million of outstanding face value will be used for calculating and issuer's aggregate outstanding debt, but will not be eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index.
All securities included in the Underlying Index must be U.S. dollar-denominated fixed rate bonds with a remaining maturity of 13 months or more at the time of rebalancing and a minimum of 36 months to maturity or greater at time of issuance. There
are no ratings restrictions on either the individual bonds or the country, but all bonds in the Underlying Index must have at least one credit rating from either Moody’s, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services or Fitch. Fixed to floating rate
bonds are removed from the Underlying Index at the next rebalancing subsequent to the last fixed payment. Bonds with imbedded options such as calls or puts and sinking funds are included as well, in the Underlying Index. Bonds issued by private
placement are included provided they meet certain criteria which is set forth in Morningstar's proprietary index methodology. Payment-in-kind bonds (commonly referred to as PIKs) and Sukuk (commonly referred to as Islamic bonds), as well as illiquid
bonds, are excluded from the Underlying Index. Corporate issues in default are removed from the Underlying Index at the next rebalancing. The Underlying Index is market capitalization weighted with a 5% capping of issuers and a pro rata distribution of any excess weight across the remaining issuers in the index.
Morningstar® Emerging Markets High Yield Bond IndexSM
Number of Components:
approximately 301
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Index Description. The
Morningstar® Emerging Markets High Yield Bond IndexSM tracks the performance of the
below-investment-grade U.S. dollar-denominated emerging market sovereign and corporate bond market (also known as “junk bonds”). All bonds included in the Underlying Index are selected according to a set of rule-based inclusion criteria
regarding issue size, bond type, maturity, and liquidity. The securities included in the Underlying Index are rebalanced on the first business day of each month. Eligible countries included in the Underlying Index are rebalanced annually at the end
of September.
The Underlying Index includes bonds
issued by corporations, sovereignties and quasi-sovereign corporations (more than 50% government ownership) based in Latin American, Eastern European, Middle Eastern/African, and Asian (excluding Japan) countries that meet certain criteria to be
classified as emerging market countries by Morningstar’s proprietary index methodology. Eligible individual securities must have a minimum outstanding face value of $500 million or more, and eligible issuers must have aggregate outstanding
debt of $1 billion or more to be included in the Underlying Index. Bonds with less than $500 million of outstanding face value will be used for calculating an issuer's aggregate outstanding debt, but will not be eligible for inclusion in the
Underlying Index. All securities included in the Underlying Index must be U.S. dollar-denominated fixed rate bonds with a remaining maturity of 13 months or more at the time of rebalancing and a minimum of 36 months to maturity or greater at time of
issuance. Corporate bonds must have a credit rating of BB+ or lower from either Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services or Fitch to be included in the Underlying Index. Sovereign bonds must have a credit rating of BB+ or lower
from either Moody's or Standard & Poor's Ratings Services to be included in the Underlying Index. If a fixed- to floating-rate bond is included in the Underlying Index, such a bond is removed from the Underlying Index at the next rebalancing
subsequent to the last fixed payment. Bonds with imbedded options such as calls or puts and sinking funds are included in the Underlying Index. Bonds issued by private placement are included as well, provided they meet certain criteria set forth in
Morningstar's proprietary index methodology. Payment-in-kind bonds (commonly referred to as PIKs) and Sukuk (commonly referred to as Islamic bonds), as well as illiquid bonds, are excluded from the Underlying Index. Corporate issues in default are
removed from the Underlying Index at the next rebalancing. Sovereign issues in default are excluded from initial inclusion in the index but are not removed if a default occurs after inclusion, provided no additional inclusion or exclusion criteria
are violated. The Underlying Index employs a weight capping algorithm to limit exposure to single issues and issuers. Single issuers are capped at 15% of the Underlying Index's portfolio, and the sum of all issuers over 5% is capped at 48%. Issuers
under 5% are capped at 4.7%. In instances where an issuer exceeds the capping threshold, the weight is modified and allocated on a pro rata basis to the remaining constituents.
Investment Limitations
Each Fund has adopted its investment objective as a
non-fundamental investment policy. Therefore, each Fund may change its investment objective and its Underlying Index without shareholder approval. The Board has adopted as fundamental policies the following numbered investment restrictions, which
cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the applicable 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 iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF will
not:
| 1. | Concentrate its investments (i.e., invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries), except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of a 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 interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| 4. | Make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| 5. | Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this restriction shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or securities or other instruments backed by real estate or mortgages), or 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 1933 Act, in disposing of portfolio securities. |
Each of iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, iShares
Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF will not:
| 1. | Concentrate its investments (i.e., invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries), except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of a 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. |
| 3. | Issue “senior securities” as defined in the 1940 Act and the rules, regulations and orders thereunder, except as permitted under the 1940 Act and the rules, regulation and orders thereunder. |
| 4. | Make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| 5. | Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this restriction shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or securities or other instruments backed by real estate or mortgages), or 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 1933 Act, in disposing of portfolio securities. |
In addition to the investment restrictions adopted as
fundamental policies, set forth above, each Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy not to 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 each Fund’s net assets to be invested in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment). Except with regard to the fundamental policy relating to senior securities
set forth in (3) above for all Funds, 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.
BFA monitors the liquidity of
restricted securities in each Fund’s portfolio. In reaching liquidity decisions, BFA 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 |
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| • | 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). |
Each 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 each Fund's Underlying Index or in
depositary receipts representing securities of certain Underlying Indexes. Each 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, an 80% requirement is no longer met, a Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy.
Each Fund has adopted a non-fundamental limitation such that,
under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net assets.
Each Fund may not purchase securities of other investment
companies, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. As a matter of policy, however, a Fund will not purchase shares of any registered open-end investment company or registered unit investment trust, in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G)
(the “fund of funds” provisions) of the 1940 Act, at any time the Fund has knowledge that its shares are purchased by another investment company investor in reliance on the provisions of subparagraph (G) of Section 12(d)(1).
Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may
raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Funds on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the
prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed
a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units 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 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 1933 Act must take into account all of 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(a)(3) of
the 1933 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 Funds are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the 1933
Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 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 available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Management
Directors and Officers.
The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Company, including general supervision of the duties performed by BFA and other service providers. Each Director serves until he or
she resigns, is removed, dies, retires or becomes incapacitated. The President, Chief Compliance Officer, Treasurer and Secretary shall each hold office until their successors are chosen and qualify, and all other officers shall hold office until he
or she resigns or is removed. Directors who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company are referred to as independent directors (“Independent Directors”).
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The registered investment companies advised by BFA or its
affiliates (the “BlackRock-advised Funds”) are organized into one complex of closed-end funds, two complexes of open-end funds and one complex of exchange-traded funds (“Exchange-Traded Fund Complex”) (each, a
“BlackRock Fund Complex”). Each Fund is included in the BlackRock Fund Complex referred to as the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. Each Director also serves as a Trustee of iShares Trust, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc.
and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust and, as a result, oversees a total of 309 funds within the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. With the exception of Robert S. Kapito and Mark Wiedman, the address of each Director and officer is c/o BlackRock,
Inc., 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. The address of Mr. Kapito and Mr. Wiedman is c/o BlackRock, Inc., Park Avenue Plaza, 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY
10055. The Board has designated Robert H. Silver as its Independent Chairman. Additional information about the Funds' Directors and officers may be found in this SAI, which is available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free
1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737).
Interested Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
S. Kapito1 (58) |
Director
(since 2009). |
President and Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. and Head of BlackRock, Inc.’s Portfolio Management Group (since its formation in 1998) and BlackRock, Inc.’s predecessor entities (since 1988); Trustee, University of Pennsylvania (since 2009); President of Board of Directors, Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund (since 2002); President of the Board of Directors, Periwinkle Theatre for Youth (since 1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2009); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006). | |||
| Mark
Wiedman2 (44) |
Director (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2007); Global Head of iShares (since 2011); Head of Corporate Strategy, BlackRock, Inc. (2009-2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2013); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2013); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2013); Director of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (since 2008). |
| 1 | Robert S. Kapito is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. |
| 2 | Mark Wiedman is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. |
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Independent Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
H. Silver (59) |
Director
(since 2007); Independent Chairman (since 2012). |
President and Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group, Inc. (since 2006); Director and Vice Chairman of the YMCA of Greater NYC (2001-2011); Broadway Producer (2006-2011); Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. (since 2008); Director and Member of the Audit and Compensation Committee of EPAM Systems, Inc. (2006-2009); President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly Paine Webber Inc.) (2003-2005) and various executive positions with UBS and its affiliates (1988-2005); CPA and Audit Manager of KPMG, LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) (1977-1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2007); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Independent Chairman of iShares Trust, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. and iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2012). | |||
| John
E. Martinez (53) |
Director
(since 2003); Securities Lending Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.) (since 2005). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2003); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Cecilia
H. Herbert (65) |
Director
(since 2005); Nominating and Governance Committee Chair and Equity Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director (1998-2013) and President (2007-2011) of the Board of Directors, Catholic Charities CYO; Trustee (2002-2011) and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee (2006-2010) of the Thacher School; Member (since 1992) and Chair (1994-2005) of the Investment Committee, Archdiocese of San Francisco; Trustee and Member of the Investment Committee, WNET, the New York public broadcasting/media company (since 2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of Forward Funds (34 portfolios) (since 2009). | |||
| Charles
A. Hurty (71) |
Director
(since 2005); Audit Committee Chair (since 2006). |
Retired; Partner, KPMG LLP (1968-2001). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund (1 portfolio) (since 2002); Director of SkyBridge Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (2 portfolios) (since 2002). |
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| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| John
E. Kerrigan (59) |
Director
(since 2005); Fixed Income Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University (since 2002). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Madhav
V. Rajan (50) |
Director
(since 2011); 15(c) Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Head of MBA Program, Stanford University Graduate School of Business (since 2001); Professor of Law (by courtesy), Stanford Law School (since 2005); Visiting Professor, University of Chicago (2007-2008). | Trustee
of iShares Trust (since 2011); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2011); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director, Cavium, Inc. (since 2013). | |||
| Jane
D. Carlin (59) |
Director
(since 2015). |
Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group (2006-2012). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2015); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2015); Director of PHH Corporation (mortgage solutions) (since 2012). |
Officers
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Manish
Mehta (44) |
President (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Chief Operating Officer for iShares (since 2009); Head of Strategy and Corporate Development, BGI (2005-2009); Chief of Staff to the CEO, BGI (2005-2009). | ||
| Jack
Gee (55) |
Treasurer
and Chief Financial Officer (since 2008). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Senior Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2009); Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2004-2009). | ||
| Charles
Park (47) |
Chief
Compliance Officer and Anti-Money Laundering Officer (since 2006). |
Chief Compliance Officer of BlackRock Advisors, LLC and the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Equity-Bond Complex, the Equity-Liquidity Complex and the Closed-End Complex (since 2014); Principal of and Chief Compliance Officer for iShares® Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC (since 2012) and BFA (since 2006); Chief Compliance Officer for BlackRock Asset Management International Inc. (since 2012). |
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| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Eilleen
M. Clavere (62) |
Secretary
(since 2007). |
Director of Global Fund Administration, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Director of Legal Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2006-2009); Legal Counsel and Vice President of Atlas Funds, Atlas Advisers, Inc. and Atlas Securities, Inc. (2005-2006); Counsel at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP (2001-2005). | ||
| Edward
B. Baer (46) |
Vice
President and Chief Legal Officer (since 2012). |
Managing Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (2004-2006). | ||
| Scott
Radell (46) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2012). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BGI (2007-2009); Credit Portfolio Manager, BGI (2005-2007); Credit Research Analyst, BGI (2003-2005). | ||
| Amy
Schioldager (52) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2007). |
Senior Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Global Head of Index Equity, BGI (2008-2009); Global Head of U.S. Indexing, BGI (2006-2008); Head of Domestic Equity Portfolio Management, BGI (2001-2006). | ||
| Ira
P. Shapiro (51) |
Vice
President (since 2007). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Strategic Product Initiatives for iShares (since 2012); Chief Legal Officer, Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (2007-2012); Associate General Counsel, BGI (2004-2009). |
The Board has concluded that, based on each Director’s
experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Directors, each Director should serve as a Director of the Board. Among the attributes common to all Directors are their ability to
review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the Funds' investment adviser, other service providers, counsel and the independent registered public accounting firm, and to exercise
effective business judgment in the performance of their duties as Directors. A Director’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively may have been attained through the Director’s educational background or professional training;
business, consulting, public service or academic positions; experience from service as a Board member of the Funds and the other funds in the Company (and any predecessor funds), other investment funds, public companies, or non-profit entities or
other organizations; and/or other life experiences. Also, set forth below is a brief discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each Director that led the Board to conclude that he or she should serve as a
Director.
Robert Kapito has been a Director of the
Company since 2009. Mr. Kapito has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2009, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and a Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006. In
addition, he has over 20 years of experience as part of BlackRock, Inc. and BlackRock, Inc.’s
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predecessor entities. Mr. Kapito serves as President and Director of
BlackRock, Inc., and is the Chairman of the Operating Committee, a member of the Office of the Chairman, the Leadership Committee and the Corporate Council. He is responsible for day-to-day oversight of BlackRock, Inc.'s key operating units,
including the Account Management and Portfolio Management Groups, Real Estate Group and BlackRock Solutions®. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2007,
Mr. Kapito served as Head of BlackRock, Inc.'s Portfolio Management Group. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing all portfolio management within BlackRock, Inc., including the Fixed Income, Equity, Liquidity, and Alternative Investment
Groups. Mr. Kapito serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. He has also been President of the Board of Directors for the Hope & Heroes Children's Cancer Fund since 2002 and President of the Board of
Directors for Periwinkle Theatre for Youth, a national non-profit arts-in-education organization, since 1983. Mr. Kapito earned a BS degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, and an MBA degree from
Harvard Business School in 1983.
Mark Wiedman has been a
Director of the Company since 2013. Mr. Wiedman has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2013, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2013 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2013. Mr. Wiedman is the Global Head and
Managing Director of iShares. In addition, he is a member of BlackRock, Inc.'s Global Executive Committee and Global Operating Committee. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2011, Mr. Wiedman was the head of Corporate Strategy for
BlackRock, Inc. Mr. Wiedman joined BlackRock, Inc. in 2004 to help start the advisory business, which evolved into the Financial Markets Advisory Group in BlackRock Solutions. This group advises financial institutions and governments on managing
their capital markets exposures and businesses. Prior to BlackRock, Inc., he served as senior advisor and chief of staff for the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and also was a management consultant at
McKinsey & Co., advising financial institutions in the United States, Europe, and Japan. He has taught as an adjunct associate professor of law at Fordham University in New York and Renmin University in Beijing. Mr. Wiedman serves on the board
of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc., a publicly-traded U.S. mortgage banking and investment management firm started in 2008, with BlackRock, Inc. as a sponsor. Mr. Wiedman earned an AB degree, Phi Beta Kappa, magna
cum laude, in social studies from Harvard College in 1992 and a JD degree from Yale Law School in 1996.
Robert H. Silver has been a Director of the Company since 2007
and Chairman of the Company's Board since 2012. Mr. Silver has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2007, Chairman of iShares Trust's Board since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chairman of iShares MSCI
Russia Capped ETF, Inc.'s Board since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chairman of iShares U.S. ETF Trust's Board since 2012. Mr. Silver is President and a Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group Inc., a firm dedicated to advising
and investing in emerging business enterprises and to supporting philanthropic activities that benefit under-served urban youth. Previously, Mr. Silver served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly
Paine Webber Inc.), the registered broker dealer comprising the Wealth Management USA business unit of UBS AG, including the following responsibilities: President of Paine Webber Services, Director of Retail Products and Marketing, Director of
Private Client Group Branch Offices, Director of Finance and Controls for Paine Webber, Inc. and Chief Administrative Officer for Paine Webber Private Client Group. Mr. Silver also served on the Board of Directors of EPAM Systems, Inc., a provider
of software engineering outsourcing services in Central and Eastern Europe, served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), chaired the National Securities Clearing Corporations’ Membership
and Risk Committee and served as Governor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. In addition, Mr. Silver was a Vice Chairman and a Member of the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greater New York and chaired its Fund Development Committee from 2001
until 2011 and Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. since 2008. Mr. Silver began his career as a CPA and Audit Manager at KPMG LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) from 1977 until 1983. Mr. Silver has a BS degree in business
administration from the University of North Carolina.
John E. Martinez has been a Director of the Company since 2003
and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Martinez has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2003, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since
2012. Mr. Martinez is a Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.), providing governance oversight and consulting services to this privately held firm that develops products and strategies for homeowners in managing the equity
in their homes. Mr. Martinez previously served as Director of Barclays Global Investors (BGI) UK Holdings, where he provided governance oversight representing BGI’s shareholders (Barclays PLC, BGI management shareholders) through oversight of
BGI’s worldwide activities. Mr. Martinez also previously served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Global Index and Markets Group of BGI, Chairman of Barclays
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Global Investor Services and Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Markets
Group of BGI. From 2003-2012, he was a Director and Executive Committee Member for Larkin Street Youth Services, providing governance oversight and strategy development to an agency that provides emergency and transitional housing, healthcare,
education, job and life skills training to homeless youth. He now serves on the Larkin Street Honorary Board. Since 2012, Mr. Martinez has served as a Director for Reading Partners, an organization committed to making all children literate through
one-on-one tutoring of students in grades K-4 who are not yet reading at grade level. Mr. Martinez has an AB degree in economics from The University of California, Berkeley and holds an MBA degree in finance and statistics from The University of
Chicago Booth School of Business.
Cecilia H. Herbert has
been a Director of the Company since 2005 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Ms. Herbert has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Nominating and
Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. In addition, Ms. Herbert currently serves on one
mutual fund board and has previously served on two other mutual fund boards. She is currently serving as Trustee of the Forward Funds, since 2009, and previously as Trustee of the Pacific Select Funds from 2004 until 2005 and Trustee of the
Montgomery Funds from 1992 until 2003. She was President of the Board of Catholic Charities CYO, the largest social services agency in the Bay Area, from 2007 until 2011 and member of that board from 1992 until 2013. She was past Chair from 1994
until 2005, and member since 1992, of the Investment Council of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. She currently serves as Trustee of WNET, New York’s public media station, since 2011. She worked from 1973-1990 at J.P. Morgan/Morgan Guaranty
Trust, retiring as Managing Director and Head of the West Coast Office. Ms. Herbert has been on numerous non-profit boards, chairing investment and finance committees. She holds a double major in economics and communications from Stanford University
and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Charles A.
Hurty has been a Director of the Company since 2005 and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Company since 2006. Mr. Hurty has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares Trust since 2006, a Director and
Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010 and a Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011. In addition, Mr. Hurty serves as Director of the GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund
since 2002, Director of the SkyBridge Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (formerly, Citigroup Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC) since 2002 and was a Director of the CSFB Alternative
Investment Funds from 2005 to December 2009, when the funds were liquidated. Mr. Hurty was formerly a Partner at KPMG, LLP from 1968 to 2001. Mr. Hurty has a BS degree in accounting from the University of Kansas.
John E. Kerrigan has been a Director of the Company since 2005
and Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Kerrigan served as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Company from 2010 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005,
Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares Trust from 2010 until 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Fixed Income
Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. from 2010 until 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011, Chair of the Fixed
Income Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust from 2011 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan serves as Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University since 2002. Mr.
Kerrigan was formerly a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch & Co., including the following responsibilities: Global Manager of Institutional Client Division eCommerce and Global Manager of Technology Specialists Sales. Mr. Kerrigan is a Trustee,
since 2008, of Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton, CA, and Director, since 1999, of The BASIC Fund (Bay Area Scholarships for Inner City Children). Mr. Kerrigan has a BA degree from Boston College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst
Charterholder.
Madhav V. Rajan has been a Director of
the Company since 2011 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Rajan has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2011, Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF,
Inc. since 2011, Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. Mr. Rajan is the Robert K.
Jaedicke Professor of Accounting at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He has taught accounting for over 20 years to undergraduate, MBA and law students, as well as to senior executives. Mr. Rajan serves as the Senior Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs and head of the MBA Program at the Stanford
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University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Rajan served as editor of
“The Accounting Review” from 2002 to 2008 and is co-author of “Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis,” a leading cost accounting textbook. Mr. Rajan holds MS, MBA and Ph.D. degrees in accounting from Carnegie Mellon
University.
Jane D. Carlin has been a Director of the
Company since 2015. Ms. Carlin has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2015 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2015. Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and
the Global Head of Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group from 2006 to 2012. In addition, Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of the Bank Operational Risk Oversight Department of Credit Suisse Group from 2003 to 2006.
Prior to that, Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of Morgan Stanley Group. Ms. Carlin has over 30 years of experience in the financial sector and has served in a number of legal, regulatory, and risk management
positions. Ms. Carlin has served as an Independent Director on the Board of PHH Corporation since 2012. She previously served as a Director on the Boards of Astoria Financial Corporation and Astoria Bank. Ms. Carlin was appointed by the United
States Treasury to the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security, where she served as Chairperson from 2010 to 2012 and Vice Chair and Chair of the Cyber Security Committee from 2009
to 2010. Ms. Carlin has a BA degree in political science from State University of New York at Stony Brook and a JD degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Board –
Leadership Structure and Oversight Responsibilities
Overall responsibility for oversight of the Funds rests with
the Board. The Board has engaged BFA to manage the Funds on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing BFA and other service providers in the operations of the Funds in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, applicable
provisions of state and other laws and the Company’s charter. The Board is currently composed of nine members, seven of whom are Independent Directors. The Board currently conducts regular meetings five times a year. In addition, the Board
frequently holds special in-person or telephonic meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may arise or require action between regular meetings. The Independent Directors meet regularly outside the presence of
management, in executive session or with other service providers to the Company.
The Board has appointed an Independent Director to serve in
the role of Chairman. The Chairman’s role is to preside at all meetings of the Board and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Directors generally between meetings. The Chairman may also perform such other
functions as may be delegated by the Board from time to time. The Board has established six standing Committees: a Nominating and Governance Committee, an Audit Committee, a 15(c) Committee, a Securities Lending Committee, an Equity Plus Committee
and a Fixed Income Plus Committee to assist the Board in the oversight and direction of the business and affairs of the Funds, and from time to time may establish ad-hoc committees or informal working groups to review and address the policies and
practices of the Funds with respect to certain specified matters. The Chair of each standing Committee is an Independent Director. The role of the Chair of each Committee is to preside at all meetings of the Committee and to act as a liaison with
service providers, officers, attorneys and other Directors between meetings. Each Committee meets regularly to conduct the oversight functions delegated to the Committee by the Board and reports its finding to the Board. The Board and each standing
Committee conduct annual assessments of their oversight function and structure. The Board has determined that the Board’s leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise independent judgment over management and it
allocates areas of responsibility among committees of Independent Directors and the full Board to enhance effective oversight.
Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Funds is the
responsibility of BFA or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to the supervision of BFA. Each Fund is subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance, operational, counterparty and valuation risks,
among others. While there are a number of risk management functions performed by BFA and other service providers, as applicable, it is not possible to eliminate all of the risks applicable to the Funds. The Directors have an oversight role in this
area, satisfying themselves that risk management processes and controls are in place and operating effectively. Risk oversight forms part of the Board’s general oversight of each Fund and is addressed as part of various Board and committee
activities. The Board, directly or through a committee, also reviews reports from, among others, management and the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by each Fund and
management’s risk functions. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who oversees the implementation and testing of the Company's compliance program, including assessments by independent third parties, and reports to the Board
regarding compliance matters for the Company and its principal service providers. In testing and maintaining the compliance program, the Chief Compliance Officer (and his or her delegates) assesses key
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compliance risks affecting each Fund, and addresses them in periodic reports
to the Board. The Independent Directors have engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities.
Committees of the Board of Directors. Each Independent Director serves on the Audit Committee. The Chair of the Audit Committee is Charles A. Hurty. The purposes of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board (i) in its oversight of the Company's
accounting and financial reporting principles and policies and related controls and procedures maintained by or on behalf of the Company; (ii) in its oversight of the Company's financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (iii) 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); (iv) in evaluating the independence of the
independent accountants; (v) in complying with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Company's accounting and financial reporting, internal controls, compliance controls and independent audits; and (vi) to assume such other
responsibilities as may be delegated by the Board. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are
Cecilia H. Herbert (Chair), Charles A. Hurty, Madhav V. Rajan and John E. Kerrigan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The Nominating and Governance Committee nominates individuals for Independent Director membership on the Board. The Nominating
and Governance Committee functions include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) reviewing the qualifications of any person properly identified or nominated to serve as an Independent Director; (ii) recommending to the Board and current
Independent Directors the nominee(s) for appointment as an Independent Director by the Board and current Independent Directors and/or for election as Independent Directors by shareholders to fill any vacancy for a position of Independent Director(s)
on the Board; (iii) recommending to the Board and current Independent Directors the size and composition of the Board and Board committees and whether they comply with applicable laws and regulations; (iv) recommending a current Independent Director
to the Board and current Independent Directors to serve as Lead Independent Director; (v) periodic review of the Board's retirement policy; and (vi) recommending an appropriate level of compensation for the Independent Directors for their services
as Directors, members or chairpersons of committees of the Board, Lead Independent Director, Chairperson of the Board and any other positions as the Nominating and Governance Committee considers appropriate. The Nominating and Governance Committee
does not consider Board nominations recommended by shareholders (acting solely in their capacity as a shareholder and not in any other capacity). The Nominating and Governance Committee met five times during the fiscal year ended October 31,
2014.
Each Independent Director serves on the 15(c)
Committee. The Chair of the 15(c) Committee is Madhav V. Rajan. The principal responsibilities of the 15(c) Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for the annual review and renewal of the Company's advisory
and sub-advisory agreements. These responsibilities include: (i) meeting with BlackRock, Inc. in advance of the Board meeting at which the Company's advisory and sub-advisory agreements are to be considered to discuss generally the process for
providing requested information to the Board and the format in which information will be provided; and (ii) considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to
evaluate the investment advisory and sub-advisory agreements of the Company. The 15(c) Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
The members of the Securities Lending Committee are John E.
Martinez (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and John E. Kerrigan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Securities Lending Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
the Company's securities lending activities. These responsibilities include: (i) requesting that certain information be provided to the Committee for its review and consideration prior to such information being provided to the Board; (ii)
considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to oversee the Company's securities lending activities and make required findings and approvals; and (iii) providing
a recommendation to the Board regarding the annual approval of the Company's Securities Lending Guidelines and the required findings with respect to, and annual approval of, the Company's agreement with the lending agent. The Securities Lending
Committee met seven times during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
The members of the Equity Plus Committee are Cecilia H.
Herbert (Chair), John E. Martinez and Madhav V. Rajan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Equity Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for equity funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters that should be
brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and
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providing a report or recommendation to the Board as appropriate. The Equity
Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
The members of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are John E.
Kerrigan (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and Charles A. Hurty, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for fixed income or multi-asset funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters
that should be brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board as
appropriate. The Fixed Income Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
As the Chairman of the Board, Robert H. Silver may participate
in each Committee's meetings.
The following table sets
forth, as of December 31, 2014, the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Director in the Funds and in other registered investment companies overseen by the Director within the same family of investment companies as the
Company. If a fund is not listed below, the Director did not own any securities in that fund as of the date indicated above:
| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| Robert S. Kapito | None | None | None | |||
| Mark Wiedman | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| Robert H. Silver | iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Energy ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2015 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2016 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2017 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2018 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares International Developed Real Estate ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI China ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EMU ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares S&P 100 ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financial Services ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| John E. Martinez | iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core U.S. Growth ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core U.S. Value ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares International Select Dividend ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| Charles A. Hurty | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Healthcare ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares North American Tech-Multimedia Networking ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financials ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| John E. Kerrigan | iShares MSCI ACWI ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | Over $100,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Short-Term National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Jane D. Carlin1 | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $50,001-$100,000 |
| 1 | Appointed to serve as an Independent Director effective February 3, 2015. |
As of December 31, 2014, none of the Independent Directors or
their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities of BFA (the Funds' investment adviser), the Distributor or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with BFA or the Distributor.
Remuneration of Directors.
Each current Independent Director is paid an annual retainer of $300,000 for his or her services as a Board member to the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, together with
out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board's policy on travel and other business expenses relating to attendance at meetings. The Independent Chairman of the Boards is paid an additional annual retainer of $50,000. The Chair of the Audit
Committees is paid an additional annual retainer of $40,000. The Chair of each of the Nominating and Governance Committees, Equity Plus Committees, Fixed Income Plus Committees, Securities Lending Committees and 15(c) Committees is paid an
additional annual retainer of $15,000. Each Independent Director that serves as a director of subsidiaries of the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex is paid an additional annual retainer of $10,000 (plus an additional $1,772 paid annually to compensate
for taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Director’s service on the boards of certain Mauritius-based subsidiaries). Additionally, any Independent Director who travels to the Republic of Mauritius to attend board
meetings is paid an additional $12,000 (plus an additional $2,117 paid annually to compensate for taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Director’s service on the boards of certain Mauritius-based
subsidiaries).
The table below sets forth the
compensation earned by each Independent Director and Interested Director from each Fund for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014 and the aggregate compensation paid to them by the Exchange-Traded Complex for the calendar year ended December 31,
2014.
| Name of Director | iShares
Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF |
iShares
Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF |
iShares
Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | |||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||||
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| Name of Director | iShares
Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF |
iShares
Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF |
iShares
Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | |||
| George G.C. Parker2 | $ 10 | $76 | $215 | |||
| John E. Kerrigan | 10 | 80 | 227 | |||
| Charles A. Hurty | 11 | 87 | 247 | |||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 11 | 84 | 239 | |||
| Robert H. Silver | 12 | 90 | 254 | |||
| John E. Martinez | 10 | 80 | 227 | |||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 10 | 80 | 227 | |||
| Interested Directors: | ||||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $ 0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| Mark Wiedman | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Name of Director | iShares
Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF |
iShares
Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | ||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||
| George G.C. Parker2 | $ 55 | $40 | ||
| John E. Kerrigan | 58 | 42 | ||
| Charles A. Hurty | 62 | 46 | ||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 61 | 44 | ||
| Robert H. Silver | 64 | 47 | ||
| John E. Martinez | 58 | 42 | ||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 58 | 42 | ||
| Interested Directors: | ||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $ 0 | $ 0 | ||
| Mark Wiedman | 0 | 0 |
| Name of Director | Pension
or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Company Expenses3 |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement3 |
Total
Compensation From the Funds and Fund Complex4 | |||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||||
| Robert H. Silver | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 350,000 | |||
| George G.C. Parker2 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 300,000 | |||
| John E. Kerrigan | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 326,807 | |||
| Charles A. Hurty | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 340,000 | |||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 330,000 | |||
| John E. Martinez | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 315,000 | |||
| Madhav V. Rajan | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 326,772 | |||
| Interested Directors: | ||||||
| Robert S. Kapito | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 0 |
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| Name of Director | Pension
or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Company Expenses3 |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement3 |
Total
Compensation From the Funds and Fund Complex4 | |||
| Mark Wiedman | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 0 |
| 1 | Compensation is not shown for Jane D. Carlin because she was appointed to serve as an Independent Director of the Company effective February 3, 2015. |
| 2 | Served as an Independent Director through December 31, 2014. |
| 3 | No Director or officer is entitled to any pension or retirement benefits from the Company. |
| 4 | Includes compensation for service on the Boards of Trustees for iShares Trust and iShares U.S. ETF Trust and the Board of Directors of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. |
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities.
The Directors and officers of the Company collectively owned
less than 1% of each Fund's outstanding shares as of January 30, 2015.
Although the Company does not have information concerning the
beneficial ownership of shares held in the names of Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participants (as defined below), as of January 30, 2015, the name and percentage ownership of each DTC participant that owned of record 5% or more of
the outstanding shares of a Fund were as follows:
| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF | National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
15.03% | ||
| Scotia
Capital Inc. Scotia Plaza 40 King Street West 23rd Floor Toronto, ON M5W 2X6 CA |
9.96% | |||
| Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney LLC 1300 Thames Street 6th Floor Baltimore, MD 21231 |
9.30% | |||
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
7.37% | |||
| J.P.
Morgan Clearing Corp One Metrotech Center North Brooklyn, NY 11201 |
7.29% | |||
| Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 525 Washington Blvd. 11th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
6.49% | |||
| UBS
Financial Services Inc. 1000 Harbor Blvd. 4th Floor Weehawken, NJ 07087 |
5.03% | |||
| iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF | American
Enterprise Investment Services Inc. 2178 AXP Financial Center Minneapolis, MN 55474 |
22.48% |
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| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
21.57% | |||
| Pershing
LLC One Pershing Plaza Jersey City, NJ 07399 |
12.41% | |||
| Morgan
Stanley Smith Barney LLC 1300 Thames Street 6th Floor Baltimore, MD 21231 |
5.70% | |||
| iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | The
Bank of New York Mellon/Mellon Trust of New England, National Association One Boston Place 8th Floor Boston, MA 02108 |
50.00% | ||
| Goldman,
Sachs & Co. 30 Hudson Street 16th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302 |
15.31% | |||
| Merrill
Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith Safekeeping 101 Hudson Street 8th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302 |
7.02% | |||
| iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | JPMorgan
Chase Bank, National Association 14201 Dallas Pkwy 12th Floor Dallas, TX 75240 |
60.75% | ||
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
7.14% | |||
| iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | Merrill
Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith Safekeeping 101 Hudson Street 8th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302 |
28.91% | ||
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
12.00% | |||
| J.P.
Morgan Clearing Corp One Metrotech Center North Brooklyn, NY 11201 |
7.11% | |||
| The
Bank of New York Mellon 401 Salina Street 2nd Floor Syracuse, NY 13202 |
6.86% |
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Table of Contents
| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| Raymond,
James & Associates, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway P.O. Box 12749 St. Petersburg, FL 33733 |
5.81% | |||
| Pershing
LLC One Pershing Plaza Jersey City, NJ 07399 |
5.43% |
Potential Conflicts of Interest. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (“PNC”) has a significant economic interest in BlackRock, Inc., the parent of BFA, the Funds' investment adviser. PNC is considered to be an affiliate of
BlackRock, Inc. under the 1940 Act. Certain activities of BFA, BlackRock, Inc. and their affiliates (collectively, “BlackRock”) and PNC and its affiliates (collectively, “PNC” and together with BlackRock,
“Affiliates”), with respect to the Funds and/or other accounts managed by BlackRock or PNC, may give rise to actual or perceived conflicts of interest such as those described below.
BlackRock is one of the world's largest asset management
firms. PNC is a diversified financial services organization spanning the retail, business and corporate markets. BlackRock and PNC are affiliates of one another under the 1940 Act. BlackRock and PNC and their respective affiliates (including, for
these purposes, their directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees), including the entities and personnel who may be involved in the investment activities and business operations of a Fund, are engaged worldwide in
businesses, including equity, fixed-income, cash management and alternative investments. These are considerations of which investors in a Fund should be aware, and which may cause conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its
shareholders. These activities and interests include potential multiple advisory, transactional, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments that may be purchased or sold by a Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates have proprietary interests in,
and may manage or advise with respect to, accounts or funds (including separate accounts and other funds and collective investment vehicles) that have investment objectives similar to those of a Fund and/or that engage in transactions in the same
types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. One or more Affiliates are also major participants in the global currency, equities, swap and fixed-income markets, in each case both on a proprietary basis and for the accounts of
customers. As such, one or more Affiliates are or may be actively engaged in transactions in the same securities, currencies, and instruments in which a Fund invests. Such activities could affect the prices and availability of the securities,
currencies, and instruments in which a Fund invests, which could have an adverse impact on the Fund's performance. Such transactions, particularly in respect of most proprietary accounts or customer accounts, will be executed independently of a
Fund's transactions and thus at prices or rates that may be more or less favorable than those obtained by the Fund. When BlackRock and its Affiliates purchase or sell the same assets for their managed accounts, including a Fund, the assets actually
purchased or sold may be allocated among the accounts on a basis determined in their good faith discretion to be equitable. In some cases, this system may adversely affect the amount or price of the assets purchased or sold for a Fund. In addition,
transactions in investments by one or more other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of a Fund, particularly, but not limited to,
with respect to small capitalization, emerging market or less liquid strategies. This may occur when investment decisions regarding a Fund are based on research or other information that is also used to support decisions for other accounts. When
BlackRock or its Affiliates implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of another account ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar decisions or strategies for a Fund, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other factors could result
in the Fund receiving less favorable trading results and the costs of implementing such decisions or strategies could be increased or the Fund could otherwise be disadvantaged. BlackRock or its Affiliates may, in certain cases, elect to implement
internal policies and procedures designed to limit such consequences, which may cause a Fund to be unable to engage in certain activities, including purchasing or disposing of securities, when it might otherwise be desirable for it to do so.
Conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions regarding
a Fund may benefit other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position by a Fund may impair the price of the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) one or
more Affiliates or their other accounts, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security by a Fund may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) one or more Affiliates or their other
accounts.
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In certain circumstances, BFA, on behalf of a Fund, may seek
to buy from or sell securities to another fund or account advised by BFA or an affiliate. BFA may (but is not required to) effect purchases and sales between BFA clients or clients of affiliates (“cross trades”), including a Fund, if BFA
believes such transactions are appropriate based on each party's investment objectives and guidelines, subject to applicable law and regulation. There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to these transactions which
could limit BFA’s decision to engage in these transactions for a Fund. BFA may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions. On any occasion when a Fund participates in a cross
trade, BFA will comply with procedures adopted pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and applicable SEC guidance.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their clients may pursue or
enforce rights with respect to an issuer in which a Fund has invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Fund. As a result, prices, availability, liquidity and terms of a Fund's investments may be negatively impacted by the
activities of BlackRock or its Affiliates or their clients, and transactions for the Fund may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.
The results of a Fund's investment activities may differ
significantly from the results achieved by BlackRock and its Affiliates for their proprietary accounts or other accounts (including investment companies or collective investment vehicles) managed or advised by them. It is possible that one or more
Affiliate-managed accounts and such other accounts will achieve investment results that are substantially more or less favorable than the results achieved by a Fund. Moreover, it is possible that a Fund will sustain losses during periods in which
one or more Affiliate-managed accounts achieve significant profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible. The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their proprietary accounts and
accounts under their management may also limit the investment opportunities for a Fund in certain emerging and other markets in which limitations are imposed upon the amount of investment, in the aggregate or in individual issuers, by affiliated
foreign investors.
From time to time, a Fund's
activities may also be restricted because of regulatory restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. As a result, there may be periods, for example, when BlackRock,
and/or one or more Affiliates, will not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions in certain securities or instruments with respect to which BlackRock and/or one or more Affiliates are performing services or when position limits have been
reached.
In connection with its management of a Fund,
BlackRock may have access to certain fundamental analysis and proprietary technical models developed by one or more Affiliates. BlackRock will not be under any obligation, however, to effect transactions on behalf of a Fund in accordance with such
analysis and models. In addition, neither BlackRock nor any of its Affiliates will have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts
managed by them, for the benefit of the management of a Fund and it is not anticipated that BlackRock will have access to such information for the purpose of managing the Fund. The proprietary activities or portfolio strategies of BlackRock and its
Affiliates, or the activities or strategies used for accounts managed by them or other customer accounts could conflict with the transactions and strategies employed by BlackRock in managing a Fund.
A Fund may be included in investment models developed by BFA
and its affiliates for use by clients and financial advisors. The price, availability and liquidity of a Fund may be impacted by purchases and redemptions of a Fund by model-driven investment portfolios.
In addition, certain principals and certain employees of
BlackRock are also principals or employees of Affiliates. As a result, the performance by these principals and employees of their obligations to such other entities may be a consideration of which investors in a Fund should be aware.
BlackRock may enter into transactions and invest in
securities, instruments and currencies on behalf of a Fund in which customers of BlackRock or its Affiliates, or, to the extent permitted by the SEC, BlackRock or another Affiliate, serves as the counterparty, principal or issuer. In such cases,
such party's interests in the transaction will be adverse to the interests of the Fund, and such party may have no incentive to assure that the Fund obtains the best possible prices or terms in connection with the transactions. In addition, the
purchase, holding and sale of such investments by a Fund may enhance the profitability of BlackRock or its Affiliates. One or more Affiliates may also create, write or issue derivatives for their customers, the underlying securities, currencies or
instruments of which may be those in which a Fund invests or which may be based on the performance of the Fund. A Fund may, subject to applicable law, purchase investments that are the subject of an
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underwriting or other distribution by one or more Affiliates and may also
enter into transactions with other clients of an Affiliate where such other clients have interests adverse to those of the Fund.
At times, these activities may cause departments of BlackRock
or its Affiliates to give advice to clients that may cause these clients to take actions adverse to the interests of the Fund. To the extent affiliated transactions are permitted, a Fund will deal with BlackRock and its Affiliates on an arms-length
basis. BlackRock or its Affiliates may also have an ownership interest in certain trading or information systems used by a Fund. A Fund's use of such trading or information systems may enhance the profitability of BlackRock and its Affiliates.
One or more Affiliates may act as broker, dealer, agent,
lender or adviser or in other commercial capacities for a Fund. It is anticipated that the commissions, mark-ups, mark-downs, financial advisory fees, underwriting and placement fees, sales fees, financing and commitment fees, brokerage fees, other
fees, compensation or profits, rates, terms and conditions charged by an Affiliate will be in its view commercially reasonable, although each Affiliate, including its sales personnel, will have an interest in obtaining fees and other amounts that
are favorable to the Affiliate and such sales personnel.
Subject to applicable law, the Affiliates (and their personnel
and other distributors) will be entitled to retain fees and other amounts that they receive in connection with their service to the Funds as broker, dealer, agent, lender, adviser or in other commercial capacities and no accounting to the Funds or
their shareholders will be required, and no fees or other compensation payable by the Funds or their shareholders will be reduced by reason of receipt by an Affiliate of any such fees or other amounts.
When an Affiliate acts as broker, dealer, agent, adviser or in
other commercial capacities in relation to the Funds, the Affiliate may take commercial steps in its own interests, which may have an adverse effect on the Funds. A Fund will be required to establish business relationships with its counterparties
based on the Fund's own credit standing. Neither BlackRock nor any of the Affiliates will have any obligation to allow their credit to be used in connection with a Fund's establishment of its business relationships, nor is it expected that the
Fund's counterparties will rely on the credit of BlackRock or any of the Affiliates in evaluating the Fund's creditworthiness.
Lending on behalf of a Fund is done by BTC pursuant to SEC
exemptive relief, enabling BTC to act as securities lending agent to, and receive a share of securities lending revenues from, a Fund. BFA may also receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of the cash collateral from securities lending.
There is a potential conflict of interest in that BTC as a lending agent may have an incentive to increase the amount of securities on loan or to lend riskier assets in order to generate additional revenue for BTC and its affiliates. However,
BTC’s SEC exemptive relief sets forth certain conditions designed to assist in mitigating such conflicts of interest.
Purchases and sales of securities for a Fund may be bunched or
aggregated with orders for other BlackRock client accounts. BlackRock, however, is not required to bunch or aggregate orders if portfolio management decisions for different accounts are made separately, or if it determines that bunching or
aggregating is not practicable or required, or in cases involving client direction.
Prevailing trading activity frequently may make impossible the
receipt of the same price or execution on the entire volume of securities purchased or sold. When this occurs, the various prices may be averaged, and the Funds will be charged or credited with the average price. Thus, the effect of the aggregation
may operate on some occasions to the disadvantage of the Funds. In addition, under certain circumstances, the Funds will not be charged the same commission or commission equivalent rates in connection with a bunched or aggregated order.
BlackRock may select brokers (including, without limitation,
Affiliates) that furnish BlackRock, the Funds, other BlackRock client accounts or other Affiliates or personnel, directly or through correspondent relationships, with research or other appropriate services which provide, in BlackRock's view,
appropriate assistance to BlackRock in the investment decision-making process (including with respect to futures, fixed-price offerings and over-the-counter transactions). Such research or other services may include, to the extent permitted by law,
research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; proxy analysis; trade industry seminars; computer data bases; research-oriented software and other services and products. Research or
other services obtained in this manner may be used in servicing any or all of the Funds and other BlackRock client accounts, including in connection with BlackRock client accounts other than those that pay commissions to the broker relating to the
research or other service arrangements. Such products and services may disproportionately benefit other BlackRock client accounts relative to the Funds based on the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Funds and such other BlackRock client
accounts. For example, research or other services
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that are paid for through one client's commissions may not be used in
managing that client's account. In addition, other BlackRock client accounts may receive the benefit, including disproportionate benefits, of economies of scale or price discounts in connection with products and services that may be provided to the
Funds and to such other BlackRock client accounts. To the extent that BlackRock uses soft dollars, it will not have to pay for those products and services itself.
BlackRock may receive research that is bundled with the trade
execution, clearing, and/or settlement services provided by a particular broker-dealer. To the extent that BlackRock receives research on this basis, many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist. For example, the research
effectively will be paid by client commissions that also will be used to pay for the execution, clearing, and settlement services provided by the broker-dealer and will not be paid by BlackRock.
BlackRock may endeavor to execute trades through brokers who,
pursuant to such arrangements, provide research or other services in order to ensure the continued receipt of research or other services BlackRock believes are useful in its investment decision-making process. BlackRock may from time to time choose
not to engage in the above described arrangements to varying degrees. BlackRock may also enter into commission sharing arrangements under which BlackRock may execute transactions through a broker-dealer, including, where permitted, an Affiliate, and
request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to BlackRock. To the extent that BlackRock engages in commission sharing arrangements, many of the same conflicts
related to traditional soft dollars may exist.
BlackRock
may utilize certain electronic crossing networks (“ECNs”) in executing client securities transactions for certain types of securities. These ECNs may charge fees for their services, including access fees and transaction fees. The
transaction fees, which are similar to commissions or mark-ups/mark-downs, will generally be charged to clients and, like commissions and mark-ups/mark-downs, would generally be included in the cost of the securities purchased. Access fees may be
paid by BlackRock even though incurred in connection with executing transactions on behalf of clients, including the Funds. In certain circumstances, ECNs may offer volume discounts that will reduce the access fees typically paid by BlackRock.
BlackRock will only utilize ECNs consistent with its obligation to seek to obtain best execution in client transactions.
BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to
prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Funds, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with BlackRock's fiduciary obligations to its
clients. Nevertheless, notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of BlackRock may have the effect of favoring the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of BlackRock and/or
its Affiliates, provided that BlackRock believes such voting decisions to be in accordance with its fiduciary obligations. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the Proxy Voting
Policy section of this SAI.
It is also possible
that, from time to time, BlackRock or its Affiliates may, although they are not required to, purchase and hold shares of a Fund. Increasing a Fund's assets may enhance liquidity, investment flexibility and diversification and may contribute to
economies of scale that tend to reduce the Fund's expense ratio. BlackRock and its Affiliates reserve the right to sell or redeem at any time some or all of the shares of a Fund acquired for their own accounts. A large sale or redemption of shares
of a Fund by BlackRock or its Affiliates could significantly reduce the asset size of the Fund, which might have an adverse effect on the Fund's liquidity, investment flexibility, portfolio diversification and expense ratio. BlackRock will consider
the effect of redemptions on a Fund and other shareholders in deciding whether to redeem its shares.
It is possible that a Fund may invest in securities of
companies with which an Affiliate has or is trying to develop investment banking relationships as well as securities of entities in which BlackRock or its Affiliates has significant debt or equity investments or in which an Affiliate makes a market.
A Fund also may invest in securities of companies to which an Affiliate provides or may someday provide research coverage. Such investments could cause conflicts between the interests of a Fund and the interests of BlackRock, other clients of
BlackRock or its Affiliates. In making investment decisions for a Fund, BlackRock is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information acquired by any division, department or Affiliate of BlackRock in the course of these activities. In
addition, from time to time, the activities of an Affiliate may limit a Fund's flexibility in purchases and sales of securities. When an Affiliate is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of an entity, BlackRock may be
prohibited from purchasing or recommending the purchase of certain securities of that entity for a Fund. As indicated below, BlackRock or its Affiliates may engage in transactions with companies in which BlackRock-advised funds or other clients have
an investment.
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BlackRock and Ace Limited (“ACE”), a public
company whose securities are held by BlackRock-advised funds and other accounts, partially funded the creation of a re-insurance company (“Re Co”) pursuant to which each has approximately a 9.9% ownership interest and each has
representation on the board of directors. Certain employees and executives of BlackRock will also have a less than ½ of 1% ownership interest in Re Co. BlackRock will manage the investment portfolio of Re Co, which will be held in a
wholly-owned subsidiary. Re Co will participate as a reinsurer with reinsurance contracts underwritten by subsidiaries of ACE. An independent director of certain BlackRock-advised funds also serves as an independent director of ACE and has no
interest or involvement in the Re Co transaction.
BlackRock and its Affiliates, their personnel and other
financial service providers may have interests in promoting sales of the Funds. With respect to BlackRock and its Affiliates and their personnel, the remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of the Funds or other products may
be greater than remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of certain funds or other products that might be provided or offered. BlackRock and its Affiliates and their sales personnel may directly or indirectly receive a
portion of the fees and commissions charged to the Funds or their shareholders. BlackRock and its advisory or other personnel may also benefit from increased amounts of assets under management. Fees and commissions may also be higher than for other
products or services, and the remuneration and profitability to BlackRock or its Affiliates and such personnel resulting from transactions on behalf of or management of the Funds may be greater than the remuneration and profitability resulting from
other funds or products.
BlackRock and its Affiliates
and their personnel may receive greater compensation or greater profit in connection with an account for which BlackRock serves as an adviser than with an account advised by an unaffiliated investment adviser. Differentials in compensation may be
related to the fact that BlackRock may pay a portion of its advisory fee to its Affiliate, or relate to compensation arrangements, including for portfolio management, brokerage transactions or account servicing. Any differential in compensation may
create a financial incentive on the part of BlackRock or its Affiliates and their personnel to recommend BlackRock over unaffiliated investment advisers or to effect transactions differently in one account over another.
Third parties, including service providers to BFA or a Fund,
may sponsor events (including, but not limited to, marketing and promotional activities and presentations, educational training programs and conferences) for registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors. There is a
potential conflict of interest as such sponsorships may defray the costs of such activities to BFA, and may provide an incentive to BFA to retain such third parties to provide services to a Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may provide valuation assistance
to certain clients with respect to certain securities or other investments and the valuation recommendations made for their clients' accounts may differ from the valuations for the same securities or investments assigned by a Fund's pricing vendors,
especially if such valuations are based on broker-dealer quotes or other data sources unavailable to the Fund's pricing vendors. While BlackRock will generally communicate its valuation information or determinations to a Fund's pricing vendors
and/or fund accountants, there may be instances where the Fund's pricing vendors or fund accountants assign a different valuation to a security or other investment than the valuation for such security or investment determined or recommended by
BlackRock.
As disclosed in more detail in the Determination of Net Asset Value section of each Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI, when 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 procedures adopted by the Board. When determining an asset’s “fair value,” the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) seeks to determine
the price that a Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on which the assets or liabilities are being valued and does not seek to determine the price that the Fund
might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. While fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that
BlackRock’s Pricing Group deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third-party valuation models, fair value represents only a good faith approximation
of the value of a security. The fair value of one or more securities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining a Fund’s net
asset value. As a result, a Fund’s sale or redemption of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued by BlackRock (pursuant to Board-adopted procedures) at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or
increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders and BlackRock receiving additional revenue.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, a Fund may invest
all or some of its short-term cash investments in any money market fund or similarly-managed private fund advised or managed by BlackRock. In connection with any such investments,
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a
Fund, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, may pay its share of expenses of a money market fund in which it invests, which may result in a Fund bearing some additional expenses.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their directors, officers and
employees, may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts, and may have conflicts of interest with respect to investments made on behalf of a Fund. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints,
positions may be taken by directors, officers, employees and Affiliates of BlackRock that are the same, different from or made at different times than positions taken for the Fund. To lessen the possibility that a Fund will be adversely affected by
this personal trading, the Fund, BFA and BlackRock each has adopted a code of ethics in compliance with Section 17(j) of the 1940 Act that restricts securities trading in the personal accounts of investment professionals and others who normally come
into possession of information regarding the Fund's portfolio transactions. Each code of ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be
obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Each code of ethics is also available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov
or by writing the SEC's Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-1520.
BlackRock and its Affiliates will not purchase securities or
other property from, or sell securities or other property to, a Fund, except that the Fund may in accordance with rules adopted under the 1940 Act engage in transactions with accounts that are affiliated with the Fund as a result of common officers,
directors, or investment advisers or pursuant to exemptive orders granted to the Funds and/or BlackRock by the SEC. These transactions would be effected in circumstances in which BlackRock determined that it would be appropriate for a Fund to
purchase and another client of BlackRock to sell, or the Fund to sell and another client of BlackRock to purchase, the same security or instrument on the same day. From time to time, the activities of a Fund may be restricted because of regulatory
requirements applicable to BlackRock or its Affiliates and/or BlackRock's internal policies designed to comply with, limit the applicability of, or otherwise relate to such requirements. A client not advised by BlackRock would not be subject to some
of those considerations. There may be periods when BlackRock may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise restrict or limit their advice in certain securities or instruments issued by or related to companies for
which an Affiliate is performing investment banking, market making or other services or has proprietary positions. For example, when an Affiliate is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of, or advisory services for, a
company, the Funds may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling securities of that company. Similar situations could arise if personnel of BlackRock or its Affiliates serve as directors of companies the securities of which the Funds
wish to purchase or sell. However, if permitted by applicable law, the Funds may purchase securities or instruments that are issued by such companies or are the subject of an underwriting, distribution, or advisory assignment by an Affiliate, or in
cases in which personnel of BlackRock or its Affiliates are directors or officers of the issuer.
The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their
proprietary accounts and for client accounts may also limit the investment strategies and rights of the Funds. For example, in certain regulated industries, in certain emerging or international markets, in corporate and regulatory ownership
definitions, and in certain futures and derivative transactions, there may be limits on the aggregate amount of investment by affiliated investors that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent or,
if exceeded, may cause BlackRock, the Funds or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions.
If certain aggregate ownership thresholds are reached or
certain transactions undertaken, the ability of BlackRock on behalf of clients (including the Funds) to purchase or dispose of investments, or exercise rights or undertake business transactions, may be restricted by regulation or otherwise impaired.
As a result, BlackRock, on behalf of clients (including the Funds), may limit purchases, sell existing investments, or otherwise restrict or limit the exercise of rights (including voting rights) when BlackRock, in its sole discretion, deems it
appropriate in light of potential regulatory or other restrictions on ownership or other consequences resulting from reaching investment thresholds.
In those circumstances where ownership thresholds or
limitations must be observed, BlackRock seeks to allocate limited investment opportunities equitably among clients (including the Funds), taking into consideration benchmark weight and investment strategy. When ownership in certain securities nears
an applicable threshold, BlackRock may limit purchases in such securities to the issuer's weighting in the applicable benchmark used by BlackRock to manage a Fund. If client (including Fund) holdings of an issuer exceed an applicable threshold and
BlackRock is unable to obtain relief to enable the
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continued holding of such investments, it may be necessary to sell down these
positions to meet the applicable limitations. In these cases, benchmark overweight positions will be sold prior to benchmark positions being reduced to meet applicable limitations.
In addition to the foregoing, other ownership thresholds may
trigger reporting requirements to governmental and regulatory authorities, and such reports may entail the disclosure of the identity of a client or BlackRock’s intended strategy with respect to such security or asset.
To the extent permitted by applicable laws, BlackRock and its
Affiliates may maintain securities indexes as part of their product offerings. Index based funds seek to track the performance of securities indexes and may use the name of the index in the fund name. Index providers, including BlackRock and its
Affiliates may be paid licensing fees for use of their index or index name. BlackRock and its Affiliates will not be obligated to license their indexes to BlackRock, and BlackRock cannot be assured that the terms of any index licensing agreement
with BlackRock and its Affiliates will be as favorable as those terms offered to other index licensees.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may serve as Authorized
Participants in the creation and redemption of exchange-traded funds, including funds advised by Affiliates of BlackRock. As described in greater detail in the Creations and
Redemptions section of each Prospectus, BlackRock and its Affiliates may therefore be deemed to be participants in a distribution of iShares funds that could render them statutory underwriters.
BlackRock may enter into contractual arrangements with third
party service providers to a Fund (e.g., custodians and administrators) pursuant to which BlackRock receives fee discounts or concessions in recognition of BlackRock’s overall relationship with such
service providers. To the extent that BlackRock is responsible for paying these service providers out of its management fee, the benefits of any such fee discounts or concessions may accrue, in whole or in part, to BlackRock. BlackRock will disclose
any material benefits it receives as a result of such fee discounts or concessions to the Board.
Present and future activities of BlackRock and its Affiliates,
including BFA, in addition to those described in this section, may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.
Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution
Services
Investment Adviser. BFA serves as investment adviser to each Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Company, on behalf of each Fund, and BFA. BFA is a California corporation indirectly owned by BlackRock, Inc.
and is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Under the investment advisory agreement, BFA, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of each
Fund, manages and administers the Company and the investment of each Fund’s assets. BFA is responsible for placing purchase and sale orders and providing continuous supervision of the investment portfolio of each Fund.
BFA is responsible, under the investment advisory agreement,
for substantially all expenses of the Funds, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services. BFA is not responsible for, and the Funds will bear the cost of, interest expense, taxes, brokerage
expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio securities transactions, distribution fees and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to each Fund, BFA is paid
a management fee at the annual rates (as a percentage of such Fund's average net assets) set forth below.
The following table sets forth the management fees paid by the
Fund to BFA for the fiscal years noted:
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| Fund | Management
Fee for Fiscal Year Ended Oct. 31, 2014 |
Fund
Inception Date |
Management
Fees Paid for Fiscal Year Ended Oct. 31, 2014 |
Management
Fees Paid for Fiscal Year Ended Oct. 31, 2013 |
Management
Fees Paid for Fiscal Year Ended Oct. 31, 2012 | |||||
| iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF1 | 0.60% | 04/17/12 | $ 154,114 | $ 202,526 | $ 41,205 | |||||
| iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF2 | 0.65% | 04/03/12 | 1,265,426 | 1,462,488 | 82,350 | |||||
| iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF3 | 0.60% | 10/18/11 | 3,558,782 | 3,298,880 | 288,363 | |||||
| iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF4 | 0.55% | 04/03/12 | 723,375 | 215,773 | 77,202 | |||||
| iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF5 | 0.55% | 04/03/12 | 515,709 | 302,079 | 90,198 |
| 1 | Effective March 2, 2015, the management fee for the iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF is 0.50%. Prior to March 2, 2015, it was 0.60%. |
| 2 | Effective March 2, 2015, the management fee for the iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF is 0.50%. Prior to March 2, 2015, it was 0.65%. |
| 3 | Effective October 9, 2014, for the iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, BFA has voluntarily agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in order to limit the management fee to 0.50%. Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time, without notice. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014, BFA waived $36,951 of its management fees. Effective March 2, 2015, the management fee for the iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF is 0.50%. Prior to March 2, 2015, it was 0.60%. |
| 4 | For the iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for its investment advisory services to the iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF in order to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.40% of average daily net assets until February 29, 2016. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to February 29, 2016 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended October 31, 2014 and October 31, 2013, BFA waived $197,284 and $58,847 of its management fees, respectively. |
| 5 | For the iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for its investment advisory services to the iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF in order to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.40% of average daily net assets until February 29, 2016. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to February 29, 2016 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended October 31, 2014 and October 31, 2013, BFA waived $140,648 and $82,385 of its management fees, respectively. |
The investment advisory agreement with respect to each 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 applicable Fund,
provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a majority of the Board members who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable 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 each Fund is terminable without penalty, on 60 days’ notice, by the Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the applicable Fund’s outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act). The
investment advisory agreement is also terminable upon 60 days’ notice by BFA and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Investment Sub-Adviser.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and the Company entered into on behalf of the Funds, BFA may from time to time, in its sole discretion, to the extent permitted by applicable law,
appoint one or more sub-advisers, including, without limitation, affiliates of BFA, to perform investment advisory services with respect to the Funds. In addition, BFA may delegate certain of its investment advisory functions under the Investment
Advisory Agreement to one or more of its affiliates to the extent permitted by applicable law. BFA may terminate any or all sub-advisers or such delegation arrangements in its sole discretion at any time to the extent permitted by applicable
law.
BFA has entered into an investment
sub-advisory agreement (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement” and together with the Investment Advisory Agreement, the “Advisory Agreements”) with the Sub-Adviser with respect to the iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF,
iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF. The Sub-Adviser is an investment adviser located in the United Kingdom. The Sub-Adviser is an affiliate of BFA and is a registered investment
adviser and a commodity pool operator organized in 1999. As of December 31, 2014, the Sub-Adviser’s total assets under management were approximately $21.9 billion.
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Under the Sub-Advisory Agreement, subject to the supervision
and oversight of the Board and BFA, the Sub-Adviser is primarily responsible for execution of securities transactions outside the U.S. and Canada and may, from time to time, participate in the management of specified assets in each of the iShares
Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF’s, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF's and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF's portfolio.
Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, BFA pays the
Sub-Adviser for services it provides either: (i) a fee equal to a percentage of the management fee paid to BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement, or (ii) an amount based on the cost of the services provided. If the Sub-Adviser provides
services relating to both portfolio management and trading it is entitled to receive, from BFA, an amount equal to 20% of BFA’s management fee, and if the Sub-Adviser provides services related solely to trading then it is entitled to receive,
from BFA, an amount equal to 110% of the actual pre-tax costs incurred by the Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser may be responsible for the day-to-day management of the iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield
Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF or portions of the Funds.
Unless earlier terminated as described below, each Advisory
Agreement will remain in effect for an initial two year period and from year to year if approved annually (a) by the Board or by a vote of a majority of the applicable Fund's outstanding voting securities and (b) by a majority of the Directors who
are not parties to such agreement or interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party.
Each Advisory Agreement with respect to each Fund is
terminable without penalty, on 60 days' notice, by the Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the applicable Fund’s outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) and will terminate automatically in the event of
its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Portfolio
Managers. As of October 31, 2014, the individuals named as Portfolio Managers in the Fund's prospectus were also primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of other iShares funds and certain other
types of portfolios and/or accounts as follows:
| James Mauro | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 78 | $157,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 15 | 18,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 9 | 13,000,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 1 | 1,000,000,000 |
| Scott Radell | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 83 | $156,500,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 4 | 3,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 5 | 3,200,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 2 | 1,700,000,000 |
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. Pursuant to BFA policy, investment opportunities are allocated equitably among the Funds
and other portfolios and accounts. For example, under certain circumstances, an investment opportunity may be restricted due to limited supply in the market, legal constraints or other factors, in which event the investment opportunity will be
allocated equitably among those portfolios and accounts, including the Funds, seeking such investment opportunity. As a consequence, from time to time the Funds may receive a smaller allocation of an investment opportunity than they would have if
the Portfolio Managers and BFA and its affiliates did not manage other portfolios or accounts.
Like the Funds, 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 BFA or its affiliates, as applicable, for its advisory services. One or
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more of those other portfolios or accounts, however, may pay BFA 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 BFA a portion of that portfolio's or account's gains, or would pay BFA more for its
services than would otherwise be the case if BFA meets or exceeds specified performance targets. By their very nature, incentive-based fee arrangements could present an incentive for BFA or any of its affiliates 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 BFA and its affiliates have an obligation to allocate resources
and opportunities equitably among portfolios and accounts and intends to do so, shareholders of the Funds 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 Managers' favoring those portfolios or accounts with incentive-based fee arrangements.
The tables below show, for each Portfolio Manager, the number
of portfolios or accounts of the types set forth in the above tables and the aggregate of total assets in those portfolios or accounts with respect to which the investment management fees are based on the performance of those portfolios or
accounts as of October 31, 2014:
| James Mauro | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 1 | $1,000,000,000 |
| Scott Radell | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 1 | $900,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 1 | 800,000,000 |
The discussion below describes the
Portfolio Managers' compensation as of October 31, 2014.
Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview
BlackRock, Inc.'s financial arrangements with its portfolio
managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of
factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock, Inc.
Base compensation. Generally,
portfolio managers receive base compensation based on their position with the firm.
Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is a function of several components: the performance of BlackRock, Inc., the performance of the portfolio manager's group within BlackRock, Inc. and the individual's performance and
contribution to the overall performance of these portfolios and BlackRock, Inc.
Distribution of Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash and BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units which vest ratably over a number of years. The BlackRock, Inc. restricted
stock units, if properly vested, will be settled in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. Typically, the cash bonus, when combined with base salary, represents more than 60% of total compensation for the portfolio managers. Paying a portion of annual
bonuses in stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year “at risk” based on BlackRock, Inc.'s ability to sustain and improve its performance over future periods.
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Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards — From time to time, long-term incentive equity awards are granted to certain key employees to aid in retention, align their interests with long-term shareholder interests and motivate performance. Equity awards are
generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock.
Other Compensation Benefits.
In addition to base compensation and discretionary incentive compensation, portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:
Incentive Savings Plans
— BlackRock, Inc. has created a variety of incentive savings plans in which BlackRock, Inc. employees are eligible to participate, including a 401(k) plan, the BlackRock Retirement Savings Plan (“RSP”), and the BlackRock Employee
Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”). The employer contribution components of the RSP include a company match equal to 50% of the first 8% of eligible pay contributed to the plan capped at $5,000 per year, and a company retirement contribution
equal to 3-5% of eligible compensation up to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) limit ($260,000 for 2014). The RSP offers a range of investment options, including registered investment companies and collective investment funds
managed by the firm. BlackRock, Inc. contributions follow the investment direction set by participants for their own contributions or, absent participant investment direction, are invested into an index target date fund that corresponds to, or is
closest to, the year in which the participant attains age 65. The ESPP allows for investment in BlackRock, Inc. common stock at a 5% discount on the fair market value of the stock on the purchase date. Annual participation in the ESPP is limited to
the purchase of 1,000 shares of common stock or a dollar value of $25,000 based on its fair market value on the Purchase Date. James Mauro and Scott Radell are each eligible to participate in these plans.
As of October 31, 2014, the Portfolio Managers did not
beneficially own any shares of the Funds.
Codes of Ethics.
The Company, BFA, the Sub-Adviser and the Distributor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of 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 Funds. The codes of ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.
Anti-Money Laundering Requirements. The Funds are subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the “Patriot Act”). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other
illicit activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, a Fund may request information from Authorized Participants to enable it to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its Authorized Participants. This information
will be used to verify the identity of Authorized Participants or, in some cases, the status of financial professionals; it will be used only for compliance with the requirements of the Patriot Act.
The Funds reserve the right to reject purchase orders from
persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. Each Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in a Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the
Funds' policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.
Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Funds under the Master Services Agreement and related Service Schedule (the
“Service Module”). State Street’s principal address is 1 Iron Street, Boston, MA 02210. Pursuant to the Service Module for Fund Administration and Accounting Services with the Company, State Street provides necessary
administrative, legal, tax and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Company and each Fund. In addition, State Street makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to
provide such services. Pursuant to the Service Module for Custodial Services with the Company, State Street maintains, in separate accounts, cash, securities and other assets of the Company and each Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records and
provides other services. State Street is required, upon the order of the Company, to deliver securities held by State Street and to make payments for securities purchased by the Company for each Fund. State Street is authorized to appoint certain
foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. Pursuant to the Service Module for Transfer Agency Services with the Company, State Street acts as a transfer agent for each Fund’s authorized and
issued shares of beneficial interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Company. As compensation for these services, State Street receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid
monthly by BFA from its management fee.
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The following table sets forth the administration, custodian
and transfer agency expenses of each Fund paid by BFA to State Street for the fiscal years noted:
| Fund | Fund
Inception Date |
Custody,
Administration, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended Oct. 31, 2014 |
Custody,
Administration, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended Oct. 31, 2013 |
Custody,
Administration, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended Oct. 31, 2012 | ||||
| iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF | 04/17/12 | $ 11,113 | $ 11,537 | $ 4,263 | ||||
| iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF | 04/03/12 | 34,232 | 36,840 | 8,657 | ||||
| iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | 10/18/11 | 272,841 | 265,969 | 39,993 | ||||
| iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 04/03/12 | 27,834 | 13,173 | 7,320 | ||||
| iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 04/03/12 | 16,040 | 12,904 | 5,614 |
Distributor. The Distributor's principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Funds through the Distributor or its agent only in Creation Units, as described
in the applicable Prospectus and below in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
section of this SAI. Fund shares in amounts less than Creation Units are generally not distributed by the Distributor or its agent. The Distributor or its agent will arrange for the delivery of the applicable
Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it or its agents and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it or its agents. The Distributor is a broker-dealer
registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
The Distribution Agreement for each 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 following (i) the vote of a majority of the Independent Directors, or (ii) the 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 Units of Fund shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as described below), Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participants
and/or investor services organizations.
BFA or its
affiliates 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.
The Distributor has served as the Funds' distributor since
April 1, 2012. Prior to that date, SEI Investments Distribution Co. (“SEI”), located at One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456, served as the distributor to the Funds. The following table sets forth the compensation paid by BFA to SEI
for certain services, not primarily intended to result in the sale of Fund shares, provided to each Fund during the fiscal years noted:
| Fund | Fund
Inception Date |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From November 1, 2012 to October 31, 20141 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From November 1, 2012 to October 31, 20131 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From April 1, 2012 to October 31, 20121 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From November 1, 2011 to March 31, 20122 | |||||
| iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF | 04/17/12 | $5,122 | $8,663 | $4,403 | N/A | |||||
| iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF | 04/03/12 | 5,122 | 8,663 | 4,403 | N/A | |||||
| iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | 10/18/11 | 5,122 | 8,663 | 4,403 | $3,355 | |||||
| iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 04/03/12 | 5,122 | 8,663 | 4,403 | N/A |
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| Fund | Fund
Inception Date |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From November 1, 2012 to October 31, 20141 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From November 1, 2012 to October 31, 20131 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From April 1, 2012 to October 31, 20121 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From November 1, 2011 to March 31, 20122 | |||||
| iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 04/03/12 | 5,122 | 8,663 | 4,403 | N/A |
| 1 | BRIL serves as the distributor to the Funds effective April 1, 2012. These fees reflect payments made to SEI, acting as an agent of the Distributor. |
| 2 | SEI served as the distributor to the Funds through March 31, 2012. |
Payments by BFA and its Affiliates. BFA and/or its affiliates (“BFA Entities”) pay certain broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities
related to the Funds, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products in general. BFA Entities make these payments from their own assets and not from the assets of the Funds. Although a portion of BFA Entities’ revenue comes directly or
indirectly in part from fees paid by the Funds and other iShares funds, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, the Funds or other iShares funds. BFA Entities make payments for
Intermediaries’ participation in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Funds, or for other activities,
such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems (“Education Costs”). BFA Entities also make payments to
Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Funds or materials relating to exchange-traded products in general (“Publishing Costs”). In addition, BFA Entities make payments to Intermediaries that
make shares of the Funds and certain other iShares funds available to their clients, develop new products that feature iShares or otherwise promote the Funds and other iShares funds. BFA Entities may also reimburse expenses or make payments from
their own assets to Intermediaries or other persons in consideration of services or other activities that the BFA Entities believe may benefit the iShares business or facilitate investment in iShares funds. Payments of the type described above are
sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments.
Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the
Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about which investment
options it will recommend or make available to its clients or what services to provide for various products based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments may create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its
clients and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Funds and other iShares funds over other investments. The same conflicts of interest and financial incentives exist with respect to your salesperson or other
investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
As of March 1, 2014, BFA Entities have contractual
arrangements to make payments (in addition to payments for Education Costs or Publishing Costs) to one Intermediary, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (“FBS”). Pursuant to this special, long-term and significant arrangement (the
“Marketing Program”), FBS and certain affiliates (collectively “Fidelity”) have agreed, among other things, to actively promote iShares funds to customers and investment professionals and in advertising campaigns as the
preferred exchange-traded product, to offer certain iShares funds in certain Fidelity platforms and investment programs, in some cases at a reduced commission rate or commission free, and to provide marketing data to BFA Entities. BFA Entities have
agreed to facilitate the Marketing Program by, among other things, making certain payments to FBS for marketing and implementing certain brokerage and investment programs. Upon termination of the arrangement, the BFA Entities will make additional
payments to FBS based upon a number of criteria, including the overall success of the Marketing Program and the level of services provided by FBS during the wind-down period.
Any additions, modifications, or deletions to Intermediaries
listed above that have occurred since the date noted above are not included in the list. Further, BFA Entities make Education Costs and Publishing Costs payments to other Intermediaries that are not listed above. BFA Entities may determine to make
such payments based on any number of metrics. For example, BFA Entities may make payments at year-end or other intervals in a fixed amount, an amount based upon an Intermediary’s services at defined levels or an amount based on the
Intermediary’s net sales of one or more iShares funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed-upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. As of the date of this SAI, BFA anticipates
that the payments paid by BFA Entities in connection with the Funds,
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iShares funds and exchange-traded products in general will be immaterial to
BFA Entities in the aggregate for the next year. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments
made by the BFA Entities to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy shares of iShares funds.
The Funds may participate in certain market maker incentive
programs of a national securities exchange in which an affiliate of the Funds would pay a fee to the exchange used for the purpose of incentivizing one or more market makers in the securities of a Fund to enhance the liquidity and quality of the
secondary market of securities of a Fund. The fee would then be credited by the exchange to one or more market makers that meet or exceed liquidity and market quality standards with respect to the securities of a Fund. Each market maker incentive
program is subject to approval from the SEC. Any such fee payments made to an exchange will be made by an affiliate of a Fund solely for the benefit of a Fund and will not be paid from any Fund assets.
Determination of Net Asset Value
Valuation of Shares. The NAV
for each Fund is generally calculated as of the close of regular trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (currently 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each business day the NYSE is open. Valuation of securities held by a Fund is
as follows:
Equity Investments. Equity securities traded on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), on separate trading boards of a securities
exchange or through a market system that provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (each, an “Exchange”) are valued using information obtained via independent pricing services, generally the Exchange closing price, or if
an Exchange closing price is not available, the last traded price on that Exchange prior to the time as of which a Fund’s assets or liabilities are valued. However, under certain circumstances, other means of determining current market value
may be used. If an equity security is traded on more than one Exchange, the current market value of the security where it is primarily traded generally will be used. In the event that there are no sales involving an equity security held by a Fund on
a day on which a Fund values such security, the prior day’s price will be used, unless, in accordance with valuation procedures approved by the Board (the “Valuation Procedures”), BlackRock determines in good faith that such prior
day’s price no longer reflects the fair value of the security, in which case such asset would be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below).
Fixed Income Investments. In
accordance with the Valuation Procedures, fixed income securities for which market quotations are readily available are generally valued using such securities’ most recent bid prices provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market
makers, or independent third-party pricing services, each of which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market transactions for the same or similar assets to derive values. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used
with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value. Loan participation notes are generally valued at the mean of the last available
bid prices from one or more brokers or dealers as obtained from independent third-party pricing services. Certain fixed income investments, including asset-backed and mortgage-related securities, may be valued based on valuation models that consider
the estimated cash flows of each tranche of the entity, establish a benchmark yield and develop an estimated tranche-specific spread to the benchmark yield based on the unique attributes of the tranche. Fixed income securities for which market
quotations are not readily available may be valued by third-party pricing services that make a valuation determination by securing transaction data (e.g., recent representative bids), credit quality information, perceived market movements, news, and other relevant information and by other methods, which may include consideration of yields or prices of securities of
comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; and general market conditions.
Options, Futures, Swaps and Other Derivatives. Exchange-traded equity options for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask prices as quoted on the Exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded. In
the event that there is no mean price available for an exchange traded equity option held by a Fund on a day on which a Fund values such option, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the value of
such option. If no such bid or ask price is available on a day on which a Fund values such option, the prior day’s price will be used, unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such prior day’s price no longer reflects the fair
value of the option, in which case such option will be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below). OTC derivatives may be valued using a mathematical model which may incorporate a number of market data factors. Financial futures contracts and
options thereon, which are traded on exchanges, are valued at their settle price as of the close of such exchanges. Swap
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agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon
quotations from market makers or by a pricing service in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
Underlying Funds. Shares of
underlying exchange-traded funds will be valued at their most recent closing price on an Exchange. Shares of underlying money market funds will be valued at their net asset value.
General Valuation Information.
In determining the market value of portfolio investments, a Fund may employ independent third-party pricing services, which may use, without limitation, a matrix or formula method that takes into consideration
market indexes, matrices, yield curves and other specific adjustments. This may result in the securities being valued at a price different from the price that would have been determined had the matrix or formula method not been used. All cash,
receivables and current payables are carried on a Fund’s books at their face value.
Prices obtained from independent third-party pricing services,
broker-dealers or market makers to value a Fund’s securities and other assets and liabilities are based on information available at the time a Fund values its assets and liabilities. In the event that a pricing service quotation is revised or
updated subsequent to the day on which a Fund valued such security or other asset or liability, the revised pricing service quotation generally will be applied prospectively. Such determination will be made considering pertinent facts and
circumstances surrounding the revision.
Certain types of
securities, including many fixed income securities, trade infrequently and there may be no current market transactions or recent representative bids for such securities. To the extent that prices for such securities are not reflective of current
market transactions or recent representative bids, a Fund will value such securities in good faith in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
In the event that application of the methods of valuation
discussed above result in a price for a security which is deemed not to be representative of the fair market value of such security, the security will be valued by, under the direction of or in accordance with a method specified by the Board as
reflecting fair value. All other assets and liabilities (including securities for which market quotations are not readily available) held by a Fund (including restricted securities) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board
or by BlackRock (its delegate) pursuant to the Valuation Procedures. Any assets and liabilities which are denominated in a foreign currency are converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or
more data service providers.
Certain of the securities
acquired by a Fund may be traded on foreign exchanges or OTC markets on days on which a Fund’s net asset value is not calculated. In such cases, the net asset value of a Fund’s shares may be significantly affected on days when investors
can neither purchase nor redeem shares of a Fund.
Use of
fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Fund’s NAV and the prices used in the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between a
Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
Fair Value. When market
quotations are not readily available or are believed in good faith by BlackRock to be unreliable, a Fund’s investments are valued at fair value (“Fair Value Assets”). Fair Value Assets are valued by BlackRock in accordance with the
Valuation Procedures. BlackRock may reasonably conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if, among other things, a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of trading, if
BlackRock believes in good faith that a market quotation from a broker-dealer or other source is unreliable (e.g., where it varies significantly from
a recent trade, or no longer reflects the fair value of the security or other asset or liability subsequent to the most recent market quotation), where the security or other asset or liability is only thinly traded or due to the occurrence of a
significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. For this purpose, a “significant event” is deemed to occur if BlackRock determines, in its reasonable business judgment, that an event has occurred after the close of
trading for an asset or liability but prior to or at the time of pricing a Fund’s assets or liabilities, and that the event is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the assets or liabilities held by a Fund. Non-U.S.
securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary
Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued. On any day the NYSE is open and a foreign market or the primary exchange on which a foreign asset or liability is
traded is closed, such asset or liability will be valued using the prior day’s price, provided that BlackRock is not aware of any significant event or other information that would cause such price to no longer reflect the fair value of the
asset or liability, in which case such asset or liability would be treated as a Fair Value Asset.
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BlackRock, with input from the BlackRock Investment Strategy
Group, will submit its recommendations regarding the valuation and/or valuation methodologies for Fair Value Assets to BlackRock’s Valuation Committee. The BlackRock Valuation Committee may accept, modify or reject any recommendations. In
addition, a Fund’s accounting agent periodically endeavors to confirm the prices it receives from all third-party pricing services, index providers and broker-dealers, and, with the assistance of BlackRock, to regularly evaluate the values
assigned to the securities and other assets and liabilities held by a Fund. The pricing of all Fair Value Assets is subsequently reported to and, where appropriate, ratified by the Board.
When determining the price for a Fair Value Asset, the
BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) will seek to determine the price that a Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on
which the assets or liabilities are being valued, and does not seek to determine the price that a Fund might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to
maturity. Fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values
determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third-party valuation models.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. When determining the fair value of an asset, one or more of a variety of fair valuation methodologies may be used (depending on certain factors, including the asset type). For example, the asset may be priced on the basis
of the original cost of the investment or, alternatively, using proprietary or third-party models (including models that rely upon direct portfolio management pricing inputs and which reflect the significance attributed to the various factors and
assumptions being considered). Prices of actual, executed or historical transactions in the relevant asset and/or liability (or related or comparable assets and/or liabilities) or, where appropriate, an appraisal by a third-party experienced in the
valuation of similar assets and/or liabilities, may also be used as a basis for establishing the fair value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or
liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining a Fund’s net asset value. As a result, a Fund’s sale or redemption of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding
or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.
Each Fund’s annual audited financial statements, which
are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”), follow the requirements for valuation set forth in Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards
Codification Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), which defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value under US GAAP and expands financial statement disclosure requirements relating
to fair value measurements. Generally, ASC 820 and other accounting rules applicable to funds and various assets in which they invest are evolving. Such changes may adversely affect a Fund. For example, the evolution of rules governing the
determination of the fair market value of assets or liabilities to the extent such rules become more stringent would tend to increase the cost and/or reduce the availability of third-party determinations of fair market value. This may in turn
increase the costs associated with selling assets or affect their liquidity due to a Fund’s inability to obtain a third-party determination of fair market value.
Brokerage Transactions
Subject to policies established by the Board, BFA is primarily
responsible for the execution of a Fund’s portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage. BFA does not execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but seeks to obtain the best net results for the Funds, taking into
account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. While
BFA generally seeks reasonable trade execution costs, a Fund does not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available, and payment of the lowest commission or spread is not necessarily consistent with obtaining the best price and execution
in particular transactions. Subject to applicable legal requirements, BFA may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to BFA and its clients, including a Fund. In return for such services, BFA may cause a Fund to
pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if BFA determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.
In selecting brokers or dealers to execute portfolio
transactions, BFA seeks to obtain the best price and most favorable execution for a Fund and may take into account a variety of factors including: (i) the size, nature and character of the security or instrument being traded and the markets in which
it is purchased or sold; (ii) the desired timing of the transaction; (iii)
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BFA’s knowledge of the expected commission rates and spreads currently
available; (iv) the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular security or instrument, including any anticipated execution difficulties; (v) the full range of brokerage services provided; (vi) the broker’s or
dealer’s capital; (vii) the quality of research and research services provided; (viii) the reasonableness of the commission, dealer spread or its equivalent for the specific transaction; and (ix) BFA’s knowledge of any actual or apparent
operational problems of a broker or dealer. 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, or other circumstances.
Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act (“Section 28(e)”)
permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the same transaction
in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer. This includes commissions paid on riskless principal transactions under certain conditions.
From time to time, a Fund may purchase new issues of
securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the broker may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide BFA with research services. FINRA has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of
arrangements under certain circumstances. Generally, the broker will provide research “credits” in these situations at a rate that is higher than that available for typical secondary market transactions. These arrangements may not fall
within the safe harbor of Section 28(e).
The Funds
anticipate that brokerage transactions involving foreign securities generally will be conducted primarily on the principal stock exchanges of the applicable country. Foreign equity securities may be held by the Funds in the form of depositary
receipts, or other securities convertible into foreign equity securities. Depositary receipts may be listed on stock exchanges, or traded in OTC markets in the United States or Europe, as the case may be. American Depositary Receipts, like other
securities traded in the United States, will be subject to negotiated commission rates.
OTC issues, including most fixed income securities such as
corporate debt and U.S. Government securities, are normally traded on a “net” basis without a stated commission, through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers. The Funds will primarily engage in transactions with these
dealers or deal directly with the issuer unless a better price or execution could be obtained by using a broker. Prices paid to a dealer with respect to both foreign and domestic securities will generally include a “spread,” which is the
difference between the prices at which the dealer is willing to purchase and sell the specific security at the time, and includes the dealer’s normal profit.
Under the 1940 Act, persons affiliated with a Fund and persons
who are affiliated with such affiliated persons are prohibited from dealing with the Fund as principal in the purchase and sale of securities unless a permissive order allowing such transactions is obtained from the SEC. Since transactions in the
OTC market usually involve transactions with the dealers acting as principal for their own accounts, the Funds will not deal with affiliated persons, including PNC and its affiliates, in connection with such transactions. The Funds will not purchase
securities during the existence of any underwriting or selling group relating to such securities of which BFA, PNC, BRIL or any affiliated person (as defined in the 1940 Act) thereof is a member except pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board in
accordance with Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act.
Purchases
of money market instruments by the Funds are made from dealers, underwriters and issuers. The Funds do not currently expect to incur any brokerage commission expense on such transactions because money market instruments are generally traded on a
“net” basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission. The price of the security, however, usually includes a profit to the dealer.
BFA may, from time to time, effect trades on behalf of and for
the account of the Funds with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with BFA, in conformity with Rule 17e-1 under 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.
Securities purchased in underwritten offerings include a fixed
amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s concession or discount. When securities are purchased or sold directly from or to an issuer, no commissions or discounts are paid.
Investment decisions for the Funds and for other investment
accounts managed by BFA and its affiliates are made independently of each other in light of differing conditions. A variety of factors will be considered in making investment allocations. These factors include: (i) investment objectives or
strategies for particular accounts, including sector, industry,
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country or region and capitalization weightings; (ii) tax considerations of
an account; (iii) risk or investment concentration parameters for an account; (iv) supply or demand for a security at a given price level; (v) size of available investment; (vi) cash availability and liquidity requirements for accounts; (vii)
regulatory restrictions; (viii) minimum investment size of an account; (ix) relative size of account; and (x) such other factors as may be approved by BlackRock’s general counsel. Moreover, investments may not be allocated to one client
account over another based on any of the following considerations: (i) to favor one client account at the expense of another; (ii) to generate higher fees paid by one client account over another or to produce greater performance compensation to
BlackRock; (iii) to develop or enhance a relationship with a client or prospective client; (iv) to compensate a client for past services or benefits rendered to BlackRock or to induce future services or benefits to be rendered to BlackRock; or (v)
to manage or equalize investment performance among different client accounts. BFA and its affiliates may deal, trade and invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Funds may invest.
Initial public offerings of securities may be over-subscribed
and subsequently trade at a premium in the secondary market. When BFA is given an opportunity to invest in such an initial offering or “new” or “hot” issue, the supply of securities available for client accounts is often less
than the amount of securities the accounts would otherwise take. In order to allocate these investments fairly and equitably among client accounts over time, each portfolio manager or a member of his or her respective investment team will indicate
to BFA’s trading desk their level of interest in a particular offering with respect to eligible clients’ accounts for which that team is responsible. Initial public offerings of U.S. equity securities will be identified as eligible for
particular client accounts that are managed by portfolio teams who have indicated interest in the offering based on market capitalization of the issuer of the security and the investment mandate of the client account and in the case of international
equity securities, the country where the offering is taking place and the investment mandate of the client account. Generally, shares received during the initial public offering will be allocated among participating client accounts within each
investment mandate on a pro rata basis. This pro rata allocation may result in a Fund receiving less of a particular security than if pro-ration had not occurred. All
allocations of securities will be subject, where relevant, to share minimums established for accounts and compliance constraints. In situations where supply is too limited to be allocated among all accounts for which the investment is eligible,
portfolio managers may rotate such investment opportunities among one or more accounts so long as the rotation system provides for fair access for all client accounts over time. Other allocation methodologies that are considered by BFA to be fair
and equitable to clients may be used as well.
Because
different accounts may have differing investment objectives and policies, BFA may buy and sell the same securities at the same time for different clients based on the particular investment objective, guidelines and strategies of those accounts. For
example, BFA may decide that it may be entirely appropriate for a growth fund to sell a security at the same time a value fund is buying that security. To the extent that transactions on behalf of more than one client of BFA or its affiliates during
the same period may increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price. For example, sales of a security by BlackRock on behalf of one or more of its clients may
decrease the market price of such security, adversely impacting other BlackRock clients that still hold the security. If purchases or sales of securities arise for consideration at or about the same time that would involve the Funds or other clients
or funds for which BFA or an affiliate act as investment manager, transactions in such securities will be made, insofar as feasible, for the respective funds and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all.
In certain instances, BFA may find it efficient for purposes
of seeking to obtain best execution, to aggregate or “bunch” certain contemporaneous purchases or sale orders of its advisory accounts and advisory accounts of affiliates. In general, all contemporaneous trades for client accounts under
management by the same portfolio manager or investment team will be bunched in a single order if the trader believes the bunched trade would provide each client with an opportunity to achieve a more favorable execution at a potentially lower
execution cost. The costs associated with a bunched order will be shared pro rata among the clients in the bunched order. Generally, if an order for a particular portfolio manager or management team is filled
at several different prices through multiple trades, all accounts participating in the order will receive the average price (except in the case of certain international markets where average pricing is not permitted). While in some cases this
practice could have a detrimental effect upon the price or value of the security as far as the Funds are concerned, in other cases it could be beneficial to the Funds. Transactions effected by BFA or its affiliates on behalf of more than one of its
clients during the same period may increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, causing an adverse effect on price. The trader will give the bunched order to the broker-dealer that the trader has
identified as being able to provide the best execution of the order. Orders for purchase or sale of securities will be placed within a reasonable amount of time of the order receipt and bunched orders will be kept bunched only long enough to execute
the order.
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There were no brokerage commissions paid on behalf of each
Fund for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2014, October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2012.
The Funds' purchase and sale orders for securities may be
combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that BFA or its affiliates manage or advise and for which they have brokerage placement authority. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Funds and one or more
other accounts managed or advised by BFA or its affiliates are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the Funds and the other accounts in a manner deemed equitable to all by BFA and its affiliates.
In some cases, this procedure could have an effect on the price or volume of the security that is detrimental to the Funds. 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 Funds. BFA and its affiliates may deal, trade and invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Funds may invest. BFA and its affiliates may, from time to time, effect trades on
behalf of and for the account of the Funds with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with BFA, 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 Funds will not deal with affiliates in principal transactions unless permitted by applicable SEC rules or regulations, or by SEC
exemptive order.
Portfolio turnover may vary from year
to year, as well as within a year. High turnover rates may result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses. The table below sets forth the portfolio turnover rates of each Fund for the fiscal years noted:
| Fund | Fiscal Year ended October 31, 2014 | Fiscal Year ended October 31, 2013 | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF | 20% | 33% | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF | 24% | 57% | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | 43% | 41% | ||
| iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 25% | 33% | ||
| iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 21% | 20% |
Additional Information Concerning
the Company
Capital Stock. The Company currently is comprised of 61 series referred to as funds. Each series issues shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share. The Company has authorized and issued the following funds as separate
series of capital stock: iShares Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, iShares
Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Latin America Bond ETF, iShares MSCI All Country World
Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Australia ETF, iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Canada ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI
Colombia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy
Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Horizon ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI
Emerging Markets Value ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Workforce ETF, iShares MSCI EMU ETF, iShares MSCI France ETF, iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, iShares MSCI Germany ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Energy
Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI
Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, iShares MSCI South
Africa ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Turkey ETF, iShares MSCI USA ETF
and iShares MSCI World ETF. The Company has authorized for issuance, but is not currently offering for sale to the public, eleven additional series of shares of common stock. The Board may designate additional series of common stock and classify
shares of a
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particular series into one or more classes of that series. The Amended and
Restated Articles of Incorporation confers upon the Board the power to establish the number of shares which constitute a Creation Unit or by resolution, restrict the redemption right to Creation Units.
Each share issued by a fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of that fund. The Company is currently authorized to issue 33.85 billion shares of common stock. The following number of shares is currently authorized for each of the funds: iShares
Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, 500 million shares;
iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF,
500 million shares; iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Latin America Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Australia ETF, 627.8
million shares; iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, 100 million shares; iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, 136.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Canada ETF, 340.2
million shares; iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, 500 million
shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 2
billion shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Horizon ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Workforce ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI EMU ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI France ETF, 340.2 million shares; iShares
MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Germany ETF, 382.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Gold
Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, 375 million shares; iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, 500
million shares; iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, 295.4 million shares; iShares MSCI Japan ETF, 2.1246 billion shares; iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF,
255 million shares; iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, 255 million shares; iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI South Africa
ETF, 400 million shares; iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, 127.8 million shares; iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, 63.6 million shares; iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, 318.625 million shares; iShares
MSCI Taiwan ETF, 900 million shares; iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Turkey ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI USA ETF, 500 million shares; and iShares MSCI World ETF, 500 million shares. Fractional shares will
not be issued. 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 fund,
and in the net distributable assets of such fund on liquidation. Shareholders are entitled to require the Company to redeem Creation Units of their shares. The Articles of Incorporation confer upon the Board the power, by resolution, to alter the
number of shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that shares of common stock of the Company may be individually redeemable.
Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a
stockholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and the Maryland General Corporation Law. Stockholders have no cumulative voting rights with respect to their shares. Shares of all
funds vote together as a single class except that, if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund or, if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on such matter.
Under Maryland law, the Company is not required to hold an
annual meeting of stockholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Company is not to hold an annual meeting of stockholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. Under Maryland law, Directors of the Company may be
removed by vote of the stockholders.
Following the
creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of shares of a 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. A fund
cannot predict the length of time for which one or more stockholders may remain a control person of the fund.
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Stockholders may make inquiries by writing to iShares, Inc.,
c/o BlackRock Investments, LLC, 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
Absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or
its staff, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the shares of a 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 or its staff, officers and directors of a fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of a 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 Company or a Fund. The Company or a Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board, or the affirmative vote of a supermajority of the stockholders of the Company or such Fund entitled to vote on termination. Although the
shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the organizational documents provide that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit. In the event of a termination
of the Company or a Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Units or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Company may make redemptions
in-kind, for cash or for a combination of cash or securities.
DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Funds. Shares of each 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 NYSE Amex Equities and FINRA. 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 Company and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Company upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Company a listing of the shares of each
Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Company shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Company 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 Company 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.
Share distributions shall be
made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Company. 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 each 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 Company 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
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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 Company at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Company and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Company shall take action to find a
replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
General. The Company
issues and sells shares of each Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor or its agent, without a sales load, at a price based on each Fund's NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined
below), of an order received by the Distributor or its agent in proper form. On days when the applicable Listing Exchange or the bond markets close earlier than normal, a Fund may require orders to be placed earlier in the day. The following
table sets forth the number of shares of a Fund that constitute a Creation Unit for such Fund and the value of such Creation Unit as of November 30, 2014:
| Fund | Shares
Per Creation Unit |
Value
Per Creation Unit (U.S.$) | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF | 100,000 | $ 5,067,000 | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF | 100,000 | 5,012,000 | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | 200,000 | 9,506,000 | ||
| iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 100,000 | 5,276,000 | ||
| iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 100,000 | 5,145,000 |
In its discretion, BFA reserves the
right to increase or decrease the number of a Fund’s shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of the Fund, and to make a corresponding change
in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.
A “Business Day” with respect to each 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, each Listing Exchange observes the following holidays, as observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents'
Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Fund Deposit. The
consideration for purchase of Creation Units of a Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) (“Deposit Securities”)
and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which, when combined with a Fund's portfolio securities, is designed to generate performance that
has a collective investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index. The Fund Deposit represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of any Fund.
The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the
difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities, and serves to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit
and the Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing the Creation Unit. The
iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF generally offer Creation Units partially for cash.
To facilitate efficient management of the Funds and to enable
each Fund to track its respective Underlying Index, the portfolio of securities required for purchase of a Creation Unit may not be identical to the portfolio of securities a Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund shares. The Deposit Securities
and Fund Securities (as defined below under “Redemption of Shares in Creation Units”), as applicable, in connection with a purchase or redemption of a Creation Unit, generally will correspond pro
rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by such Fund.
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BFA makes available through the NSCC on each Business Day
prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange, the list of names and the required number or par value of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information as of the
end of the previous Business Day for each Fund). Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to purchases of Creation Units of shares of the Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made
available.
The identity and number or par value of the
Deposit Securities change pursuant to changes in the composition of a Fund's portfolio and as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by BFA with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The
composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the relevant Underlying Index.
The Funds reserve the right to permit or require the
substitution of 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 DTC or the Clearing
Process (as discussed below). If permitted by applicable laws to offer Creation Units of a Fund in exchange for the Fund Deposit, the Funds also reserve the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances,
including circumstances in which (i) the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws or (ii) 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 applicable securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations.
Cash Purchase Method.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified for a Fund
(Creation Units of the iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF are generally offered partially for cash), they will be effected in
essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a partial or full cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind
purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser.
Procedures for Creation of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor and to create a Creation Unit of the Funds, 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, and must have executed an agreement with the Distributor, with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (“Authorized Participant Agreement”)
(discussed below). A Participating Party or DTC Participant who has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement is referred to as an “Authorized Participant.” All shares of the Funds, however created, will be entered on the records of
DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.
Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a DTC Participant that has entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor. Such Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of
such Authorized Participant Agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available in advance of each purchase of shares an amount of cash
sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the net asset value of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fees described below. An Authorized Participant, acting on behalf
of an investor, may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate
arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be
placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor. The Company does not expect to enter into an Authorized
Participant Agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current Authorized Participants may be obtained from the Distributor. The Distributor has adopted guidelines regarding Authorized Participants’ transactions in
Creation Units that are made available to all Authorized Participants. These guidelines set forth the processes and standards for Authorized Participants to transact with the Distributor and its agents in connection with creation and redemption
transactions.
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Placement of Creation Orders.
Fund Deposits must be delivered through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities), through DTC (for corporate and municipal securities) or through a central depository account, such as with Euroclear or DTC,
maintained by State Street or a sub-custodian (a “Central Depository Account”). Any portion of a Fund Deposit that may not be delivered through the Federal Reserve System or DTC must be delivered through a Central Depository Account. The
Fund Deposit transfers made through DTC must be ordered by the DTC Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the Funds generally before 3:00 p.m., Eastern
time on the Settlement Date. Fund Deposit transfers made through the Federal Reserve System must be deposited by the participant institution in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number or amount of Deposit Securities or
cash through the Federal Reserve System to the account of the Funds generally before 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date. Fund Deposit transfers made through a Central Depository Account must be completed pursuant to the requirements
established by the Custodian or sub-custodian for such Central Depository Account generally before 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date. The “Settlement Date” for all funds is generally the third business day after the
Transmittal Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Trust, whose
determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to State Street through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by State Street
generally before 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the Deposit Securities are not received by 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date, the creation order may be canceled. Upon written notice to the
Distributor, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Funds. The delivery of Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the
third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor, provided that the relevant Fund Deposit has been received by the Funds prior to such time.
Purchase Orders. To
initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit to the Distributor or its agent an irrevocable order to purchase shares of a Fund, in proper form, generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day to
receive that day’s NAV. The Distributor or its agent will notify BFA and the custodian of such order. The custodian will then provide such information to any appropriate sub-custodian. Procedures and requirements governing the delivery of the
Fund Deposit are set forth in the procedures handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a creation request to be made through an
Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper
submission of the purchase order to the Distributor or its agent by the Cutoff Time (as defined below) on such Business Day.
The Authorized Participant must also make available on or
before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Funds, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Funds to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together
with the applicable purchase transaction fees. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit. Those placing orders should ascertain the applicable deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations
department of the broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the Cutoff Time of the Funds. Investors should be aware that an Authorized Participant may
require orders for purchases of shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual Authorized Participant.
The Authorized Participant is responsible for any and all
expenses and costs incurred by a Fund, including any applicable cash amounts, in connection with any purchase order.
Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Creation Orders must be
transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor or its agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the Authorized 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 its agent or an Authorized Participant. Orders to create shares of a Fund that are submitted on the Business Day immediately
preceding a holiday or a day (other than a weekend) when the equity markets in the relevant non-U.S. market are closed may not be accepted. Each Fund's deadline specified above for the submission of purchase orders is referred to as that Fund's
“Cutoff Time.” The Distributor or its agent, in their discretion, may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or through an Authorized Participant at any time (including on days on which the Listing Exchange is not open for
business) via
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communication through the facilities of the Distributor's or its agent's
proprietary website maintained for this purpose. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Company, will be processed based on the NAV next determined after such acceptance in accordance with a Fund's Cutoff Times as provided in
the Authorized Participant Agreement and disclosed in this SAI.
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the Authorized Participant (either on its own or another investor's behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Funds
are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Funds will accept the order, subject to each Fund's right (and the right of the Distributor and BFA) to reject any order until acceptance, as set forth
below.
Once a Fund has accepted an order, upon
the next determination of the net asset value of the shares, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such net asset value. The Distributor or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to
the Authorized Participant that placed the order.
Each
Fund reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor or its agent 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 do not conform to the identity and number of shares specified, 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, in the discretion of the Fund or BFA, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or
(vii) circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Distributor or its agent and BFA make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Distributor or its agent shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Funds, State Street, the sub-custodian and the Distributor or its agent 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 failure to give such notification.
Issuance of a Creation Unit.
Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the applicable Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to
the custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor or its agent and BFA shall be notified of such delivery
and the applicable Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Typically, Creation Units are issued on a “T+3 basis” (i.e., three Business Days after trade date). Each Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+3 if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable
law.
To the extent contemplated by an Authorized
Participant's agreement with the Distributor, each Fund will issue Creation Units to such Authorized Participant, notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the
undertaking of the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value at least equal to 105%
and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Funds' then-effective procedures. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Funds is cash
in U.S. dollars. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the contractual settlement date. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and
income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. Information concerning the Funds' current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor or its agent. The
Authorized Participant Agreement will permit the Funds to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Funds of purchasing such securities and the
cash collateral.
In certain cases, Authorized
Participants may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Funds reserve the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the Authorized Participants that the creation
and redemption transactions are for separate beneficial owners. 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 each Fund and the Fund's determination shall be final and binding.
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Costs Associated with Creation Transactions. A standard creation transaction fee is imposed to offset the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized
Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. The Authorized Participant may also be
required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (up to the maximum amount shown below). Authorized Participants will
also bear the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Funds. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
The following table sets forth each Fund's standard creation
transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
| Fund | Standard
Creation Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF | $ 100 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF | 100 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | 2,000 | 7.0% | ||
| iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 1,900 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 1,250 | 3.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit. |
Redemption of Creation Units.
Shares of a Fund may be redeemed by Authorized Participants only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor or its agent and only on
a Business Day. The Funds will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the secondary market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors
should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a Creation Unit that could be redeemed by an Authorized Participant. Beneficial owners also may sell shares in the
secondary market.
The iShares Emerging Markets
Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF generally redeem Creation Units partially for cash; however, the Funds reserve the right to distribute securities in-kind
as payment for Creation Units being redeemed. Please see the Cash Redemption Method section below and the following discussion summarizing the in-kind method for further information on redeeming Creation Units
of the Funds.
BFA makes available through the NSCC,
prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange on each Business Day, the designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment
or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”), and an amount of cash (the “Cash Amount,” as described below). Such Fund Securities and the corresponding Cash
Amount (each subject to possible amendment or correction) are applicable, in order to effect redemptions of Creation Units of a Fund until such time as the next announced composition of the Fund Securities and Cash Amount is made available. Fund
Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. Procedures and requirements governing redemption transactions are set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants
and may change from time to time.
Unless cash
redemptions are available or specified for a Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities, plus the Cash Amount, which is an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the shares being
redeemed, as next determined after the receipt of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of Fund Securities, less a redemption transaction fee (as described below).
The Company may, in its sole discretion, substitute a
“cash in lieu” amount to replace any Fund Security. The Company also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which: (i) the delivery of a Fund
Security to the Authorized Participant would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws; or (ii) the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Fund Security by the Authorized
Participant becoming restricted under applicable securities or other local laws, or in certain other
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situations. The amount of cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to
the value of the substituted security listed as a Fund Security. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than 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. Each Fund generally redeems Creation Units for Fund Securities (except for the iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares
Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF which generally redeem Creation Units partially for cash), but each Fund reserves the right to utilize a cash option for redemption of Creation Units.
Cash Redemption Method.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified for a Fund (Creation Units for iShares Emerging
Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF are generally redeemed partially for cash), they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind
redemptions thereof. In the case of partial or full cash redemption, the Authorized Participant receives the cash equivalent of the Fund Securities it would otherwise receive through an in-kind redemption, plus the same Cash Amount to be paid to an
in-kind redeemer.
Costs Associated with Redemption
Transactions. A standard redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the relevant Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee is charged to
the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. The Authorized Participant
may also be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (up to the maximum amount shown below). Authorized
Participants will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from a Fund to their account on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to dispose of Fund shares may be charged a fee for such
services.
The following table sets forth each
Fund's standard redemption transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
| Fund | Standard
Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF | $ 100 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF | 100 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | 2,000 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 1,900 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 1,250 | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive of the standard transaction fee. |
Placement of Redemption
Orders. Redemption requests for Creation Units of the Funds must be submitted to the Distributor by or through an Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable request to redeem
shares of a Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal, a Fund may require orders to redeem Creation Units to be placed earlier
that day. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized
Participants upon request.
The Authorized
Participant must transmit the request for redemption in the form required by the Funds to the Distributor or its agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular
broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an Authorized Participant
Agreement. At any time, only a limited number of broker-dealers will have an Authorized Participant Agreement in effect. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized
Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the shares to the Funds' transfer agent; such
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investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect
redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.
A redemption request is considered to be in “proper
form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Funds' transfer agent the Creation Unit redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Listing Exchange closing time on any
Business Day; (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the applicable Fund is received by the Distributor or its agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above; and (iii)
all other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement are properly followed. If the transfer agent does not receive the investor's shares through DTC's facilities by 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Business Day next following the
day that the redemption request is received, the redemption request shall be rejected. Investors should be aware that the deadline for such transfers of shares through the DTC system may be significantly earlier than the close of business on the
Listing Exchange. Those making redemption requests should ascertain the deadline applicable to transfers of shares through the DTC system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effecting the transfer of the
shares.
Upon receiving a redemption request, the
Distributor or its agent shall notify the applicable Fund and the Fund's transfer agent of such redemption request. The tender of an investor's shares for redemption and the distribution of the securities and/or cash included in the redemption
payment made in respect of Creation Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant Authorized Participant to the Beneficial Owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds,
as the case may be, or by such other means specified by the Authorized Participant submitting the redemption request.
A redeeming Beneficial Owner or Authorized Participant acting
on behalf of such Beneficial Owner must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the portfolio securities are customarily traded, to which account
such portfolio securities will be delivered.
Deliveries
of redemption proceeds by each Fund generally will be made within three Business Days (i.e., “T+3”). Each Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions later than T+3 but by T+7 if
necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. Delayed settlement may occur due to a number of different reasons, including, without limitation, settlement cycles for the underlying securities, unscheduled market
closings, an effort to link distribution to dividend record dates and ex-dates and newly announced holidays. For example, the redemption settlement process may be extended beyond T+3 because of the occurrence of a holiday in a non-U.S. market or in
the U.S. bond market that is not a holiday observed in the U.S. equity market.
If neither the redeeming Beneficial Owner nor the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of such redeeming Beneficial Owner has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of Fund Securities in the applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible
to effect deliveries of Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, a Fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In such
case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the net asset value of its shares based on the NAV of the relevant Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and
additional charges specified above, to offset the Fund's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal
and state securities laws and each Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund cannot lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or
cannot do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit cash
redemptions of Creation Units (except that, as noted above, Creation Units of the iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF may be redeemed
partially for cash), in the event that cash redemptions are permitted or required by the Company, proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming shares as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven calendar days
thereafter, except for the instances listed in the Regular Holidays section in which more than seven calendar days would be needed).
To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's
agreement with the Distributor or its agent, in the event an Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to a Fund, at or prior to 10:00 a.m.,
Eastern time on the Listing Exchange business day after the date of
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submission of such redemption request, the Distributor or its agent will
accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral
consisting of cash, in U.S. dollars in immediately available funds, having a value at least equal to 105% and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing shares. Such cash collateral
must be delivered no later than 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the day after the date of submission of such redemption request and shall be held by State Street and marked-to-market daily. The fees of State Street and any sub-custodians in respect of
the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any,
on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. The Authorized Participant Agreement permits the Funds to acquire shares of the Funds at any time and subjects the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between
the aggregate of the cost to the Funds of purchasing such shares, plus the value of the Cash Amount, and the value of the cash collateral.
Because the portfolio securities of a Fund may trade on
exchange(s) on days that the Listing Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for such Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of such Fund, or purchase or sell shares of such Fund on the Listing Exchange on days when
the NAV of such a Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.
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 Listing Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the Listing Exchange 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's portfolio securities or determination of its net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other
circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Taxation on
Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated
by taking the market value of the Creation Units purchased over the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the IRS may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon
the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units is not currently deductible. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisors.
Current U.S. federal income tax laws dictate that capital gain
or loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were
held for one year or less, if the Creation Units are held as capital assets.
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Taxes
The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal
income tax considerations regarding the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of a Fund. This summary does not address all of the potential U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be applicable to a Fund or to all categories of
investors, some of which may be subject to special tax rules. Current and prospective shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of investing in a Fund.
The summary is based on the laws in effect on the date of this SAI and existing judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.
Regulated Investment Company Qualification. Each Fund intends to qualify for and to elect treatment as a separate RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, each Fund must annually distribute at least 90% of its
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 each 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 non-U.S. currencies, other income (including, but not limited to, 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 interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships
(i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than a partnership that derives 90%
of its income from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of each Fund’s taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of each 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 of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the Fund and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses (other than the securities of other RICs) or the securities
of one or more qualified publicly-traded partnerships.
A Fund may be able to cure a failure to derive 90% of its
income from the sources specified above or a failure to diversify its holdings in the manner described above by paying a tax and/or by disposing of certain assets. If, in any taxable year, a Fund fails one of these tests and does not timely cure the
failure, that Fund will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders will not be deductible by that Fund in computing its taxable income.
Although in general the passive loss rules of the Internal
Revenue Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly-traded partnership. A Fund’s investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly-traded
partnerships, may result in the Fund being subject to state, local, or non-U.S. income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.
Taxation of RICs. As a
RIC, a 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, provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. To satisfy the
minimum distribution requirement, a Fund must distribute to its shareholders at least the sum of (i) 90% of its “investment company taxable income” (i.e., income other than its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), plus or minus certain adjustments, and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year. A Fund will
be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its shareholders. If a Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC or fails to meet the distribution requirement, 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 be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income and distributions to corporate shareholders generally should be eligible for the
dividends-received deduction. Although each Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and its capital gains for each taxable year, each Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation to the extent any such
income or gains are not distributed. Moreover, if a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a RIC. If a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for a period
greater than two
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taxable years, the Fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains
with respect to certain of its assets (i.e., the excess of the aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been
liquidated) if it qualifies as a RIC in a subsequent year.
Net Capital Loss Carryforwards. Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year, until they have been reduced to zero.
In the event that a Fund were to experience an ownership
change as defined under the Internal Revenue Code, the loss carryforwards and other favorable tax attributes of a Fund, if any, may be subject to limitation.
The following Funds had tax basis net capital loss
carryforwards as of October 31, 2014, the tax year-end for the Funds listed:
| Fund | Non-Expiring | |
| iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF | $ 262,109 | |
| iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF | 8,103,223 | |
| iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF | 5,235,569 | |
| iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 11,224 |
Excise Tax. A 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 98.2% of
its capital gain net income for the 12 months ended October 31 of such year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by a Fund that is subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been
distributed by year-end. In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any underdistribution or overdistribution, as the case may be, from the previous year.
Each 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.
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders.
Dividends and other distributions by a Fund are generally treated under the Internal Revenue Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, any dividend or
capital gain distribution declared by a Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of
such calendar year and to have been paid by the Fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.
Each Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders
substantially all of its net tax-exempt income, investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if a Fund retains
for investment an amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (at a maximum rate of 35%) on the
amount retained. In that event, the Fund will report such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains,
their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the 35% tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim
refunds to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their shares by an amount equal to 65% of the amount of undistributed capital gains
included in the shareholder’s income. Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid by the
Fund upon filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.
Distributions of net realized long-term capital gains, if any,
that a Fund reports as capital gain dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. All other dividends of a Fund (including dividends from
short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits (“regular dividends”) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income. Married couples filing jointly with income
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over approximately $450,000 and unmarried individuals with income over
approximately $400,000 (income thresholds adjusted annually for inflation) are subject to a 20% tax on any income in excess of those amounts that is long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income, and generally all other long-term capital gain
is taxed at 15% (0% at certain income levels). In addition, the top marginal ordinary income tax rate is 39.6% for income in excess of the above thresholds.
If an individual receives a regular dividend qualifying for
the long-term capital gain rates and such dividend constitutes an “extraordinary dividend,” and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then
the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An “extraordinary dividend” on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the
taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period, or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock,
aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.
Distributions in excess of a 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 shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the shareholder holds shares of the
Fund as capital assets). Distributions in excess of a Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital.
The Fund's capital loss carryovers, if any, carried from taxable years beginning before 2011 do not reduce current earnings and profits, even if such carryforwards offset current year realized gains. 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. No deduction would be allowed to an investor for interest on indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry shares of the Fund to the extent the interest deduction would relate
to exempt-interest dividends received.
A 3.8% U.S.
federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on net investment income, including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain from investments, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly), and
of estates and trusts.
Investors considering buying
shares just prior to a dividend or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of shares purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such dividend or distribution may nevertheless be taxable
to them. If a Fund is the holder of record of any security on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such security, such dividends will be included in the Fund’s gross income not as of the date received but as of the later
of (i) the date such security became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (i.e., the date on which a buyer of the security would not be entitled to receive the declared, but unpaid, dividends); or (ii)
the date the Fund acquired such security. Accordingly, in order to satisfy its income distribution requirements, a 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.
In certain situations, a
Fund may, for a taxable year, defer all or a portion of its net capital loss realized after October and its late-year ordinary loss (defined as the sum of the excess of post-October foreign currency and passive foreign investment company
(“PFIC”) losses over post-October foreign currency and PFIC gains plus the excess of post-December ordinary losses over post-December ordinary income) until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net
capital gain, which will defer the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.
Sales of Shares. Upon
the sale or exchange of shares of a Fund, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder’s basis in shares of the Fund. A redemption of shares by a 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 or
capital gains distributions, or by an option, by substantially identical shares 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 Fund shares held by the shareholder for six months or less
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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. The Medicare contribution tax described above will apply to the sale of Fund shares.
If a shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring shares of
a Fund, disposes of those shares within 90 days and then, on or before January 31 of the following calendar year, 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.
Back-Up Withholding. In
certain cases, a Fund will be required to withhold at a 28% rate and remit to the U.S. Treasury such amounts withheld from any distributions paid to a shareholder who: (i) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (ii) is
subject to back-up withholding by the IRS; (iii) has failed to certify to a Fund that such shareholder is not subject to back-up withholding; or (iv) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). Back-up
withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability.
Sections 351 and 362.
The Company, on behalf of each 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 the Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 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 a 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 Company will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Company determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to a Fund or its shareholders. The
Company also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Taxation of Certain Derivatives. A Fund’s transactions in zero coupon securities, non-U.S. currencies, forward contracts, options and futures contracts (including options and futures contracts on non-U.S. currencies), to the extent
permitted, will be subject to special provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (including provisions relating to “hedging transactions” and “straddles”) that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses
realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer Fund
losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out at the end of each year) and (b) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay
dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. Each Fund will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate
entries in its books and records when it acquires any zero coupon security, non-U.S. currency, forward contract, option, futures contract or hedged investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as
a RIC.
A Fund’s investments in so-called
“section 1256 contracts,” such as regulated futures contracts, most non-U.S. currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most security indexes, are subject to special tax rules. All section 1256 contracts
held by the Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund’s income as if each position had been sold for its fair market
value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets
and were not part of a “hedging transaction” nor part of a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term
capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund.
As a result of entering into swap contracts, a Fund may make
or receive periodic net payments. A 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
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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 cost of any payments made by the Fund on a swap transaction will be netted pro rata against both tax exempt and taxable gross
income. With respect to certain types of swaps, a Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax
purposes as ordinary income or loss.
Market Discount. Any market discount recognized on a bond is taxable as ordinary income. A market discount bond is a bond acquired in the secondary market at a price below redemption value or adjusted issue price if issued with
original issue discount. Absent an election by a Fund to include the market discount in income as it accrues, gain on the Fund’s disposition of such an obligation will be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gain to the extent of the
accrued market discount.
Non-U.S. Investments. Income (including, in some cases, capital gains) received by certain of the Funds from investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax
conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. If more than 50% of a Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of non-U.S. corporations, the Fund
may elect for U.S. income tax purposes to treat non-U.S. income taxes paid by it as paid by its shareholders. A Fund may qualify for and make this election in some, but not necessarily all, of its taxable years. If a Fund were to make an election,
shareholders of the Fund would be required to take into account an amount equal to their pro rata portions of such non-U.S. taxes in computing their taxable income and then treat an amount equal to those non-U.S. taxes as a U.S. federal income tax
deduction or as a foreign tax credit against their U.S. federal income taxes. Shortly after any year for which it makes such an election, a Fund will report to its shareholders the amount per share of such non-U.S. income tax that must be included
in each shareholder’s gross income and the amount which will be available for the deduction or credit. No deduction for non-U.S. taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not itemize deductions. Certain limitations will be imposed on the
extent to which the credit (but not the deduction) for non-U.S. taxes may be claimed. Under Section 988 of the Internal Revenue Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time a Fund accrues income or
receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a non-U.S. currency and the time a Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses)
realized on debt instruments will be treated as Section 988 gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gain or losses on
non-U.S. currency, non-U.S. currency forward contracts, certain non-U.S. currency options or futures contracts and the disposition of debt securities denominated in non-U.S. currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates
between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or loss unless the Fund were to elect otherwise.
Original Issue Discount.
Original issue discount (“OID”) on tax-exempt bonds is recognized over the term of the bond and is tax-exempt to the holder of the bond. Special U.S. federal income tax rules apply to
inflation-indexed bonds. Generally, all stated interest on such bonds is taken into income by a Fund under its regular method of accounting for interest income. The amount of a positive inflation adjustment, which results in an increase in the
inflation-adjusted principal amount of the bond, is treated as original issue discount. The OID is included in a Fund’s gross income ratably during the period ending with the maturity of the bond, under the general OID inclusion rules. The
amount of a Fund’s OID in a taxable year with respect to a bond will increase a Fund’s taxable income for such year without a corresponding receipt of cash, until the bond matures. As a result, a Fund may need to use other sources of
cash to satisfy its distributions for such year. The amount of negative inflation adjustment, which results in a decrease in the inflation-adjusted principal amount of the bond, reduces the amount of interest (including stated, interest, OID, and
market discount, if any) otherwise includible in a Fund’s income with respect to the bond for the taxable year.
Reporting. If a
shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to a 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 IRS Form
8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC 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 a 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. Dividends paid by a Fund from net tax-exempt income or long-term capital gains are generally not subject to such withholding tax. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be
required
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to
provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E 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 an IRS 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 U.S. 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, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or other applicable form may be subject to back-up withholding at the appropriate rate.
For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2015,
properly-reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. 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 report
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, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or substitute
Form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports 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.
Legislation has been proposed to extend the above expiration
dates but no assurance can be provided that such legislation will be enacted.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect
U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct
and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained; agree to withhold tax on certain payments
made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain other information as to their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental
agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities will need to provide the name, address and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S.
owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply.
Shares of a Fund held by a non-U.S. shareholder at death will
be considered situated within the United States and subject to the U.S. estate tax.
The foregoing discussion is a summary of certain material U.S.
federal income tax considerations only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in such shares, including consequences under
state, local and non-U.S. 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.
Financial Statements
Each Fund's audited Financial Statements, including the
Financial Highlights, appearing in the applicable Annual Report to Shareholders and the report therein of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, are
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hereby incorporated by reference in this SAI. The applicable Annual Report to
Shareholders, which contains the referenced audited financial statements, is available upon request and without charge.
Miscellaneous Information
Counsel. Willkie Farr
& Gallagher LLP, located at 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, is counsel to the Company.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, located at Three Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111, serves as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Funds' financial statements, and may
perform other services.
Shareholder Communications
to the Board. The Board has established a process for shareholders to communicate with the Board. Shareholders may contact the Board by mail. Correspondence should be addressed to iShares Board of Directors,
c/o BlackRock Fund Advisors, iShares Fund Administration, 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Shareholder communications to the Board should include the following information: (i) the name and address of the shareholder; (ii) the number of
shares owned by the shareholder; (iii) the Fund(s) of which the shareholder owns shares; and (iv) if these shares are owned indirectly through a broker, financial intermediary or other record owner, the name of the broker, financial intermediary or
other record owner. All correspondence received as set forth above shall be reviewed by the Secretary of the Company and reported to the Board.
Regulation Under the Alternative Investment Fund Managers
Directive. The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”) imposes detailed and prescriptive obligations on fund managers established in the EU (“EU Operative Provisions”).
These do not currently apply to managers established outside of the EU, such as BFA. Rather, non-EU managers are only required to comply with certain disclosure, reporting and transparency obligations of AIFMD (“AIFMD Disclosure
Provisions”) if such managers market a fund to EU investors.
Where the AIFMD Disclosure Provisions relate to EU Operative
Provisions that do not apply to BFA, no meaningful disclosure can be made. These EU Operative Provisions include prescriptive rules on: measuring and capping leverage in line with known European standards; the treatment of investors; the use of
“depositaries”; and coverage for professional liability risks.
AIFMD imposes certain conditions on the marketing of funds,
such as the Funds, to EU investors. AIFMD requires that an ‘alternative investment fund manager’ (“AIFM”) be identified to meet such conditions where such marketing is sought. For these purposes BFA, as the legal entity
responsible for performing the portfolio and risk management of the Funds, shall be the AIFM.
AIFMD requires disclosure on an ongoing basis of certain
information relating to the use of special arrangements, leverage, rights of reuse of collateral, guarantees granted under leverage arrangements and the use of gates, side pockets and similar liquidity management tools. Given that the Funds do not
use any special arrangements or allow for collateral reuse, it is not intended that such disclosures will need to be made by the Funds. Each Fund will, however, to the extent relevant and appropriate, disclose in its annual report information on the
Fund's leverage, risk profile and risk management systems employed by BFA. Each Fund will also disclose material changes, if any, to the liquidity management systems and procedures employed in respect of the Fund.
BFA intends to market the following Fund to EU investors in
the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and Luxembourg:
iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF
Investors’ Rights.
Each Fund relies on the services of the investment adviser and other service providers, including the distributor, administrator, custodian and transfer agent. Further information about the duties and roles of
these service providers is set out in this SAI. Investors who acquire shares of a Fund are not parties to the relevant agreement with these service providers and do not have express contractual rights against the Fund or its service providers,
except certain institutional investors that are Authorized Participants may have certain express contractual rights with respect to the
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Distributor under the terms of the relevant authorized participant agreement.
Investors may have certain legal rights under federal or state law against a Fund or its service providers. In the event that an investor considers that it may have a claim against a Fund, or against any service provider in connection with its
investment in the Fund, such investor should consult its own legal advisor.
By contract, Authorized Participants irrevocably submit to the
non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or U.S. federal court sitting in New York City over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to the authorized participant agreement. Jurisdiction over other claims, whether by
investors or Authorized Participants, will turn on the facts of the particular case and the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceeding is brought.
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Appendix A
DESCRIPTION OF FIXED-INCOME RATINGS
A rating is generally assigned to a fixed-income security at
the time of issuance by a credit rating agency designated as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) by the SEC. While NRSROs may from time to time revise such ratings, they undertake no obligation to do so, and
the ratings given to securities at issuance do not necessarily represent ratings which would be given to these securities on a particular subsequent date.
Fixed-income securities which are unrated expose the investor
to risks with respect to capacity to pay interest or repay principal which are similar to the risks of lower-rated speculative bonds. Evaluation of these securities is dependent on the investment adviser’s judgment, analysis and experience in
the evaluation of such securities.
Investors should note
that the assignment of a rating to a security by an NRSRO may not reflect the effect of recent developments on the issuer’s ability to make interest and principal payments or on the likelihood of default.
The descriptions below relate to general long-term and
short-term obligations of an issuer.
Moody’s
Ratings
Long-Term Obligations
Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are
judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.
Aa: Obligations rated Aa are
judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A: Obligations rated A are
judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa: Obligations rated Baa are
judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba: Obligations rated Ba are
judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.
B: Obligations rated B are
considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
Caa: Obligations rated Caa are
judged to be speculative, of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
Ca: Obligations rated Ca are
highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C: Obligations rated C are the
lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
Note: Moody's appends
numerical modifiers 1, 2 and 3 in each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the
modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
Absence of Rating: Where no
rating has been assigned or where a rating has been withdrawn, it may be for reasons unrelated to the creditworthiness of the issue.
Should no rating be assigned, the reason may be one of the
following:
1. An application was not received or
accepted.
2. The issue or issuer belongs to a group of
securities or entities that are not rated as a matter of policy.
3. There is a lack of essential data pertaining to the issue
or issuer.
4. The issue was privately placed, in which
case the rating is not published in Moody’s publications.
Withdrawal may occur if new and material circumstances arise,
the effects of which preclude satisfactory analysis; if there is no longer available reasonable up-to-date data to permit a judgment to be formed; if a bond is called for redemption; or for other reasons.
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Short-Term Obligations
Moody’s short-term debt ratings are opinions of the
ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations, generally with an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months.
Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the
relative repayment ability of rated issuers:
P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-2: Issuers (or supporting
institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-3: Issuers (or supporting
institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
NP: Issuers (or supporting
institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services
Long-Term Obligations
AAA: An obligation rated AAA
has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA: An obligation rated AA
differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment is very strong.
A: An obligation rated A is
somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still
strong.
BBB: An
obligation rated BBB exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation.
BB; B; CCC; CC; and C: Obligations rated BB, B, CCC, CC, and C are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. BB indicates the least degree of speculation and C the highest. While such obligations will likely have some
quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB: An obligation rated BB is
less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its
financial commitment on the obligation.
B: An obligation rated B is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic
conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC: An obligation rated CCC
is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic
conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CC: An obligation rated CC is
currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The CC rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but Standard & Poor's expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
C: An obligation rated C is
currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.
D: An obligation rated D is in
default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be made within
five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of
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similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for
example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
NR: NR indicates no rating has
been requested, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor's does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
Note: The ratings from AA to
CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
Short-Term Obligations
A-1: A short-term obligation
rated A-1 is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates
that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2: A short-term obligation
rated A-2 is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is
satisfactory.
A-3: A short-term obligation rated A-3 exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its
financial commitment on the obligation.
B: A short-term obligation rated B is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing
uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
C: A short-term obligation
rated C is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
D: A short-term obligation
rated D is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be
made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and
where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
Fitch Ratings
Long-Term Obligations
AAA: Highest credit quality.
AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable
events.
AA: Very
high credit quality. AA ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A: High credit quality. A
ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher
ratings.
BBB:
Good credit quality. BBB ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this
capacity.
BB:
Speculative. BB ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial
commitments to be met.
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B: Highly speculative. B
ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.
CCC: Substantial credit risk.
CCC ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present.
CC: Very high levels of credit
risk. CC ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk.
C: Exceptionally high levels
of credit risk. C indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk.
Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned RD or D
ratings, but are instead rated in the B to C rating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability
to default and loss.
Note: The modifiers “+”
or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the AAA obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below CCC.
The subscript 'emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded
market risk which is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty
risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk.
Short-Term Obligations (Corporate and Public Finance)
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases
on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity or security stream and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to
obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short-term” based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public
finance markets.
F1:
Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2: Good short-term credit
quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.
F3: Fair short-term credit
quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.
B: Speculative short-term
credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C: High short-term default
risk. Default is a real possibility.
RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings
only.
D: Default.
Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.
IS-SAI-10i-0615
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iShares®, Inc.
Statement of Additional Information
Dated December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
(as revised June 22, 2015)
This combined Statement of Additional Information
(“SAI”) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectuses (each, a “Prospectus” and collectively, the “Prospectuses”) for the following funds of iShares, Inc. (the
“Company”):
| Funds | Ticker | Stock Exchange | ||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | IEMG | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | ACWV | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | EWZ | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | BKF | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | ECH | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | ICOL | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | EEMA | NASDAQ | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | EMDI | NASDAQ | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | EEME | NASDAQ | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | EMEY | NASDAQ | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | EEM | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | EGRW | NASDAQ | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | EEMV | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | EEMS | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | EVAL | NASDAQ | ||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | FM | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | VEGI | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | FILL | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | PICK | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | EWM | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | EWY | NYSE Arca | ||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | EWT | NYSE Arca |
The Prospectuses for the
above-listed funds (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) are dated December 30, 2014, as amended and supplemented from time to time. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the
applicable Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. The Financial Statements and Notes contained in the applicable Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report of the Company for the Funds are incorporated by reference into and are deemed to be part of this SAI.
A copy of each Fund's Prospectus, Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report may be obtained without charge by writing to the Company's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor” or “BRIL”), 1 University Square
Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or visiting www.iShares.com. Each Fund's Prospectus is incorporated by reference into this SAI.
References to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the “Investment Company Act” or the “1940 Act”), or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”), SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.
iShares® is a registered trademark of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
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General Description of the Company and the Funds
The Company currently consists of more than 55 investment
series or portfolios. The Company was organized as a Maryland corporation on September 1, 1994 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Company is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940
Act. The offering of the Company's shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). This SAI relates to the following Funds:
| • | iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI BRIC ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF |
| • | iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF |
Each Fund is managed
by BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc., and generally seeks to track the investment results of the specific benchmark index identified in the applicable Prospectus for that Fund (each,
an “Underlying Index”).
Each Fund offers and
issues shares at their net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (“Creation Unit”), generally in exchange for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such
securities for which cash may be substituted) included in its Underlying Index (the “Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”). Shares of the Funds are listed for
trading on national securities exchanges such as The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC (“NASDAQ”) or NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) (each, a “Listing Exchange”). Shares of each Fund are traded in the secondary market and
elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above or below the Fund's NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Units, and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a Cash Component (other than the iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares
MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF and iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, which generally redeem Creation Units of their shares solely for cash). Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares,
generally ranging from 50,000 to 450,000 shares or multiples thereof.
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The Company reserves the right to permit or require that
creations and redemptions of shares are effected fully or partially in cash. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities, subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain with the Company a cash deposit equal
to at least 105% and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change from time to time, of the market value of the omitted Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI.
Transaction fees and other costs associated with creations or redemptions that include a cash portion may be higher than the transaction fees and other costs associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, conditions and fees will be
limited in accordance with the requirements of SEC rules and regulations 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 each Fund is contained in the Shareholder Information section of each Fund's Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section
of the applicable Prospectus.
Shares of each Fund are
listed for trading, and trade throughout the day, on the Listing Exchange and other secondary markets. Shares of the Funds may also be listed on certain non-U.S. exchanges. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange
necessary to maintain the listing of shares of any Fund will continue to be met. The Listing Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares of a Fund from listing if (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement
of trading of Fund shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days, (ii) the value of the Underlying Index on which a Fund is based is no longer calculated or available, (iii) the
“indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”) of the Fund is no longer calculated or available, or (iv) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes further
dealings on the Listing Exchange inadvisable. The Listing Exchange will also remove shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you
buy or sell shares through a broker, you will incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker.
In order to provide additional information regarding the
indicative value of shares of the Funds, the Listing Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association, or through other widely disseminated means, an updated IOPV
for the Funds as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Company is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IOPVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of
the IOPVs.
An IOPV has an equity securities component
and a cash component. The equity securities values included in an IOPV are the values of the Deposit Securities for a Fund. While the IOPV reflects the current value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase
of a Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the Fund may include securities that are not a part of
the current Deposit Securities. Therefore, a Fund’s IOPV disseminated during the Listing Exchange trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the Fund’s NAV, which is calculated only once a day.
The cash component included in an IOPV consists of estimated
accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses. If applicable, each IOPV also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the applicable currency.
The Company reserves the right to adjust the share prices of
the Funds 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 Funds or an investor's equity
interest in the Funds.
Investment Strategies and
Risks
Each of the iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum
Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA
ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped
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ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
Value ETF, iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF
and iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in securities issued by issuers that comprise its relevant Underlying Index and through transactions that provide substantially similar exposure to securities in the
relevant Underlying Index.
Each of the iShares MSCI
Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF seeks to achieve its objective by investing all its assets that are invested in Indian securities in a wholly owned subsidiary
located in the Republic of Mauritius (each, a “Subsidiary”). The remaining assets will be invested directly by each Fund. Each Subsidiary and Fund will collectively invest at least 90% (for the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF) of each Fund’s total assets in securities that comprise its relevant Underlying Index and depositary receipts representing securities of the relevant
Underlying Index.
Each of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging
Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging
Markets Value ETF generally will invest at least 90% of its assets in the component securities of its Underlying Index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of its
Underlying Index (i.e., depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index) and may invest up to 10% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents,
including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in its Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track its Underlying Index. Each Fund invests all of its assets that
are invested in India in a Subsidiary (collectively, with each Subsidiary referenced above, the “Subsidiaries”).
BFA serves as investment adviser to both the Funds and the
Subsidiaries. Unless otherwise indicated, references made in this SAI to the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
Value ETF refer to each Subsidiary and/or each Fund, as applicable.
Each Fund operates as an index fund and will not be actively
managed. Adverse performance of a security in a Fund’s portfolio will ordinarily not result in the elimination of the security from the Fund’s portfolio.
Each Fund engages in representative sampling, which is
investing in a sample of securities selected by BFA to have a collective investment profile similar to that of the Fund's 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 Underlying Index. A fund that uses representative sampling generally does not hold all of the
securities that are in its underlying index.
Although
the Funds do not seek leveraged returns, certain instruments used by the Funds may have a leveraging effect as described below.
In order to permit investments by Chilean pension fund
managers (Administradoras de Fondos de Pensions) (“Chilean fund managers”) in the iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, the iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF expects to restrict investments in issuances by such Chilean fund managers. This may
result in tracking error because the iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index.
Borrowing. Each Fund may
borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. Under normal market conditions, any borrowing by a Fund (except for the iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF) will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net assets; however, each Fund (except for the iShares Core MSCI Emerging
Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF and iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF) generally does not intend to
borrow money.
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The purchase of securities while borrowings are outstanding
may have the effect of leveraging a Fund. The incurrence of leverage increases a Fund’s exposure to risk, and borrowed funds are subject to interest costs that will reduce net income. Purchasing securities while borrowings are outstanding
creates special risks, such as the potential for greater volatility in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the yield on a Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the interest expenses from borrowings may exceed the income generated by a
Fund’s portfolio and, therefore, the amount available (if any) for distribution to shareholders as dividends may be reduced. BFA may determine to maintain outstanding borrowings if it expects that the benefits to a Fund’s shareholders
will outweigh the current reduced return.
Certain types
of borrowings by a Fund may result in a Fund being subject to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage, portfolio composition requirements and other matters. It is not anticipated that observance of such covenants would impede BFA
from managing a Fund’s portfolio in accordance with a Fund’s investment objectives and policies. However, a breach of any such covenants not cured within the specified cure period may result in acceleration of outstanding indebtedness
and require a Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
Currency Transactions.
The Funds do not expect to engage in currency transactions for the purpose of hedging against declines in the value of the Funds' assets that are denominated in a non-U.S. currency. A Fund may enter into non-U.S. currency forward and non-U.S.
currency futures contracts to facilitate local securities settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with its distributions to shareholders, but may not enter into such contracts for speculative purposes.
A forward currency contract is an obligation to purchase or
sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract.
A currency futures contract is a contract involving an obligation to deliver or acquire the specified amount of a specific currency, at a specified price and at a specified future time. Currency futures contracts may be settled on a net cash payment basis rather than by the sale and delivery of the underlying currency. To the extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
A currency futures contract is a contract involving an obligation to deliver or acquire the specified amount of a specific currency, at a specified price and at a specified future time. Currency futures contracts may be settled on a net cash payment basis rather than by the sale and delivery of the underlying currency. To the extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
Foreign exchange transactions involve a significant degree of
risk and the markets in which foreign exchange transactions are effected are highly volatile, highly specialized and highly technical. Significant changes, including changes in liquidity and prices, can occur in such markets within very short
periods of time, often within minutes. Foreign exchange trading risks include, but are not limited to, exchange rate risk, counterparty risk, maturity gap, interest rate risk, and potential interference by foreign governments through regulation of
local exchange markets, foreign investment or particular transactions in non-U.S. currency. If BFA utilizes foreign exchange transactions at an inappropriate time or judges market conditions, trends or correlations incorrectly, foreign exchange
transactions may not serve their intended purpose of improving the correlation of a Fund's return with the performance of its Underlying Index and may lower the Fund’s return. Each Fund could experience losses if the value of its currency
forwards, options or futures positions were poorly correlated with its other investments or if it could not close out its positions because of an illiquid market. In addition, a Fund could incur transaction costs, including trading commissions, in
connection with certain non-U.S. currency transactions.
Diversification Status.
The following table sets forth the diversification status of each Fund:
| Diversified Funds | Non-Diversified Funds | |
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | |
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | |
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | |
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | |
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | |
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | |
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | |
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF |
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| Diversified Funds | Non-Diversified Funds | |
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | ||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | ||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | ||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF |
With respect to 75%
of a Fund's total assets, a “diversified” fund is limited by the 1940 Act such that it may not invest more than 5% of its total assets in securities of any one issuer and does not acquire more than 10% of the outstanding voting
securities of any one issuer (excluding cash and cash items, government securities, and securities of other investment companies). The remaining 25% of the fund’s total assets may be invested in a single issuer or a number of issuers.
A “non-diversified” fund is a fund that 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 (or securities of issuers in particular industries) may dominate the underlying
index of such a fund and, consequently, the fund’s investment portfolio. This may adversely affect a fund’s performance or subject the fund’s shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by more diversified investment
companies.
Each Fund intends to maintain the required
level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for purposes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and to
relieve the Fund of any liability for U.S. federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders, provided that the Fund satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. Compliance with the diversification requirements of
the Internal Revenue Code may limit the investment flexibility of the Funds and may make it less likely that the Funds will meet their respective investment objectives.
Futures and Options.
Futures contracts and options may be used by a Fund to simulate investment in its Underlying Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. Each Fund may enter into futures contracts and options that are traded on a U.S. or
non-U.S. exchange. Each Fund will not use futures or options for speculative purposes. Each Fund intends to use futures and options in accordance with Rule 4.5 of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”). BFA, with respect to certain funds,
has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that BFA, in respect of the funds, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.
See the Regulation Regarding Derivatives section of this SAI for more information.
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. Each Fund may enter into futures contracts to purchase securities indexes when BFA anticipates purchasing the underlying securities and believes prices will rise before the purchase will be made. To the extent required by law,
liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
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 an exercise 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. Each 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. Each 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. Investments in futures contracts and other investments that contain leverage may require each Fund to maintain liquid assets. Generally,
each Fund maintains an amount of liquid assets equal to its obligations relative to the position involved, adjusted daily on a marked-to-market basis. With respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to “cash-settle,”
each Fund maintains liquid assets in an amount at least equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market obligation (i.e., each Fund’s daily net liability, if any), rather than the contracts’
notional value (i.e., the value of the underlying asset). By
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maintaining assets equal to its net obligation under cash-settled futures
contracts, each Fund may employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund set aside assets equal to the futures contracts’ full notional value. Each Fund bases its asset maintenance policies on methods permitted by the SEC staff and may
modify these policies in the future to comply with any changes in the guidance articulated from time to time by the SEC or its staff.
Illiquid Securities.
Each Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment). Illiquid securities may include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other
instruments that lack readily available markets, as determined in accordance with SEC staff guidance. The liquidity of a security relates to the ability to readily dispose of the security and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the
security, which may be lower than the price that would be obtained for a comparable, more liquid security. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount to comparable, more liquid securities and may impair a Fund’s ability to dispose of
securities in a timely fashion at their expected price.
Lending Portfolio Securities.
Each Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain borrowers determined to be creditworthy by BFA, including borrowers affiliated with BFA. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an amount at least equal to the current market
value of the securities loaned. No securities loan shall be made on behalf of a Fund if, as a result, the aggregate value of all securities loans of the particular Fund exceeds one-third of the value of such Fund's total assets (including the value
of the collateral received). A Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned. Each 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 may be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash collateral. The Funds are 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, a 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 affiliated with BFA; such investments are subject to investment risk.
Each Fund conducts its securities lending pursuant to an
exemptive order from the SEC permitting it to lend portfolio securities to borrowers affiliated with the Fund and to retain an affiliate of the Fund as lending agent. To the extent that a Fund engages in securities lending, BlackRock Institutional
Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”) acts as securities lending agent for the Fund, subject to the overall supervision of BFA. BTC administers the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the Company's Board of Directors (the
“Board” or the “Directors”).
Each Fund retains a portion of the securities lending income
and remits the remaining portion to BTC as compensation for its services as securities lending agent. Securities lending income is equal to the total of income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral (and excludes collateral investment fees
as defined below), and any fees or other payments to and from borrowers of securities. As securities lending agent, BTC bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending. Each Fund is responsible for fees in connection with the
investment of cash collateral received for securities on loan in a money market fund managed by BFA; however, BTC has agreed to reduce the amount of securities lending income it receives in order to effectively limit the collateral investment fees
the Fund bears to an annual rate of 0.04% until December 31, 2014 and 0.05% thereafter (the “collateral investment fees”). Such money market fund shares will not be subject to a sales load, redemption fee, distribution fee or service
fee.
Pursuant to the current securities lending
agreement:
(i) International equity funds retain 75% of
securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees); however, commencing January 1, 2015, the international equity funds will retain 70% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees); and (ii) these
amounts can never be less than 65% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
Under the securities lending program, the Funds are
categorized into specific asset classes. The determination of a Fund’s asset class category (fixed income, domestic equity, international equity or fund-of-funds), each of which may be subject to a different fee arrangement, is based on a
methodology agreed to by the Company and BTC.
In
addition, commencing the business day following the date that the aggregate securities lending income (which includes for this purpose, collateral investment fees) earned across the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (as defined under “Management—Directors and Officers”) in a calendar year exceeds the aggregate securities lending income earned across
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the
Exchange-Traded Fund Complex in calendar year 2013 (the “Hurdle Date”), each international equity fund, pursuant to the securities lending agreement, will receive for the remainder of that calendar year securities lending income as
follows:
(i) 80% of securities lending income (which
excludes collateral investment fees); however, for the remainder of the calendar year following any Hurdle Date after January 1, 2015, the international equity funds will retain 75% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment
fees) and (ii) these amounts can never be less than 65% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
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 a Fund has agreed to pay a borrower), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risk. If a securities lending counterparty were to default, a Fund would be subject to the
risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. 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 do 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. This event could
trigger adverse tax consequences for a Fund. A Fund could lose money if its short-term investment of the collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Substitute payments for dividends received by a Fund for securities loaned out by the
Fund will not be considered qualified dividend income. BTC will take into account the tax effects on shareholders caused by this difference in connection with a Fund’s securities lending program. Substitute payments received on tax-exempt
securities loaned out will not be tax-exempt income.
Non-U.S. Securities.
Each Fund intends to purchase publicly-traded common stocks of non-U.S. issuers. To the extent a Fund invests in stocks of non-U.S. issuers, the Fund's investment in such stocks may be in the form of American Depositary Receipts
(“ADRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) (collectively, “Depositary Receipts”). Depositary Receipts are receipts, typically issued by a bank or trust
issuer, which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a non-U.S. issuer. For ADRs, the depository is typically a U.S. financial institution and the underlying securities are issued by a non-U.S. issuer. For other forms of Depositary
Receipts, the depository may be a non-U.S. or a U.S. entity, and the underlying securities may be issued by a non-U.S. or a U.S. issuer. Depositary Receipts are not necessarily denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities.
Generally, ADRs, issued in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, issued in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are
designed for use throughout the world.
The Funds
will not invest in any unlisted Depositary Receipt or any Depositary Receipt that BFA deems illiquid at the time of purchase or for which pricing information is not readily available. In general, Depositary Receipts must be sponsored, but a Fund may
invest in unsponsored Depositary Receipts under certain limited circumstances. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States. Therefore, there may be less information available
regarding such issuers and there may be no correlation between available information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts.
Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves
special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes
in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental
regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product (“GDP”), rate of inflation, capital reinvestment,
resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions.
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
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change would be reflected in the NAV of each Fund. The potential for loss
related to writing call options is unlimited. The potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to the agreed upon price per share, also known as the “strike price,” less the premium received from writing the put.
Each Fund may purchase and write put and call options on
futures contracts that are traded on an 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, a 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 instrument or 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 the expiration of a futures contract, each 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.
Regulation Regarding Derivatives. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if a fund that is advised by the investment adviser either (i) invests,
directly or indirectly, more than a prescribed level of its liquidation value in CFTC-regulated futures, options and swaps (“CFTC Derivatives”), or (ii) markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. The CFTC
also subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if the registered investment company invests in one or more commodity pools. To the extent a Fund uses CFTC Derivatives, it intends to do so below such prescribed
levels and will not market itself as a “commodity pool” or a vehicle for trading such instruments.
BFA has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term
“commodity pool operator” under the CEA pursuant to Rule 4.5 under the CEA with respect to the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI
Colombia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF, iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture
Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF and iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF. BFA is not, therefore, subject to registration or regulation as a “commodity pool
operator” under the CEA with respect to the Funds.
The iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF and
iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF (the “No-Action Letter Funds”) may also have investments in “underlying funds” (and such underlying funds themselves may invest in underlying funds) not advised by BFA (which for
purposes of the no-action letter referenced below may include certain securitized vehicles, mortgage real estate investment trusts and/or investment companies that may invest in CFTC Derivatives), and therefore may be viewed by the CFTC as commodity
pools. BFA has no transparency into the holdings of these underlying funds because they are not advised by BFA. To address this issue of lack of transparency, the CFTC staff issued a no-action letter on November 29, 2012 permitting the adviser of a
fund that invests in such underlying funds and that would otherwise have filed a claim of exclusion pursuant to Rule 4.5 to delay registration as a “commodity pool operator” until six months from the date on which the CFTC issues
additional guidance on the treatment of CFTC Derivatives held by underlying funds. BFA, the adviser of the No-Action Letter Funds, has filed a claim with the CFTC for such Funds to rely on this no-action relief. Accordingly, BFA is not subject to
registration or regulation as a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA in respect of such Funds.
Repurchase Agreements. A
repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser (i.e., a Fund) acquires the security and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale,
to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans by the purchaser to the seller secured
by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase
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agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities
will not be considered to be owned by a Fund but only to constitute collateral for the seller’s obligation to pay the repurchase price, and, in the event of a default by the seller, the Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or losses in
connection with the disposition of the collateral.
In
any repurchase transaction, the collateral for a repurchase agreement may include: (i) cash items; (ii) obligations issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities; or (iii) obligations that, at the time the repurchase agreement
is entered into, are determined to (A) have exceptionally strong capacity to meet their financial obligations and (B) are sufficiently liquid such that they can be sold at approximately their carrying value in the ordinary course of business within
seven days.
Repurchase agreements pose certain risks for
a Fund that utilizes them. Such risks are not unique to the Funds, but are inherent in repurchase agreements. The Funds seek to minimize such risks, but because of the inherent legal uncertainties involved in repurchase agreements, such risks
cannot be eliminated. Lower quality collateral and collateral with longer maturities may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with shorter maturities. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to
default, lower quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterparty’s repurchase obligation, a Fund would
retain the status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty (i.e., the position a Fund would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies, other unsecured debt securities of the
defaulting counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, a Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements.
Reverse repurchase agreements 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. Generally, the effect of such
transactions is that a 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 advantageous only if a Fund has an opportunity to earn a rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions that is greater 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 a Fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only when BFA believes it will be
advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any increase or decrease in the value of a Fund’s assets. A Fund’s exposure to reverse repurchase agreements will be covered by liquid assets having a
value equal to or greater than such commitments. The use of reverse repurchase agreements is a form of leverage because the proceeds derived from reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities.
Securities of Investment Companies. Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) to the extent allowed by law. Pursuant to the 1940 Act, a
Fund’s investment in registered investment companies is generally limited to, subject to certain exceptions: (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one investment company; (ii) 5% of a Fund’s total assets with respect to any
one investment company; and (iii) 10% of a Fund’s total assets with respect to investment companies in the aggregate. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, each Fund intends from time to time to invest its assets in the securities of
investment companies, including, but not limited to, money market funds, including those advised by or otherwise affiliated with BFA, in excess of the general limits discussed above. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, in order to improve its
portfolio liquidity and its ability to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, may invest up to 10% of its assets in shares of other iShares funds that invest in securities in the MSCI Emerging Markets ETF. BFA will not charge advisory fees on that
portion of the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF's assets invested in shares of other iShares funds. Other investment companies in which a Fund may invest can be expected to incur fees and expenses for operations, such as investment advisory and
administration fees, which would be in addition to those incurred by the Fund. Pursuant to guidance issued by the SEC staff, fees and expenses of money market funds used for cash collateral received in connection with loans of securities are not
treated as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which reflect a Fund’s pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other
investment companies (as disclosed in the Prospectus, as applicable).
Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments. Each Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that
may include but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds (including those advised by BFA or otherwise affiliated with BFA); (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including
government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’
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acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S.
banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody's® Investors Service,
Inc., “F-1” by Fitch Ratings, Inc., or “A-1” by Standard & Poor's® Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of McGraw Hill Financial, Inc.
(“Standard & Poor's Ratings Services”), or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by BFA; (v) 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 satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks
(including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of BFA, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks which may be purchased by a Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are
non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international
transactions.
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 performed on a net basis, with a Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of the
two payments. The net amount of the excess, if any, of a Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued
excess will be maintained by the Fund.
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.
Tracking Stocks. A
tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and is designed to “track” the performance of such business unit or division. The tracking
stock may pay dividends to shareholders independent of the parent company. The parent company, rather than the business unit or division, generally is the issuer of tracking stock. However, holders of the tracking stock may not have the same rights
as holders of the company’s common stock.
Future Developments. The
Board may, in the future, authorize each Fund to invest in securities contracts and investments, other than those listed in this SAI and in the applicable Prospectuses, provided they are consistent with each Fund's investment objective and do not
violate any of its investment restrictions or policies.
General Considerations and Risks
A discussion of some of the principal risks associated with an
investment in a Fund is contained in the applicable Prospectus.
An investment in a 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 stocks in general, and other factors that affect the
market.
Borrowing Risk.
Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on a Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost a Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may
reduce a Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause a Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Commodities Investment Risk.
Exposure to commodities markets may subject a Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The commodities markets have experienced periods of extreme volatility. Similar future
market conditions may result in rapid and substantial valuation increases or decreases in a Fund’s holdings.
The commodities markets may fluctuate widely based on a
variety of factors. Movements in commodity investment prices are outside of a Fund's control and may not be anticipated by Fund management. Price movements may be influenced by, among other things: governmental, agricultural, trade, fiscal, monetary
and exchange control programs and policies; changing market and economic conditions; market liquidity; weather and climate conditions, including droughts and floods; livestock disease; changing supply and demand relationships and levels of domestic
production and imported commodities; changes in storage costs; the availability of local, intrastate and interstate transportation systems; energy conservation; the
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success of exploration projects; changes in international balances of
payments and trade; domestic and foreign rates of inflation; currency devaluations and revaluations; domestic and foreign political and economic events; domestic and foreign interest rates and/or investor expectations concerning interest rates;
foreign currency/exchange rates; domestic and foreign governmental regulation and taxation; war, acts of terrorism and other political upheaval and conflicts; governmental expropriation; investment and trading activities of mutual funds, hedge funds
and commodities funds; and changes in philosophies and emotions of market participants. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted.
The prices of commodities can also fluctuate widely due to
supply and demand disruptions in major producing or consuming regions. Certain commodities or natural resources may be produced in a limited number of countries and may be controlled by a small number of producers or groups of producers. As a
result, political, economic regulator and supply-related events in such countries could have a disproportionate impact on the prices of such commodities.
A decrease in the production of a physical commodity or a
decrease in the volume of such commodity available for transportation, mining, processing, storage or distribution may adversely impact the financial performance of a commodity or commodity-related company that devotes a portion of its business to
that commodity. Production declines and volume decreases could be caused by various factors, including catastrophic events affecting production, depletion of resources, labor difficulties, environmental proceedings, increased regulations, equipment
failures and unexpected maintenance problems, import supply disruption, governmental expropriation, political upheaval or conflicts or increased competition from alternative energy sources or commodity prices. Agricultural commodities may be
adversely affected by weather or other natural phenomena, such as drought, floods and pests.
A sustained decline in demand for such commodities could also
adversely affect the financial performance of commodity-related companies. Factors that could lead to a decline in demand include economic recession or other adverse economic conditions, higher taxes on commodities or increased governmental
regulations, increases in fuel economy, consumer shifts to the use of alternative commodities or fuel sources, changes in commodity prices, or weather.
The commodity markets are subject to temporary distortions and
other disruptions due to, among other factors, lack of liquidity, the participation of speculators, and government regulation and other actions. U.S. futures exchanges and some foreign exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation in futures contract
prices which may occur in a single business day (generally referred to as “daily price fluctuation limits”). The maximum or minimum price of a contract as a result of these limits is referred to as a “limit price.” If the
limit price has been reached in a particular contract, no trades may be made beyond the limit price. Limit prices have the effect of precluding trading in a particular contract or forcing the liquidation of contracts at disadvantageous times or
prices.
Custody Risk.
Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and to the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in
less developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to
the standards of care of their local markets, and thus may be subject to limited or no government oversight. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or
losses of security certificates. The less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems. Practices in relation to the settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks
than those in developed markets, in part because of the use of brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue
influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being lost. In addition, the laws of certain countries may put limits on a
Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or an agent of any of the foregoing goes bankrupt. A Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such custody problems and may have no successful claim
for compensation.
Cyber Security Risk. With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, each Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from
deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g.,
through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require
gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended
users). Cyber security failures by or breaches of a systems of the Fund’s adviser, distributor and other
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service providers (including, but not limited to, index providers, fund
accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), market makers, Authorized Participants (as defined in the Portfolio Holdings Information section of this SAI) or the issuers of securities in which the Funds invest, have the ability
to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with a Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business,
violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any
cyber incidents in the future. While the Funds have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility
that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Funds cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Funds, issuers in which the Funds invest, market makers or Authorized Participants. The
Funds and their shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
Dividend Risk. There is
no guarantee that issuers of the stocks held by a Fund will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will either remain at current levels or increase over time.
Operational Risk. BFA
and a Fund's other service providers may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Funds. While service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, their methods
of operational risk management may differ from a Fund's in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. BFA, through its monitoring and oversight of service providers, seeks to ensure
that service providers take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors. However, it is not possible for BFA or the other Fund service providers to identify all of the operational risks
that may affect a Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.
Risk of Derivatives. A
derivative is a financial contract, the value of which depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, a commodity (such as gold or silver), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the S&P 500® or the prime lending rate). A 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 a Fund’s losses may be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests only in conventional securities. Derivatives are also subject to
counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations.
Risk of Equity Securities.
An investment in a Fund should 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 stock
markets 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). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to 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 common stocks incur more risks than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders generally
have rights to receive payments from stock issuers that are inferior to the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity
(the value of which, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior to maturity), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither
a fixed principal amount nor a maturity.
Although
most of the securities in each Underlying Index are listed on a national securities exchange, the principal trading market for some of the securities may be in the over-the-counter market. The existence of a liquid trading market for certain
securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the
value of a Fund’s shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
Risk of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. 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 each Fund plans to utilize futures contracts only if
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an
active market exists for such contracts, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist for the contract at a specified time. Futures contracts, by definition, project price levels in the future and not current levels of valuation; therefore,
market circumstances may result in a discrepancy between the price of the stock index future and the movement in a Fund's Underlying Index. In the event of adverse price movements, a Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to
maintain its required margin. In such situations, if a 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, a Fund may be required to
deliver the instruments underlying the futures 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 Funds do 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 Funds, however, intend to utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit their risk exposure to levels comparable to a direct investment in the types of stocks in which they
invest.
Utilization of futures and options on futures by
a Fund involves the risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to its Underlying Index if the index underlying the futures contract differs from the Underlying Index. There is also the risk of loss of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy
of a broker with whom a Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option. The purchase of put or call options will be based upon predictions by BFA as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.
Because the futures market generally 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 each Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse price movements, each Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin.
Risk of Investing in Non-U.S. Equity Securities. An investment in a Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in a portfolio of equity securities traded on foreign exchanges. These risks include market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and
political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. Investing in securities issued by issuers domiciled in countries other than the domicile of the investor and denominated in currencies other than an
investor’s local currency entails certain considerations and risks not typically encountered by the investor in making investments in its home country and in that country’s currency. These considerations include favorable or unfavorable
changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates, exchange control regulations and the costs that may be incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies. Investing in any of the Funds also involves certain risks and
considerations not typically associated with investing in a fund whose portfolio contains exclusively securities of U.S. issuers. These risks include generally less liquid and less efficient securities markets; generally greater price volatility;
less publicly available information about issuers; the imposition of withholding or other taxes; the imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of funds or other assets of the Funds; restrictions on ownership of Indian securities by foreign
entities; higher transaction and custody costs; delays and risks attendant in settlement procedures; difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; lower liquidity and significantly smaller market capitalization; different accounting and
disclosure standards; lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; more substantial government interference with the economy; higher rates of inflation; greater social, economic, and political uncertainty; the risk of nationalization or
expropriation of assets; and the risk of war.
Risk
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, a 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 such Fund’s rights as a creditor (e.g., a Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it is contractually entitled to
receive).
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Treaty/Tax Risk. Each of
the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF operate, in part, through the Subsidiaries, which in turn
invest in securities of Indian issuers. At this time, the Subsidiaries should be eligible to take advantage of the benefits of the Double Tax Avoidance Agreement between India and Mauritius (“DTAA”). Numerous investors have relied on the
benefits of the DTAA to invest in India through Mauritius in the past. However, in the past 10-15 years a number of parties have challenged the DTAA or the interpretation of the DTAA. Circular 789, issued on April 13, 2000 by the Indian Central
Board of Direct Taxes (“CBDT”), clarifies that whenever the Mauritius revenue authorities have issued a certificate of tax residence, such certificate would constitute sufficient evidence for accepting the status of residence of
Mauritius tax residents for purposes of applying the provisions of the DTAA. The Supreme Court of India in 2003 subsequently held and declared Circular 789 to be valid following litigation regarding Circular 789. As of the date of this SAI, Circular
789 is still valid and in force.
However,
recently issued rulings suggest that the Indian tax administration’s analysis may have changed, and that the tax authorities may now focus on a number of factors when assessing whether a foreign entity is eligible for the benefit of the
provisions of a tax treaty, including, among others, the place of management of the foreign resident company and the level of substance in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated. In addition, both the Indian tax administration and Indian
courts seem now to be taking aggressive efforts to challenge structures involving offshore funds investing directly or indirectly in India, in particular those from Mauritius. Further, the Finance Act, 2013 (“FA 13”) provides that an
investor is required to submit the tax residency certificate (“TRC”) as issued in the country of residence and provide other documents and information as prescribed by the Government of India to claim benefits under the DTAA.
It is possible that the governments of India and Mauritius may
renegotiate the terms of the DTAA to include, among other things, a limitation on benefits clause. No assurance can be given that the terms of the DTAA will not be renegotiated or subject to a different interpretation in the future. Any change in
the provisions of the DTAA or in its applicability to the Subsidiaries could result in the imposition of withholding and capital gains taxes and other taxes on the Subsidiaries by tax authorities in India. This could significantly reduce the return
to each of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging
Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF on its investments and the return received by each
Fund’s shareholders.
Indirect Transfers.
The current legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding
obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because certain Funds invest in Indian securities through Subsidiaries,
this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However, the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012
clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the retrospective amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any assessment proceedings that were completed
before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued prior to that date. It has also been clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in the Finance Act would be enforced. Given
this clarification issued by the CBDT, certain Funds do not expect that their respective shareholders or each Fund will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
An Expert Committee formed by Government of India was
constituted to examine the implications of the above amendment, which provides for taxing indirect transfer of Indian assets in India. Based on the consultations received from stakeholders, the Expert Committee in its report has recommended that the
above deemed provisions should not apply in the following cases:
| • | where a non-resident investor has made any investment, directly or indirectly, in a Foreign Institutional Investor (“FII”) which has invested in India; |
| • | investment by the non-resident investor in a fund or a fund pooling vehicle, which do not result in participation in control and management of the fund; or |
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| • | where a non-resident investor along with its associates, does not have more than a 26% share in total capital of the company. |
Accordingly, the Expert Committee has recommended that the
non-resident will not be taxable in India in relation to investments made by the Fund/FII in India in the above situations.
The Expert Committee has also recommended that amendments
should be applied prospectively and not retrospectively.
If the recommendations made by the Expert Committee are
accepted by the Government of India then the non-resident shareholders of the Fund/Subsidiary would not be taxed in India on indirect transfer of shares.
However, the above amendment does not override the provisions
of DTAA which India has entered into with many countries. Hence, if a non-resident investor in the Fund is situated in a favorable tax jurisdiction (such as Mauritius, Singapore, etc.), then capital gains on such indirect transfer may not be
chargeable to tax in view of the DTAA entered into between India and respective countries.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The current legislation provides for the general
anti-avoidance rules (“GAAR”) to curb aggressive tax planning with the use of sophisticated structures. GAAR will be effective from the financial year beginning from April 1, 2015 onwards.
As per the current provisions of GAAR, an arrangement entered
into by a taxpayer may be declared to be an impermissible avoidance arrangement, if the “main purpose” of the arrangement is to obtain a “tax benefit” and the arrangement:
| • | creates rights, or obligations, which are not ordinarily created between persons dealing at arm's length; |
| • | results, directly or indirectly, in the misuse, or abuse, of the provisions of IT Act; |
| • | lacks commercial substance; or |
| • | is entered into, or carried out, by means, or in a manner, which are not ordinarily employed for bona fide purposes. |
Once an arrangement is declared to be an impermissible
avoidance arrangement, wide powers have been granted to tax authorities to deny tax treaty benefits, disregard or re-characterize transactions, re-characterize equity into debt and vice versa.
The CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013,
for the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| • | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| • | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| • | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| • | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
If the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI
BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI
Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF's use of the Subsidiary was considered to be such an impermissible avoidance arrangement, the Funds would become subject
directly to taxation in India. GAAR is expected to come into force from April 2015. The burden of proof in enforcing the rule will reside with the Indian government, not the taxpayer, and India’s current double tax treaty arrangements will
remain in force. However, GAAR may prevent the Funds from realizing the planned tax benefits of the Subsidiaries, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions, may lead to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, and
may lead the Funds to modify or disassemble their Subsidiaries structure.
Provisions of indirect transfers and GAAR could change the
manner in which Subsidiaries are currently taxed in India and could adversely impact the returns to each of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares
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MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer
Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF/Subsidiaries and its shareholders. Each of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging
Markets Value ETF will continue to monitor developments in India with respect to these matters. Investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers with respect to their own tax situations and the tax consequences of an investment in each of the
iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth
ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF.
Volatility Risk. The
value of the securities in the iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF and the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF portfolios may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. The value of a security may
fluctuate due to factors affecting markets generally or particular industries. This volatility may affect the Fund's NAV. Although the Underlying Indexes were created to seek lower volatility than the MSCI ACWI Index and the MSCI Emerging Markets
Index, there is no guarantee that these strategies will be successful. Each Fund's name reflects the name of the Underlying Index as provided by the Index Provider. However, the Index Provider may be unsuccessful in creating an index that minimizes
volatility, and there is a risk that each Fund may experience more than minimum volatility. Securities in the Fund's portfolios may be subject to price volatility and the prices may not be any less volatile than the market as a whole and could be
more volatile. Events or financial circumstances affecting individual securities or sectors may increase the volatility of the Funds.
Risk of Investing in Mid-Capitalization Companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, a Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a
larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments,
and the stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it more difficult for the Funds to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies
and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Risk of Investing in Small-Capitalization Companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and therefore a Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of
their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments. The stocks of
small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Funds to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and may depend on
a small number of essential personnel, making them more vulnerable to loss of personnel. Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse
developments concerning their products.
Risk of
Investing in Africa. Investments in securities of issuers in certain African countries involve heightened risks including, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation,
political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision-making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest and, in certain countries,
genocidal warfare.
Certain countries in Africa
generally have less developed capital markets than traditional emerging market countries, and, consequently, the risks of investing in foreign securities are magnified in such countries. Because securities markets of countries in Africa are
generally underdeveloped and are less correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries, securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market
capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations and uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets. Moreover, trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
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Market volatility may also be heightened by the actions of a
small number of investors. Brokerage firms in certain countries in Africa may be fewer in number and less established than brokerage firms in more developed markets. Since a Fund may need to effect securities transactions through these brokerage
firms, the Fund is subject to the risk that these brokerage firms will not be able to fulfill their obligations to the Fund (i.e., counterparty risk). This risk is magnified to the extent that a Fund effects
securities transactions through a single brokerage firm or a small number of brokerage firms.
Certain governments in African countries restrict or control
to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment by foreign
investors and may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer, and may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes
available for purchase by domestic investors of the countries and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. A delay in obtaining a government approval or a license would delay investments in a particular country, and, as a result, a Fund may
not be able to invest in certain securities while approval is pending. The government of a particular country may also withdraw or decline to renew a license that enables a Fund to invest in such country. These factors make investing in issuers
located or operating in countries in Africa significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries, and any one of these factors could cause a decline in the value of a Fund’s investments. Issuers
located or operating in countries in Africa are not subject to the same rules and regulations as issuers located or operating in more developed countries. Therefore, there may be less financial and other information publicly available with regard to
issuers located or operating in countries in Africa and such issuers are not subject to the uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards applicable to issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
In addition, governments of certain countries in Africa in
which a Fund may invest may levy withholding or other taxes on income such as dividends, interest and realized capital gains. Although in certain countries in Africa a portion of these taxes are recoverable, the non-recovered portion of foreign
withholding taxes will reduce the income received from investments in such countries.
Investment in countries in Africa may be subject to a greater
degree of risk associated with governmental approval in connection with the repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors. In addition, there is the risk that if an African country’s
balance of payments declines, such African country may impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances. Consequently, a Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, required governmental approval for
repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Fund of any restrictions on investments. Additionally, investments in countries in Africa may require a Fund to adopt special procedures, seek local government approvals or take other
actions, each of which may involve additional costs to the Fund.
Securities laws in many countries in Africa are relatively new
and unsettled and, consequently, there is a risk of rapid and unpredictable change in laws regarding foreign investment, securities regulation, title to securities and shareholder rights. Accordingly, foreign investors may be adversely affected by
new or amended laws and regulations. In addition, there may be no single centralized securities exchange on which securities are traded in certain countries in Africa and the systems of corporate governance to which issuers located in countries in
Africa are subject may be less advanced than those systems to which issuers located in more developed countries are subject, and therefore, shareholders of issuers located in such countries may not receive many of the protections available to
shareholders of issuers located in more developed countries. In circumstances where adequate laws and shareholder rights exist, it may not be possible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of the law. In addition, the enforcement of systems of
taxation at federal, regional and local levels in countries in Africa may be inconsistent and subject to sudden change.
Certain countries in Africa may be heavily dependent upon
international trade and, consequently, have been and may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries
with which they trade. These countries also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. Certain countries in Africa depend to a significant extent upon exports of primary
commodities such as gold, silver, copper and diamonds. These countries therefore are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices, which may be affected by a variety of factors. In addition, certain issuers located in countries in Africa in which a
Fund invests may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations, and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As a
result, an issuer may sustain damage to its reputation if it is
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identified as an issuer which operates in, or has dealings with, such
countries. A Fund, as an investor in such issuers, will be indirectly subject to those risks.
The governments of certain countries in Africa may exercise
substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in such countries, which could have a negative impact on
private sector companies. There is also the possibility of diplomatic developments that could adversely affect investments in certain countries in Africa. Some countries in Africa may be affected by a greater degree of public corruption and crime,
including organized crime.
In addition, recent political
instability and protests in North Africa and the Middle East have caused significant disruptions to many industries. This instability has demonstrated that political and social unrest can spread quickly through the region, and that developments in
one country can influence the political events in neighboring countries. Some protests have turned violent, and civil war and political reconstruction in certain countries such as Libya poses a risk to investments in the region. Continued political
and social unrest in these regions may negatively affect the value of an investment in a Fund.
Risk of Investing in Asia.
Investments in securities of issuers in certain Asian countries involve risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in other regions. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or
nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision-making, armed conflict and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or
socio-economic unrest. Certain Asian economies have experienced rapid rates of economic growth and industrialization in recent years, and there is no assurance that these rates of economic growth and industrialization will be
maintained.
Certain Asian countries have
democracies with relatively short histories, which may increase the risk of political instability. These countries have faced political and military unrest, and further unrest could present a risk to their local economies and securities markets.
Indonesia and the Philippines have each experienced violence and terrorism, which has negatively impacted their economies. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two countries
present the risk of war; in the recent past, these tensions have escalated. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy and securities market. Increased political and social
unrest in these geographic areas could adversely affect the performance of investments in this region.
Certain governments in this region administer prices on
several basic goods, including fuel and electricity, within their respective countries. Certain governments may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector in their respective countries and may own or control many
companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in this region, which in turn could have a negative impact on private sector companies. There is also the possibility of diplomatic developments
adversely affecting investments in the region.
Corruption and the perceived lack of a rule of law in dealings
with international companies in certain Asian countries may discourage foreign investment and could negatively impact the long-term growth of certain economies in this region. In addition, certain countries in the region are experiencing high
unemployment and corruption, and have fragile banking sectors.
Some economies in this region are dependent on a range of
commodities, including oil, natural gas and coal. Accordingly, they are strongly affected by international commodity prices and particularly vulnerable to any weakening in global demand for these products. The market for securities in this region
may also be directly influenced by the flow of international capital, and by the economic and market conditions of neighboring countries. Adverse economic conditions or developments in neighboring countries may increase investors' perception of the
risk of investing in the region as a whole, which may adversely impact the market value of the securities issued by companies in the region.
Risk of Investing in Australasia. The economies of Australasia, which include Australia and New Zealand, are dependent on exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. This makes Australasian economies susceptible to fluctuations in the
commodity markets. Australasian economies are also increasingly dependent on their growing service industries. Australia and New Zealand are located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters, such as drought and
flooding. Any such event in the future could have a significant adverse impact on the economies of Australia and New Zealand and affect the value of securities held by a relevant Fund. The economies of Australia and New Zealand are dependent on
trading with certain key trading partners, including Asia, Europe and the United States. The Australia–U.S. Free Trade Agreement has significantly expanded the trading relationship between the United States and Australia. In 2003,
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Australia and Singapore entered into the Singapore-Australia Free Trade
Agreement (“SAFTA”). SAFTA is intended to further expand the economic relationship with Singapore, Australia’s largest trade and investment partner in Southeast Asia. Thus, economic events in the United States, Asia, or in other
key trading countries can have a significant economic effect on the Australian economy. The economies of Australia and New Zealand are heavily dependent on the mining sector. Passage of new regulations limiting foreign ownership of companies in the
mining sector or imposition of new taxes on profits of mining companies may dissuade foreign investment, and as a result, have a negative impact on companies to which a Fund has exposure.
Risk of Investing in Brazil.
Investment in securities of companies domiciled in Brazil involves a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks
include, among others, a high level of price volatility in the Brazilian equity and currency markets, chronic structural public sector deficits and disparities of wealth.
Brazil has historically experienced high rates of inflation
and may continue to do so in the future. An increase in prices for commodities, the depreciation of the Brazilian currency (the real) and potential future governmental measures seeking to maintain the value of the real in relation to the U.S.
dollar, may trigger increases in inflation in Brazil and may slow the rate of growth of the Brazilian economy. Inflationary pressures also may limit the ability of certain Brazilian issuers to access foreign financial markets and may lead to further
government intervention in the economy, including the introduction of government policies that may adversely affect the overall performance of the Brazilian economy, which in turn could adversely affect a Fund's investments.
The Brazilian government has exercised, and continues to
exercise, significant influence over the Brazilian economy, which may have significant effects on Brazilian companies and on market conditions and prices of Brazilian securities. The Brazilian economy has been characterized by frequent, and
occasionally drastic, intervention by the Brazilian government. The Brazilian government has often changed monetary, taxation, credit, tariff and other policies to influence the core of Brazil’s economy. The Brazilian government’s
actions to control inflation and affect other economic policies have involved, among others, the setting of wage and price controls, blocking access to bank accounts, fluctuation of the base interest rates, imposing exchange controls and limiting
imports into Brazil. In the past, the Brazilian government has maintained domestic price controls, and no assurances can be given that price controls will not be re-imposed in the future.
Investments in Brazilian securities may be subject to certain
restrictions on foreign investment. Brazilian law provides that whenever a serious imbalance in Brazil’s balance of payments exists or is anticipated, the Brazilian government may impose temporary restrictions on the remittance to foreign
investors of the proceeds of their investment in Brazil and on the conversion of Brazilian currency into foreign currency. The likelihood of such restrictions may be affected by the extent of Brazil’s foreign currency reserves, the size of
Brazil’s debt service burden relative to the economy as a whole, and political constraints to which Brazil may be subject. There can be no assurance that the Brazilian government will not impose restrictions or restrictive exchange control
policies in the future, which could have the effect of preventing or restricting access to foreign currency.
The market for Brazilian securities is directly influenced by
the flow of international capital, and economic and market conditions of certain countries, especially other emerging market countries in Central and South America. Adverse economic conditions or developments in other emerging market countries have
at times significantly affected the availability of credit in the Brazilian economy and resulted in considerable outflows of funds and declines in the amount of foreign currency invested in Brazil. Crises in neighboring emerging market countries
also may increase investors’ risk aversion, which may adversely impact the market value of the securities issued by Brazilian companies, including securities in which a Fund may invest.
Risk of Investing in Central and South America. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In
addition, commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for the regions and many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one
country may have a significant adverse effect on other countries of these regions.
The governments of certain countries in Central and South
America may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in such countries, which could have a
negative impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Diplomatic developments may also adversely affect investments in certain countries in Central and South America. Some countries in Central and South America may be affected by public
corruption and crime, including organized crime.
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Certain countries in Central and South America may be heavily
dependent upon international trade and, consequently, have been and may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated
by the countries with which they trade. These countries also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. In addition, certain issuers located in countries in Central and South
America in which the Fund invests may have dealings with countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. An
issuer may sustain damage to its reputation if it is identified as an issuer that has dealings with such countries. The Fund may be adversely affected if it invests in such issuers.
Risk of Investing in Chile.
Investment in Chilean issuers involves risks that are specific to Chile, including, legal, regulatory, political, environmental and economic risks. Chile’s economy is export-dependent and relies heavily
on trading relationships with certain key trading partners, including China, Brazil, Japan, the United States and Netherlands. Future changes in the price or the demand for Chilean exported products by China, Brazil, Japan, the United States and
Netherlands, changes in these countries’ economies, trade regulations or currency exchange rates could adversely impact the Chilean economy and the issuer’s to which the Fund has exposure.
Risk of Investing in China.
Investments in securities of companies domiciled in China involve a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks
include, among others, an authoritarian government, popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions, the impact of regional conflict on the economy and hostile relations with neighboring
countries.
Military conflicts, either in response
to internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries, could disrupt economic development. The Chinese economy is vulnerable to the long-running disagreements with Hong Kong related to integration and religious and nationalist disputes with
Tibet and the Xinjiang region. China has a complex territorial dispute regarding the sovereignty of Taiwan that has included threats of invasion; Taiwan-based companies and individuals are significant investors in China. Military conflict between
China and Taiwan may adversely affect securities of Chinese issuers. In addition, China has strained international relations with Japan, India, Russia and other neighbors due to territorial disputes, historical animosities and other defense
concerns. China could be affected by military events on the Korean peninsula or internal instability within North Korea. These situations may cause uncertainty in the Chinese market and may adversely affect performance of the Chinese economy.
The Chinese government has implemented significant economic
reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in the economy, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. But there can be no assurance that these reforms will continue or that they will be
effective. Despite reforms and privatizations of companies in certain sectors, the Chinese government still exercises substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. The Chinese government
continues to maintain a major role in economic policy making and investing in China involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on
repatriation of capital invested. In addition, there is less regulation and monitoring of Chinese securities markets and the activities of investors, brokers and other participants than in the United States. Accordingly, issuers of securities in
China are not subject to the same degree of regulation as are U.S. issuers with respect to such matters as insider trading rules, tender offer regulation, stockholder proxy requirements and the requirements mandating timely and accurate disclosure
of information. Stock markets in China are in the process of change and further development. This may lead to trading volatility, difficulty in the settlement and recording of transactions and difficulty in interpreting and applying the relevant
regulation.
While the Chinese economy has grown rapidly
in recent years, there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, causing a negative effect on the economy and securities market. China’s economy is
heavily dependent on export growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the
securities of Chinese issuers.
The tax laws and
regulations in the People's Republic of China (“PRC”) are subject to change, including the issuance of authoritative guidance or enforcement, possibly with retroactive effect. The interpretation, applicability and enforcement of such
laws by PRC tax authorities are not as consistent and transparent as those of more developed nations, and may vary
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over time and from region to region. The application and enforcement of PRC
tax rules could have a significant adverse effect on a Fund and its investors, particularly in relation to capital gains withholding tax imposed upon non-residents.
Risk of Investing in Colombia.
Investments in Colombian issuers and companies that have significant operations in Colombia subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks specific to Colombia. Economic reforms,
including tax, pension and budget reforms, and the aggressive promotion of free trade agreements with a number of countries, including the United States, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Switzerland, the European Union countries, Venezuela, South Korea,
Turkey, Japan and Israel, have led to recent economic growth in the Colombian economy. There can be no assurance that these economic reforms will continue or that they will be effective. There can also be no assurance that the economic growth rate
will be maintained. The Colombian economy depends heavily on oil, coal and other commodity exports, making it vulnerable to commodity prices. High unemployment and underemployment, income disparity, currency devaluations and high levels of
debt and public spending remain significant challenges to the Colombian economy. The level of violence associated with internal conflicts and drug trafficking has fallen but remains high by international standards. Colombia’s infrastructure
requires major improvements to sustain economic expansion. In addition, the market for Colombian issuers is directly influenced by the flow of international capital and economic and market conditions of certain countries, especially the United
States and other countries in Central and South America.
Risk of Investing in Eastern Europe. Investing in the securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe is highly speculative and involves risks not usually associated with investing in the more developed markets of Western Europe.
Political and economic reforms are too recent to establish a definite trend away from centrally planned economies and state-owned industries. In the past, some Eastern European governments have expropriated substantial amounts of private property,
and many claims of the property owners have never been fully settled.
Many Eastern European countries continue to move toward market
economies at different paces with different characteristics. Most Eastern European securities markets suffer from thin trading activity, dubious investor protections, and often a dearth of reliable corporate information. Information and transaction
costs, differential taxes, and sometimes political or transfer risk give a comparative advantage to the domestic investor rather than the foreign investor. In addition, these markets are particularly sensitive to social, political, economic, and
currency events in Russia and may suffer heavy losses as a result of their trading and investment links to the Russian economy and currency. Russia also may attempt to assert its influence in the region through economic or even military measures, as
it did with Georgia in the summer of 2008 and Ukraine in 2014. Eastern European economies may also be particularly susceptible to changes in the international credit markets due to their reliance on bank related inflows of capital. The global
economic crisis has restricted international credit supplies, and several Eastern European economies have faced significant credit and economic crises. Although some Eastern European economies are expanding again, major challenges are still present
as a result of their continued dependence on the Western European zone for credit.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market countries may be subject to greater risks than investments in developed countries. These risks include: (i) less social, political, and economic stability; (ii) greater illiquidity
and price volatility due to smaller or limited local capital markets for such securities, or low or non-existent trading volumes; (iii) foreign exchanges and broker-dealers may be subject to less scrutiny and regulation by local authorities; (iv)
local governments may decide to seize or confiscate securities held by foreign investors and/or local governments may decide to suspend or limit an issuer's ability to make dividend or interest payments; (v) local governments may limit or entirely
restrict repatriation of invested capital, profits, and dividends; (vi) capital gains may be subject to local taxation, including on a retroactive basis; (vii) issuers facing restrictions on dollar or euro payments imposed by local governments may
attempt to make dividend or interest payments to foreign investors in the local currency; (viii) investors may experience difficulty in enforcing legal claims related to the securities and/or local judges may favor the interests of the issuer over
those of foreign investors; (ix) bankruptcy judgments may only be permitted to be paid in the local currency; (x) limited public information regarding the issuer may result in greater difficulty in determining market valuations of the securities,
and (xi) lack of financial reporting on a regular basis, substandard disclosure and differences in accounting standards may make it difficult to ascertain the financial health of an issuer.
Emerging market securities markets are typically marked by a
high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of ownership of such securities by a limited number of investors. In addition,
brokerage and other costs associated with transactions in emerging markets securities markets can be higher, sometimes significantly, than similar costs incurred in securities markets in developed countries. Although some emerging markets have
become more established and tend to issue securities of
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higher credit quality, the markets for securities in other emerging countries
are in the earliest stages of their development, and these countries issue securities across the credit spectrum. Even the markets for relatively widely traded securities in emerging countries may not be able to absorb, without price disruptions, a
significant increase in trading volume or trades of a size customarily undertaken by institutional investors in the securities markets of developed countries. The limited size of many of these securities markets can cause prices to be erratic for
reasons apart from factors that affect the soundness and competitiveness of the securities issuers. For example, prices may be unduly influenced by traders who control large positions in these markets. Additionally, market making and arbitrage
activities are generally less extensive in such markets, which may contribute to increased volatility and reduced liquidity of such markets. The limited liquidity of emerging country securities may also affect a Fund's ability to accurately value
its portfolio securities or to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time it wishes to do so or in order to meet redemption requests.
Many emerging market countries suffer from uncertainty and
corruption in their legal frameworks. Legislation may be difficult to interpret and laws may be too new to provide any precedential value. Laws regarding foreign investment and private property may be weak or non-existent. Sudden changes in
governments may result in policies which are less favorable to investors such as policies designed to expropriate or nationalize “sovereign” assets. Certain emerging market countries in the past have expropriated large amounts of private
property, in many cases with little or no compensation, and there can be no assurance that such expropriation will not occur in the future.
Investment in the securities markets of certain emerging
countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions may limit a Fund's investment in certain emerging countries and may increase the expenses of the Fund. Certain emerging countries require governmental approval prior to
investments by foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuer's outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of
the company available for purchase by nationals.
Many
emerging market countries lack the social, political, and economic stability characteristic of the United States. Political instability among emerging market countries can be common and may be caused by an uneven distribution of wealth, social
unrest, labor strikes, civil wars, and religious oppression. Economic instability in emerging market countries may take the form of: (i) high interest rates; (ii) high levels of inflation, including hyperinflation; (iii) high levels of unemployment
or underemployment; (iv) changes in government economic and tax policies, including confiscatory taxation; and (v) imposition of trade barriers.
A Fund's income and, in some cases, capital gains from foreign
securities will be subject to applicable taxation in certain of the emerging market countries in which it invests, and treaties between the United States and such countries may not be available in some cases to reduce the otherwise applicable tax
rates.
Emerging markets also have different clearance
and settlement procedures, and in certain of these emerging markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions.
In the past, certain governments in emerging market countries
have become overly reliant on the international capital markets and other forms of foreign credit to finance large public spending programs, which in the past have caused huge budget deficits. Often, interest payments have become too overwhelming
for a government to meet, representing a large percentage of total GDP. These foreign obligations have become the subject of political debate and served as fuel for political parties of the opposition, which pressure the government not to make
payments to foreign creditors, but instead to use these funds for, among other things, social programs. Either due to an inability to pay or submission to political pressure, foreign governments have been forced to seek a restructuring of their loan
and/or bond obligations, have declared a temporary suspension of interest payments or have defaulted. These events have adversely affected the values of securities issued by foreign governments and corporations domiciled in those countries and have
negatively affected not only their cost of borrowing, but their ability to borrow in the future as well.
Risk of Investing in Europe.
Investing in European countries may expose a Fund to the economic and political risks associated with Europe in general and the specific European countries in which it invests. The economies and markets of
European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one European country can have an adverse impact on other European countries. A Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, or have
significant operations in, member countries of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (the “EU”), which requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and
fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in
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governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the
euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession among EU member countries may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU
member countries and their trading partners. Although certain European countries do not use the euro, many of these countries are obliged to meet the criteria for joining the euro zone. Consequently, these countries must comply with many of the
restrictions noted above. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns, rising government debt levels and the possible default of government debt in several
European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. In order to prevent further economic deterioration, certain countries, without prior warning, can institute “capital controls.” Countries may use these controls to
restrict volatile movements of capital entering and exiting their country. Such controls may negatively affect a Fund’s investments. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country's debt
and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country's creditworthiness, which may be located in countries other than those listed above. In addition, the credit ratings of certain European countries were recently downgraded. These downgrades
may result in further deterioration of investor confidence. These events have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including countries that do
not use the euro and non-EU member countries. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may
limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset
valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and
far-reaching.
Risk of Investing in India. India is an emerging market and demonstrates significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to more developed markets. Political, religious, and border disputes persist in India. India has recently
experienced and may continue to experience civil unrest and hostilities with certain of its neighboring countries, including Pakistan, and the Indian government has confronted separatist movements in several Indian states, including Kashmir.
Government control over the economy, currency fluctuations or blockage, and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets offer higher potential for losses. Governmental actions could have a negative effect on the economic conditions in
India, which could adversely affect the value and liquidity of investments made by a Fund. The securities markets in India are comparatively underdeveloped and with some exceptions, consist of a small number of listed companies with small market
capitalization, greater price volatility and substantially less liquidity than companies in more developed markets. Stockbrokers and other intermediaries in India may not perform as well as their counterparts in the United States or other, more
developed countries. The limited liquidity of the Indian securities markets may also affect a Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of securities at the price or time that it desires or the Fund’s ability to track its Underlying
Index.
Global factors and foreign actions may
inhibit the flow of foreign capital on which India is dependent to sustain its growth. In addition, the Reserve Bank of India has imposed limits on foreign ownership of Indian companies, which may decrease the liquidity of a Fund’s portfolio
and result in extreme volatility in the prices of Indian securities. These factors, coupled with the lack of extensive accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices, as applicable in the United States, may increase the risk of
loss for a Fund.
Securities laws in India are relatively
new and unsettled and, as a result, there is a risk of significant and unpredictable change in laws governing foreign investment, securities regulation, title to securities and shareholder rights. Foreign investors in particular may be adversely
affected by new or amended laws and regulations. Certain Indian regulatory approvals, including approvals from the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the central government and the tax authorities (to the extent that tax benefits need to be
utilized), may be required before a Fund can make investments in Indian companies.
Technology and software sectors represent a significant
portion of the total capitalization of the Indian securities markets. The value of these companies will generally fluctuate in response to technological and regulatory developments, and, as a result, a Fund’s holdings are expected to
experience correlated fluctuations.
Natural disasters,
such as tsunamis, flooding or droughts, could occur in India or surrounding areas and could negatively affect the Indian economy or operations of a Subsidiary, and, in turn, could negatively affect a Fund.
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Risk of Investing in Kuwait.
Kuwait is highly reliant on income from the sale of oil and trade with other countries involved in the sale of oil, and its economy is therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency
values. As global demand for oil fluctuates, Kuwait may be significantly impacted. Historically, tensions between Iraq and Kuwait have sometimes resulted in conflict. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries, or other countries in the
region, could have a severe adverse effect on the Kuwaiti economy and its securities markets. Recently, Kuwait has experienced anti-government protests. If the current Kuwaiti government were to change or become unable to function normally, any
resulting instability could adversely affect the Kuwaiti economy and could decrease the value of a Fund’s investments.
Risk of Investing in Malaysia.
Investments in Malaysian issuers involve risks that are specific to Malaysia, including legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks. The Malaysian economy, among other things, is dependent upon
external trade with other economies, specifically the United States, China, Japan and Singapore. As a result, Malaysia is dependent on the economies of these other countries and any change in the price or demand for Malaysian exports may have an
adverse impact on the Malaysian economy. In addition, the Malaysian economy is heavily focused on export of electronic goods. As a result, Malaysia’s reliance on the electronics sector makes it particularly vulnerable to economic downturns in
the technology sector.
Risk of Investing in the
Middle East. Many Middle Eastern countries have little or no democratic tradition, and the political and legal systems in such countries may have an adverse impact on a Fund. Many economies in the Middle East
are highly reliant on income from the sale of oil or trade with countries involved in the sale of oil, and their economies are therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency values. As global demand for oil fluctuates,
many Middle Eastern economies may be significantly impacted.
In addition, many Middle Eastern governments have exercised
and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In certain cases, a Middle Eastern country’s government may own or control many companies, including some of the largest companies in the country.
Accordingly, governmental actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in Middle Eastern countries. This could affect private sector companies and a Fund, as well as the value of securities in a Fund's
portfolio.
Certain Middle Eastern markets are in the
earliest stages of development. As a result, there may be a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and
financial intermediaries. Brokers in Middle Eastern countries typically are fewer in number and less well capitalized than brokers in the United States.
The legal systems in certain Middle Eastern countries also may
have an adverse impact on a Fund. For example, the potential liability of a shareholder in a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation generally is limited to the amount of the shareholder’s investment. However, the notion of
limited liability is less clear in certain Middle Eastern countries. Each Fund therefore may be liable in certain Middle Eastern countries for the acts of a corporation in which it invests for an amount greater than its actual investment in that
corporation. Similarly, the rights of investors in Middle Eastern issuers may be more limited than those of shareholders of a U.S. corporation. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain or enforce a legal judgment in a Middle Eastern country. Some
Middle Eastern countries prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on investments in their capital markets, particularly their equity markets, by foreign entities such as a Fund. For example, certain countries may require governmental approval
prior to investment by foreign persons or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular issuer. Certain Middle Eastern countries may also limit the investment by foreign persons to only a specific class of securities of an issuer
that may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the issuer available for purchase by nationals.
The manner in which foreign investors may invest in companies
in certain Middle Eastern countries, as well as limitations on those investments, may have an adverse impact on the operations of a Fund. For example, in certain of these countries, a Fund may be required to invest initially through a local broker
or other entity and then have the shares that were purchased re-registered in the name of a Fund. Re-registration in some instances may not be possible on a timely basis. This may result in a delay during which a Fund may be denied certain of its
rights as an investor, including rights as to dividends or to be made aware of certain corporate actions. There also may be instances where a Fund places a purchase order but is subsequently informed, at the time of re-registration, that the
permissible allocation of the investment to foreign investors has been filled.
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Substantial limitations may exist in certain Middle Eastern
countries with respect to a Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income or capital gains. A Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by
the application to a Fund of any restrictions on investment.
Certain Middle Eastern countries may be heavily dependent upon
international trade and, consequently, have been and may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries
with which they trade. These countries also have been and may continue to be adversely impacted by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. In addition, certain issuers located in Middle Eastern countries in which a Fund invests
may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations, and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As a result, an issuer
may sustain damage to its reputation if it is identified as an issuer which operates in, or has dealings with, such countries. A Fund, as an investor in such issuers, will be indirectly subject to those risks.
Certain Middle Eastern countries have strained relations with
other Middle Eastern countries due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or defense concerns, which may adversely affect the economies of these Middle Eastern countries. Certain Middle Eastern countries experience significant unemployment,
as well as widespread underemployment. Recently, many Middle Eastern countries have experienced political, economic and social unrest as protestors have called for widespread reform. These protests may adversely affect the economies of these Middle
Eastern countries.
Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations and/or an economic recession in any one North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region, and on some
or all of the North American countries in which a Fund invests.
The United States is Canada's and Mexico's largest trading and
investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States
and Mexico, total merchandise trade between the three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which has further affected
Canada's and Mexico's dependency on the U.S. economy. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities, including securities held by a
Fund.
Risk of Investing in Russia. Investing in the Russian securities market involves a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the U.S. securities market, and should be considered highly
speculative. Risks include: the absence of developed legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of a Fund’s assets invested in Russia as a result
of expropriation; certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests; and
potentially greater price volatility in, significantly smaller capitalization of, and relative illiquidity of, the Russian market. There can also be no assurance that a Fund’s investments in the Russian securities market would not be
expropriated, nationalized or otherwise confiscated. In the event of the settlement of any such claims or such expropriation, nationalization or other confiscation, a Fund could lose its entire investment. In addition, it may be difficult and more
costly to obtain and enforce a judgment in the Russian court system.
Russia may also be subject to a greater degree of economic,
political and social instability than is the case in other developed countries. Such instability may result from, among other things, the following: (i) an authoritarian government or military involvement in political and economic decision-making,
including changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries;
and (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection.
The
Russian economy is heavily dependent upon the export of a range of commodities including most industrial metals, forestry products and oil and gas. Accordingly, it is strongly affected by international commodity prices and is particularly vulnerable
to any weakening in global demand for these products. Any acts of terrorism or armed conflicts in Russia or internationally could have an adverse effect on the financial and commodities markets and the global economy. As Russia produces and exports
large amounts of crude oil and gas, any acts of terrorism or armed conflict causing disruptions of Russian oil and gas exports could negatively affect the Russian economy and, thus, adversely affect the financial condition, results of operations or
prospects of related companies.
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The Russian government may exercise substantial influence over
many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in Russia, which could have a negative impact on private sector companies. There is also
the possibility of diplomatic developments that could adversely affect investments in Russia. In recent years, the Russian government has begun to take bolder steps to re-assert its regional geopolitical influence (including military steps). Such
steps may increase tensions between Russia and its neighbors and Western countries and may negatively affect economic growth.
The United States and the EU, along with the regulatory bodies
of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian
corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the
ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of a Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers include
prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by a Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of a Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for a Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of the
affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in a Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase a Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, a Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking
counter measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by a Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any fund
assets, including depositary receipts, a Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in a Fund receiving substantially lower prices
for its securities.
These sanctions may also lead to
changes in a fund’s Underlying Index. A fund’s index provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an event,
it is expected that a Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that may
result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause a fund to invest in, or increase a fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that represent
the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Risk of Investing in South Africa. South Africa’s two-tiered economy, with one rivaling developed countries and the other exhibiting many characteristics of developing countries, is characterized by uneven distribution of wealth and income and
high rates of unemployment. Although economic reforms have been enacted to promote growth and foreign investments, there can be no assurance that these programs will achieve the desired results. In addition, South Africa’s inadequate currency
reserves have left its currency vulnerable at times to devaluation. Despite significant reform and privatization, the South African government continues to control a large share of South African economic activity. Heavy regulation of labor and
product markets is pervasive and may stifle South African economic growth or cause prolonged periods of recession. The agriculture and mining sectors of South Africa’s economy account for a large portion of its exports and, thus, the South
African economy is susceptible to fluctuations in these commodity markets.
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Risk of Investing in South Korea. Investments in South Korean issuers involve risks that are specific to South Korea, including legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks. Substantial political tensions exist between North
Korea and South Korea and recently, these political tensions have escalated. The outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities will likely adversely impact the South Korean economy. In addition,
South Korea's economic growth potential has recently been on a decline, mainly because of a rapidly aging population and structural problems.
Risk of Investing in Taiwan.
Investment in Taiwanese issuers may subject the Fund to loss in the event of adverse political, economic, regulatory and other developments that affect Taiwan, including fluctuations of the New Taiwan dollar
versus the U.S. dollar. Taiwan has few natural resources. Any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a negative impact on the Taiwanese economy. Appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar, rising labor costs, and increasing
environmental consciousness have led some labor-intensive industries to relocate to other countries with cheaper work forces. Continued labor outsourcing may adversely affect the Taiwanese economy. Taiwanese firms are among the world’s largest
suppliers of computer monitors and leaders in personal computer manufacturing. A slowdown in global demand for these products will likely have an adverse impact on the Taiwanese economy. The Chinese government views Taiwan as a renegade province and
continues to contest Taiwan’s sovereignty. The outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities will likely adversely impact the Taiwanese economy. Such risks, among others, may adversely affect
the value of a Fund’s investments.
Risk of
Investing in the United States. The United States is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of or foreign investor in, certain emerging markets in which a Fund invests, the
economic conditions of which may be particularly affected by adverse changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a
material adverse effect on a country's economic conditions and, as a result, securities to which a Fund has exposure.
Risk of Investing in the Agriculture Production Industry Group. Companies engaged in agricultural production may be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices and labor costs, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. Many companies in the agricultural
production industry are subject to government subsidy policies and environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Any changes to these policies and regulations, or the imposition of tariffs or other trade restraints, may have a material
adverse effect on companies operating in this industry. Agricultural production companies also may be at risk for environmental damage claims, worker safety liability and other types of litigation. Companies in this industry may be adversely
affected by changes in commercial and consumer demand for their products. Adverse weather conditions (such as floods or droughts), natural disasters and other factors, such as disease outbreaks, also may adversely affect companies operating in this
industry.
Risk of Investing in the Automotive
Sub-Industry. The automotive sub-industry can be highly cyclical, and companies in the automotive sub-industry may suffer periodic losses. The automotive sub-industry is also highly competitive and there may
be, at times, excess capacity in the global and domestic automotive sub-industry. Over the last few years, the U.S. automotive sub-industry experienced a significant downturn; certain automotive companies required stimulus from the U.S. government,
while others formed strategic industry alliances in order to weather the substantially difficult market conditions. In general, the automotive sub-industry is susceptible to labor disputes, product defect litigation, patent expiration, increased
pension liabilities, rise in material or component prices and changing consumer tastes.
Risk of Investing in the Capital Goods Industry Group. The capital goods industry group may be affected by fluctuations in the business cycle and by other factors affecting manufacturing demands. The capital goods industry group depends heavily on corporate spending.
The capital goods industry group may perform well during times of economic expansion, and as economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods may decrease due to weakening demand, worsening business cash flows, tighter credit controls and
deteriorating profitability. During times of economic volatility, corporate spending may fall and adversely affect the capital goods industry group. This industry group may also be affected by changes in interest rates, corporate tax rates and other
government policies. Many capital goods are sold internationally and such companies are subject to market conditions in other countries and regions.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sector. Companies engaged in the design, production or distribution of products or services for the consumer discretionary sector (including, without limitation, television and radio broadcasting, manufacturing,
publishing, recording and musical instruments, motion pictures, photography, amusement and theme parks,
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gaming casinos, sporting goods and sports arenas, camping and recreational
equipment, toys and games, apparel, travel-related services, automobiles, hotels and motels, and fast food and other restaurants) are subject to the risk that their products or services may become obsolete quickly. The success of these companies can
depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. During periods of an expanding economy, the consumer discretionary sector may outperform the consumer staples sector, but may underperform when economic conditions worsen.
Moreover, the consumer discretionary sector can be significantly affected by several factors, including, without limitation, the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, changing consumer preferences, demographics,
marketing campaigns, cyclical revenue generation, consumer confidence, commodity price volatility, labor relations, interest rates, import and export controls, intense competition, technological developments and government regulation.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Goods Industry. The success of the consumer goods industry is tied closely to the performance of the domestic and international economy, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence and consumer disposable
income. The consumer goods industry may be strongly affected by trends, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Governmental regulation affecting the use of various food additives may affect the profitability of certain
companies in the consumer goods industry. Moreover, international events may affect food and beverage companies that derive a substantial portion of their net income from foreign countries. In addition, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by
new laws, regulations and litigation. Many consumer goods may be marketed globally, and consumer goods companies may be affected by the demand and market conditions in other countries and regions. Companies in the consumer goods industry may be
subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability. Changes in demographics and consumer preferences may affect the success of consumer products.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Staples Sector. Companies in the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the
consumer staples sector may also be affected by changes in global economic, environmental and political events, economic conditions, the depletion of resources, and government regulation. For instance, government regulations may affect the
permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. In addition, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by the adoption of proposed legislation
and/or by litigation. Companies in the consumer staples sector also may be subject to risks pertaining to the supply of, demand for and prices of raw materials. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including,
without limitation, changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies, and seasonal and weather conditions. Companies in the consumer staples
sector may be subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. Companies in the energy sector are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, government regulations and policies, energy production and conservation efforts,
technological change, and other factors that a company cannot control. These companies may also lack resources and have limited business lines. The energy sector is cyclical and is highly dependent on commodity prices; prices and supplies of energy
may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to, among other things, national and international political changes, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) policies, changes in relationships among
OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economy of the key energy-consuming countries.
Companies in the energy sector may be adversely affected by
terrorism, natural disasters or other catastrophes. Companies in the energy sector are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims. Disruptions in the oil
industry or shifts in fuel consumption may significantly impact companies in this sector. Significant oil and gas deposits are located in emerging markets countries where corruption and security may raise significant risks, in addition to the other
risks of investing in emerging markets. Additionally, the Middle East, where many companies in the energy sector may operate, has historically and recently experienced widespread social unrest.
Companies in the energy sector may also be adversely affected
by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, negative perception, efforts at energy conservation and world events in the regions in which the companies operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest,
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violence or labor unrest). Because a significant portion of revenues of
companies in this sector is derived from a relatively small number of customers that are largely composed of governmental entities and utilities, governmental budget constraints may have a significant impact on the stock prices of companies in this
sector. The energy sector is highly regulated. Entities operating in the energy sector are subject to significant regulation of nearly every aspect of their operations by federal, state and local governmental agencies. Such regulation can change
rapidly or over time in both scope and intensity. Stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future which would likely increase compliance costs and may materially adversely affect the financial performance of
companies in the energy sector.
Risk of Investing in the
Financials Sector. Companies in the financials sector include regional and money center banks, securities brokerage firms, asset management companies, savings banks and thrift institutions, specialty finance
companies (e.g., credit card, mortgage providers), insurance and insurance brokerage firms, financial conglomerates and foreign banking and financial
companies. The global financial markets have experienced very difficult conditions and volatility as well as significant adverse trends. The conditions in these markets have resulted in a decrease in availability of corporate credit, capital and
liquidity and have led indirectly to the insolvency, closure or acquisition of a number of financial institutions. These conditions have also contributed to consolidation within the financial industry. In addition, the global financial industry has
been materially and adversely affected by a significant decline in the value of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, and by the sovereign debt crisis. The prospects of many financial companies are questionable and continue to evolve as
financial companies revise their outlooks and write down assets that they hold.
Most financial companies are subject to extensive governmental
regulation, which limits their activities and may affect their ability to earn a profit from a given line of business. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector,
including effects not intended by the regulation. Direct governmental intervention in the operations of financial companies and financial markets may materially and adversely affect the companies in which a Fund invests, including legislation in
many countries that may increase government regulation, repatriation and other intervention. The impact of governmental intervention and legislative changes on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. The valuation of financial companies has been and continues to be subject to unprecedented volatility and may be influenced by unpredictable factors, including interest rate risk and sovereign debt default. Certain financial businesses
are subject to intense competitive pressures, including market share and price competition. Financial companies in foreign countries are subject to market specific and general regulatory and interest rate concerns. In particular, government
regulation in certain foreign countries may include taxes and controls on interest rates, credit availability, minimum capital requirements, ban on short sales, prices and currency transfers. In addition, companies in the financials sector may be
the targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or customer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their business.
The profitability of banks, savings and loan associations and
financial companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change; for instance, when interest rates go up, the value of securities issued by many types of companies in
the financials sector generally goes down. In other words, financial companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including, without limitation, during periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and
increase the cost of capital, and during periods of declining economic conditions, which may cause, among other things, credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers.
In addition, general economic conditions are important to the
operations of these companies, and financial difficulties of borrowers may have an adverse effect on the profitability of financial companies. Financial companies can be highly dependent upon access to capital markets and any impediments to such
access, such as adverse overall economic conditions or a negative perception in the capital markets of a financial company’s financial condition or prospects, could adversely affect its business. Deterioration of credit markets, as experienced
in 2008 and 2009, can have an adverse impact on a broad range of financial markets, causing certain financial companies to incur large losses. In these conditions, companies in the financials sector may experience significant declines in the
valuation of their assets, take actions to raise capital and even cease operations. Some financial companies may also be required to accept or borrow significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government imposed
restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. In addition, there is no guarantee that governments will provide any such relief in the future. These actions may cause the securities of many companies in the financials sector
to decline in value.
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Risk of Investing in the Healthcare Sector. Companies in the healthcare sector are often issuers whose profitability may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising or falling costs of
medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on
patent protection and the actual or perceived safety and efficiency of their products.
Patents have a limited duration and, upon expiration, other
companies may market substantially similar “generic” products that are typically sold at a lower price than the patented product, causing the original developer of the product to lose market share and/or reduce the price charged for the
product, resulting in lower profits for the original developer. As a result, the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
In addition, because the products and services of many
companies in the healthcare sector affect the health and well-being of many individuals, these companies are especially susceptible to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to
competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and
costly, resulting in increased development costs, delayed cost recovery and loss of competitive advantage to the extent that rival companies have developed competing products or procedures, adversely affecting the company’s revenues and
profitability. In other words, delays in the regulatory approval process may diminish the opportunity for a company to profit from a new product or to bring a new product to market, which could have a material adverse effect on a company’s
business. Healthcare companies may also be strongly affected by scientific biotechnology or technological developments and their products may quickly become obsolete. Also, many healthcare companies offer products and services that are subject to
governmental regulation and may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies or laws. Legislation introduced or considered by certain governments on any individual healthcare company or on the healthcare sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. These laws and proposals span a wide range of topics, including cost control, national health insurance, incentives for compensation in the provision of healthcare services, tax incentives and penalties related to healthcare insurance
premiums, and promotion of prepaid healthcare plans. No one can predict what proposals will be enacted or what potentially adverse effect they may have on healthcare-related or biotechnology-related companies.
Additionally, the expansion of facilities by
healthcare-related providers is subject to “determinations of need” by certain government authorities. This process not only increases the time and costs involved in these expansions, but also makes expansion plans uncertain, limiting
the revenue and profitability growth potential of healthcare-related facilities operators and negatively affecting the prices of their securities. Moreover, in recent years both local and national governmental budgets have come under pressure to
reduce spending and control healthcare costs, which could both adversely affect regulatory processes and public funding available for healthcare products, services and facilities.
Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be affected by supply and demand both for their specific products or services and for industrials sector products in general. The products
of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events and economic conditions affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. For example, commodity price declines and unit volume reductions resulting from an over-supply
of materials used in the industrials sector can adversely affect the sector. Furthermore, companies in the industrials sector may be subject to liability for environmental damage, product liability claims, depletion of resources, and mandated
expenditures for safety and pollution control.
Risk
of Investing in the Information Technology Sector. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like
other technology companies, information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological
developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller,
less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect
the profitability of these companies. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the
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information technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and
potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses. These risks are heightened for information technology companies in foreign markets.
Risk of Investing in the Materials Sector. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical progress, labor relations and
government regulations, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control, among other factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials
may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. These risks are heightened for companies in the materials sector located in foreign markets.
Risk of Investing in the Media Industry Group. Companies in the media industry group may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using
new technology. Media companies are subject to risks that include cyclicality of revenues and earnings, a potential decrease in the discretionary income of targeted individuals, changing consumer tastes and interests, competition in the industry and
the potential for increased state and federal regulation. Advertising spending is an important source of revenue for media companies. During economic downturns, advertising spending typically decreases and, as a result, media companies tend to
generate less revenue.
Risk of Investing in the
Metals and Mining Industry. Certain of the Funds will invest in securities that are issued by and/or have exposure to, companies primarily involved in the metals and mining industry. Investments in metals and
mining industry companies may be speculative and subject to greater price volatility than investments in other types of companies. The profitability of companies in the metals and mining industry is related to, among other things, worldwide metal
prices, and extraction and production costs. Worldwide metal prices may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time, so a Fund’s share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. In addition, metals and mining companies
may be significantly affected by changes in global demand for certain metals, economic developments, energy conservation, exchange rates, the success of exploration projects, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation
and intervention, and world events in the regions that the companies to which a Fund has exposure operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and
repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence and labor unrest). Metals and mining companies may also be subject to the effects of competitive pressures in the metals and mining industry.
Risk of Investing in the Oil and Gas Industry. Companies in the oil and gas industry are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, oil and gas supply and demand, government regulations and policies, oil and gas production and
conservation efforts and technological change. The oil and gas industry is cyclical and from time to time may experience a shortage of drilling rigs, equipment, supplies or qualified personnel, or due to significant demand, such services may not be
available on commercially reasonable terms. Prices and supplies of oil and gas may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to national and international political changes, OPEC policies, changes in relationships among OPEC
members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economies of key energy-consuming countries. Disruptions in the oil sub-industry or shifts in energy consumption may significantly impact
companies in this industry. For instance, significant oil and gas deposits are located in emerging market countries where corruption and security may raise significant risks, in addition to the other risks of investing in emerging markets. In
addition, the Middle East, where many companies in the oil and gas industry may operate, has recently experienced widespread social unrest. Oil and gas companies operate in a highly competitive industry, with intense price competition. A significant
portion of their revenues may depend on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. Companies that own or operate gas pipelines are subject to certain risks, including pipeline and equipment leaks and
ruptures, explosions, fires, unscheduled downtime, transportation interruptions, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous gases and other environmental risks.
Risk of Investing in the Real Estate Industry Group. Companies in the real estate industry group include companies that invest in real estate, such as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) or a real estate holding company (collectively, “Real
Estate Companies”). Investing in Real Estate Companies exposes investors to the risks of owning real estate directly, as well as to risks that relate specifically to the way in which Real Estate Companies are organized and operated. The real
estate industry is highly sensitive to general and local economic conditions and developments, and characterized by intense competition and periodic overbuilding. Investing in Real Estate Companies involves various risks. Some risks that are
specific to Real Estate Companies are discussed in greater detail below.
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Interest Rate Risk. Rising
interest rates could result in higher costs of capital for Real Estate Companies, which could negatively impact a Real Estate Company’s ability to meet its payment obligations.
Leverage Risk. Real Estate
Companies may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and could adversely affect a Real Estate Company’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. Real Estate Companies are also
exposed to the risks normally associated with debt financing. Financial covenants related to a Real Estate Company’s leverage may affect the ability of the Real Estate Company to operate effectively. In addition, real property may be subject
to the quality of credit extended and defaults by borrowers and tenants. If the properties do not generate sufficient income to meet operating expenses, including, where applicable, debt service, ground lease payments, tenant improvements,
third-party leasing commissions and other capital expenditures, the income and ability of a Real Estate Company to make payments of any interest and principal on its debt securities will be adversely affected.
Property Risk. Real Estate
Companies may be subject to risks relating to functional obsolescence or reduced desirability of properties; extended vacancies due to economic conditions and tenant bankruptcies; catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist
acts; and casualty or condemnation losses. Real estate income and values also may be greatly affected by demographic trends, such as population shifts or changing tastes and values, or increasing vacancies or declining rents resulting from legal,
cultural, technological, global or local economic developments.
Management Risk. Real Estate
Companies are dependent upon management skills and may have limited financial resources. Real Estate Companies are generally not diversified and may be subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers and voluntary liquidation. In
addition, transactions between Real Estate Companies and their affiliates may be subject to conflicts of interest, which may adversely affect a Real Estate Company’s shareholders. A Real Estate Company may also have joint venture investments
in certain of its properties and, consequently, its ability to control decisions relating to such properties may be limited.
Liquidity Risk. Investing in
Real Estate Companies may involve risks similar to those associated with investing in small-capitalization companies. Real Estate Company securities, like the securities of smaller capitalization companies, may be more volatile than, and perform
differently from, shares of large-capitalization companies. There may be less trading in Real Estate Company shares, which means that buy and sell transactions in those shares could have a magnified impact on share price, resulting in abrupt or
erratic price fluctuations. In addition, real estate is relatively illiquid and, therefore, a Real Estate Company may have a limited ability to vary or liquidate properties in response to changes in economic or other conditions.
Concentration Risk. Real
Estate Companies may own a limited number of properties and concentrate their investments in a particular geographic region or property type.
U.S. Tax Risk. Certain U.S.
Real Estate Companies are subject to special U.S. federal tax requirements. A REIT that fails to comply with such tax requirements may be subject to U.S. federal income taxation, which may affect the value of the REIT and the characterization of the
REIT’s distributions. The U.S. federal tax requirement that a REIT distribute substantially all of its net income to its shareholders may result in a REIT having insufficient capital for future expenditures.
Regulatory Risk. Real estate
income and values may be adversely affected by such factors as applicable domestic and foreign laws (including tax laws). Government actions, such as tax increases, zoning law changes or environmental regulations, also may have a major impact on
real estate.
Risk of Investing in the Retail
Industry Group. The retail industry group may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, consumer confidence, disposable household income and spending, and consumer tastes and preferences.
Companies in the retail industry group face intense competition, which may have an adverse effect on their profitability. The success of companies in the retail industry group may be strongly affected by social trends, marketing campaigns and public
perceptions. Companies in the retail industry group may be dependent on outside financing, which may be difficult to obtain. Many of these companies are dependent on third party suppliers and distribution systems. Retail companies may be unable to
protect their intellectual property rights or may be liable for infringing the intellectual property rights of others.
Risk of Investing in the Technology Sector. Technology companies are characterized by periodic new product introductions, innovations and evolving industry standards, and, as a result, face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which
may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the technology sector are often smaller and less experienced companies and may be subject to greater risks than larger companies; these risks may be heightened for
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technology companies in foreign markets. Technology companies may have
limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, changes in consumer and business
purchasing patterns, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. In addition, a rising interest rate environment tends to negatively affect companies in the technology sector because, in such an
environment, those companies with high market valuations may appear less attractive to investors, which may cause sharp decreases in the companies’ market prices. Companies in the technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and
intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. The technology sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or
characterized by unpredictable factors. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer
information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
Risk of Investing in the Telecommunications Sector. The telecommunications sector of a country’s economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory
approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be
arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sector may experience distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using
new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the telecommunications
sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
Risk of Investing in the Transportation Industry Group. Issuers in the transportation industry group can be significantly affected by economic changes, fuel prices, labor relations, technology developments, exchange rates, industry competition, and insurance costs.
Transportation companies in certain countries may also be subject to significant government regulation and oversight, which may adversely affect their businesses. Other risk factors that may affect transportation companies include the risk of
increases in fuel and other operating costs and the effects of regulatory changes or other government decisions. Companies in the transportation industry group may be adversely affected by adverse weather, acts of terrorism or catastrophic events,
such as air accidents, train crashes or tunnel fires. Companies in the transportation industry group may also be subject to the risk of widespread disruption of technology systems and increasing equipment and operational costs.
Risk of Investing in the Utilities Sector. The utilities sector may be adversely affected by changing commodity prices, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, increased tariffs, changes in tax laws, interest rate fluctuations and
changes in the cost of providing specific utility services. The utilities industry is also subject to potential terrorist attacks, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, as well as regulatory and operational burdens associated with the
operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict a company’s access
to new markets, thereby diminishing the company’s long-term prospects.
There are substantial differences among the regulatory
practices and policies of various jurisdictions, and any regulatory agency may make major shifts in policy from time to time. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will, in the future, grant rate increases. Additionally, existing and
possible future regulatory legislation may make it even more difficult for utilities to obtain adequate relief. Certain of the issuers of securities held in a Fund's portfolio may own or operate nuclear generating facilities. Governmental
authorities may from time to time review existing policies and impose additional requirements governing the licensing, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. Prolonged changes in climate conditions can also have a significant impact on
both the revenues of an electric and gas utility as well as the expenses of a utility, particularly a hydro-based electric utility.
The rates that traditional regulated utility companies may
charge their customers generally are subject to review and limitation by governmental regulatory commissions. Rate changes may occur only after a prolonged approval period or may not occur at all, which could adversely affect utility companies when
costs are rising. The value of regulated utility debt securities (and, to a lesser extent, equity securities) tends to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial
deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently
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more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater
competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. As a result, some companies may be forced to defend their core business and may be less
profitable.
Proxy Voting Policy
The Company has adopted proxy voting policies for each Fund
that incorporate and amplify the proxy voting guidelines of BFA, the investment adviser to each Fund. The Company has delegated to BFA the responsibility for voting proxies on the portfolio securities held by each Fund. The remainder of this section
discusses each Fund’s proxy voting guidelines and BFA’s role in implementing such guidelines.
BFA votes (or refrains from voting) proxies for each Fund in a
manner that BFA, in the exercise of its independent business judgment, concludes is in the best economic interests of such Fund. In some cases, BFA may determine that it is in the best economic interests of a Fund to refrain from exercising the
Fund’s proxy voting rights (such as, for example, proxies on certain non-U.S. securities that might impose costly or time-consuming in-person voting requirements). With regard to the relationship between securities lending and proxy voting,
BFA’s approach is also driven by each Fund's 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 BFA recalling loaned securities in order to ensure they are voted. Periodically, BFA 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. BFA will normally vote on specific proxy issues in accordance with its proxy voting guidelines. BFA’s proxy voting guidelines provide detailed guidance as to
how to vote proxies on certain important or commonly raised issues. BFA 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 a Fund. BFA votes (or refrains from voting) proxies without regard to the relationship of the issuer of the proxy (or any shareholder of such issuer) to a Fund, a
Fund’s affiliates (if any), BFA or BFA’s affiliates, or the Distributor or the Distributor’s affiliates. When voting proxies, BFA attempts to encourage issuers 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:
| • | Each Fund generally supports the board’s nominees in the election of directors and generally supports proposals that strengthen the independence of boards of directors; |
| • | When a director has committed himself or herself to service on more than four public company boards (but no more than six public company boards in most circumstances), a Fund will consider such director’s individual circumstances in determining whether the director will be able to commit sufficient focus and time to a particular company; |
| • | Each Fund generally defers to an issuer’s choice of auditors so long as the corporate auditors represent the interests of shareholders and provide an independent view of the propriety of financial reporting decisions of management; |
| • | Each Fund generally favors disclosure of a company’s compensation and benefits policies and opposes excessive compensation, but believes that compensation matters are normally best determined by a company’s board of directors; |
| • | Each Fund generally expects to support capital structure requests that it believes enhance the rights of common shareholders and oppose requests that appear to be unreasonably dilutive; |
| • | Each 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 |
| • | Each 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. |
BFA 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 a Fund, a Fund’s affiliates (if any), BFA or BFA’s affiliates (if any) or the Distributor or the Distributor’s affiliates,
from having undue influence on BFA’s proxy voting activity. In certain instances, BFA may determine to engage an independent fiduciary to vote proxies as a further safeguard against potential conflicts of interest or
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as
otherwise required by applicable law. The independent fiduciary may either vote such proxies or provide BFA with instructions as to how to vote such proxies. In the latter case, BFA votes the proxy in accordance with the independent
fiduciary’s determination.
Information with
respect to how BFA voted proxies relating to the Funds' portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 is available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or through the Funds' website at www.iShares.com; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Portfolio Holdings Information
The Board has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of the
Funds' portfolio holdings information that requires that such information be disclosed in a manner that: (i) is consistent with applicable legal requirements and in the best interests of each Fund’s respective shareholders; (ii) does not put
the interests of BFA, the Distributor or any affiliated person of BFA or the Distributor, above those of Fund shareholders; (iii) 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 discussed below, and certain information may be provided to personnel of BFA and its affiliates who manage funds that invest a significant percentage of their assets in shares of the Fund for the purpose of
facilitating risk management and hedging activities; and (iv) 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 (iii) above are generally limited to National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) members, subscribers to various fee-based
subscription services, large institutional investors (known as “Authorized Participants”) that have been authorized by the Distributor to purchase and redeem large blocks of shares pursuant to legal requirements and market makers and
other institutional market participants and entities that provide information or transactional services.
Each business day, each Fund's portfolio holdings information
is 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 market
makers and 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 Funds in the secondary market or evaluating such
potential transactions. This information typically reflects each Fund’s anticipated holdings on the following business day.
Daily access to information concerning the Funds' 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; and (ii) to other personnel of
BFA, the Distributor and their affiliates, and the administrator, custodian and fund accountant who deal directly with, or assist in, functions related to investment management, distribution, administration, custody, securities lending and fund
accounting, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with federal securities laws and regulations thereunder. In addition, each Fund discloses its fixed income and equity portfolio holdings daily at www.iShares.com. More information about this disclosure is available at www.iShares.com.
Portfolio holdings information made available in connection
with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Funds in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC. From time to time, information concerning portfolio holdings
other than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Funds, including rating or ranking organizations, in the
ordinary course of business, no earlier than one business day following the date of the information.
Each Fund discloses its complete portfolio holdings schedule
in public filings with the SEC within 70 days of the end of the second and fourth fiscal quarters and within 60 days of the end of the first and third fiscal quarters and will provide that information to shareholders as required by federal
securities laws and regulations thereunder. A Fund may, however, 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
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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 contemporaneously.
The Company's Chief Compliance Officer or his delegate may
authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information pursuant to the above policy and procedures.
The Board reviews the policy and procedures for disclosure of
portfolio holdings information at least annually.
Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Indexes
Descriptions of the Underlying Indexes are provided
below.
The MSCI Indexes
The MSCI indexes were founded in 1969 by Capital International
S.A. as the first international performance benchmarks constructed to facilitate accurate comparison of world markets. The MSCI single country standard equity indexes have covered the world's developed markets since 1969 and in 1987 MSCI commenced
coverage of emerging markets.
Local stock exchanges
traditionally calculated their own indexes, which were generally not comparable with one another due to differences in the representation of the local market, mathematical formulas, base dates and methods of adjusting for capital changes. MSCI,
however, applies the same calculation methodology to all markets for all single country standard equity indexes, both developed and emerging.
MSCI's Global Investable Market Indexes (the “MSCI
GIMI”) provide exhaustive coverage and non-overlapping market segmentation by market capitalization size and by style. The MSCI GIMI intends to target approximately 99% coverage of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each market
of large-, mid- and small-cap securities.
| • | MSCI Global Standard Indexes cover all investable large- and mid-cap securities by including approximately 85% of each market's free float-adjusted market capitalization. |
| • | MSCI Global Small Cap Indexes provide coverage to all companies with a market capitalization below that of the companies in the MSCI Global Standard Indexes by including above and beyond the coverage of the MSCI Global Standard Indexes. |
MSCI Global Investable Market
Indexes
Selection Criteria. MSCI's index construction process involves: (i) defining the equity universe; (ii) determining the market investable equity universe for each market; (iii) determining market capitalization size segments for each
market; (iv) applying final size segment investability requirements; and (v) applying index continuity rules for the MSCI Global Standard Index.
Defining the Equity Universe.
MSCI begins with securities listed in countries in the MSCI GIMI. Of these countries, as of June 2, 2014, 23 are classified as developed markets, 23 as emerging markets, and 24 as frontier markets. All listed equity securities and listed securities
that exhibit characteristics of equity securities, except mutual funds, exchange traded funds, equity derivatives, limited partnerships and most investment trusts, are eligible for inclusion in the equity universe. REITs in some countries and
certain income trusts in Canada are also eligible for inclusion. Each company and its securities (i.e., share classes) are classified in only one
country.
Determining the Market Investable Equity
Universe for Each Market. The equity universe in any market is derived by applying investability screens to individual companies and securities in the equity universe of that market. Some investability requirements
are applied at the individual security level and some at the overall company level, represented by the aggregation of individual securities of the company. As a result, the inclusion or exclusion of one security does not imply the automatic
inclusion or exclusion of other securities of the same company.
Determining Market Capitalization Size Segments for Each Market. In each market, MSCI creates an Investable Market Index, Standard Index, Large Cap Index, Mid Cap Index and Small Cap Index. The MSCI Global Standard Index is the
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aggregation of the Large Cap Index and Mid Cap Index. The MSCI GIMI is the
aggregation of the MSCI Global Standard Index and MSCI Global Small Cap Index. In order to create size components that can be meaningfully aggregated into composites, individual market size segments balance the following two objectives:
| • | Achieving global size integrity by ensuring that companies of comparable and relevant sizes are included in a given size segment across all markets in a composite index; and |
| • | Achieving consistent market coverage by ensuring that each market's size segment is represented in its proportional weight in the composite universe. |
Applying Final Size Segment Investability Requirements. In order to enhance replicability of the indexes, additional size segment investability requirements are set for the MSCI GIMI and MSCI Global Standard Index. These investability requirements include minimum free
float-adjusted market capitalization, minimum liquidity, minimum foreign limits and minimum length of trading.
Applying Index Continuity Rules for the Standard Index. In order to achieve index continuity as well as provide some basic level of diversification within a market index, notwithstanding the effect of other index construction rules contained herein, a minimum number of five
constituents will be maintained for a developed market Standard Index and a minimum number of three constituents will be maintained for an emerging market Standard Index.
Weighting. All indexes of the
MSCI GIMI are free float weighted, i.e., companies are included in the indexes at the value of their free public float (free float multiplied by
security price).
Regional Weights. Market capitalization weighting, combined with a consistent target of approximately 99% of free float-adjusted market capitalization, helps ensure that each country's weight in regional and international indexes
approximates its weight in the total universe of developing and emerging markets. A market is equivalent to a single country except for developed Europe, where all markets are aggregated into a single market for index construction purposes.
Individual country indexes of the European developed markets are derived from the constituents of the MSCI GIMI Europe Index.
Free Float. MSCI defines the
free float of a security as the proportion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by international investors. In practice, limitations on free float available to international investors
include: (i) strategic and other shareholdings not considered part of available free float; and (ii) limits on share ownership for foreigners.
Under MSCI's free float-adjustment methodology, a
constituent's inclusion factor is equal to its estimated free float rounded-up to the closest 5% for constituents with free float equal to or exceeding 15%. For example, a constituent security with a free float of 23.2% will be included in the index
at 25% of its market capitalization. For securities with a free float of less than 15%, the estimated free float is adjusted to the nearest 1%.
Price and Exchange Rates
Prices. The prices used to
calculate all MSCI indexes are the official exchange closing prices or those figures accepted as such. MSCI reserves the right to use an alternative pricing source on any given day.
Exchange Rates. Since July
2000, MSCI uses the WM/Reuters Closing Spot Rates taken at 4:00 p.m. London time. In case WM/Reuters does not provide rates for specific markets on given days (for example, Christmas Day and New Year's Day), the previous business day's rates are
normally used. MSCI independently monitors the exchange rates on all its indexes. MSCI may under exceptional circumstances elect to use alternative sources of exchange rates if the WM/Reuters rates are not available, or if MSCI determines that the
WM/Reuters rates are not reflective of market circumstances for a given currency on a particular day. In such circumstances, an announcement would be sent to clients with the related information. If appropriate, MSCI may conduct a consultation with
the investment community to gather feedback on the most relevant exchange rate.
Changes to the Indexes. The
MSCI GIMI is maintained with the objective of reflecting, on a timely basis, the evolution of the underlying equity markets. In maintaining the MSCI indexes, emphasis is also placed on continuity, replicability and minimizing turnover in the
indexes. Maintaining the MSCI indexes involves many aspects, including (i) additions to, and deletions from, the indexes; (ii) changes in number of shares; and (iii) changes in inclusion factors as a result of updated free float
estimates.
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Index maintenance can be described by three broad categories
of changes:
| • | Semi-Annual Index Reviews (“SAIRs”), conducted on a fixed semi-annual timetable that systematically reassess the various dimensions of the equity universe for all markets; |
| • | Quarterly Index Reviews (“QIRs”), aimed at promptly reflecting other significant market events; and |
| • | Ongoing event-related changes, such as mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, bankruptcies, reorganizations and other similar corporate events, which generally are implemented in the indexes as they occur. |
Potential changes in the status of countries (stand-alone,
frontier, emerging and developed) follow their own implementation time tables.
MSCI conducts SAIRs generally as of the close of the last
business day of May and November. During the SAIRs, MSCI updates the investable equity universe and reassesses size segmentation investability requirements. MSCI also conducts QIRs generally as of the close of the last business day of February and
August. During the QIRs, MSCI reflects changes in the index that were not captured at the time of their actual occurrence, but are significant enough to be included before the next SAIR. The results of the SAIR and QIR are generally announced at
least ten business days in advance of implementation.
MSCI
25/50 Indexes
Each of the MSCI 25/50 Indexes (the
“25/50 Indexes”) is a sub-index of either an MSCI Global Standard Index or an MSCI GIMI. Their construction reflects the diversification requirements applicable to RICs pursuant to Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. The 25/50
Indexes are free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted indexes with a capping methodology applied to issuer weights so that no single issuer of a component exceeds 25% of index weight, and all issuers with a weight above 5% do not exceed 50%
of the index weight. A software application called the Barra Optimizer is utilized to calculate the capped index weights through an optimization function which is aimed at minimizing index turnover, tracking error and extreme deviation from the
uncapped index.
MSCI Global Minimum Volatility
Indexes
MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Indexes are
designed to reflect lower volatility or lower risk than the capitalization-weighted indexes on which they are based. The indexes aim to reflect the performance of equity portfolios that have the lowest absolute volatility for a given set of
investment constraints. Each MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Index seeks lower volatility than the comparable capitalization-weighted MSCI Global Standard Index.
Historically, relative to the MSCI Global Standard Index, the
MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Indexes have demonstrated (i) lower portfolio beta; (ii) lower portfolio volatility; (iii) lower market capitalization bias; and (iv) bias towards securities with lower distinctive risk.
The MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Indexes begin with an
existing capitalization-weighted MSCI Global Standard Index for a geographic region, which will serve as the universe of eligible securities for performing total risk optimization. After identifying the investor’s base currency, the
optimization is performed by applying a security covariance matrix estimated from Barra’s multi-factor risk model to determine weights for securities in the index that minimizes total risk of the MSCI Global Standard Index for a given set of
constraints. The following investment constraints apply in constructing the MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Indexes:
| • | The maximum weight of an index constituent will be the lower of 1.5% or 20 times its weight in the MSCI Global Standard Index; |
| • | The minimum weight of an index constituent will be 0.05%; |
| • | For countries in the MSCI Global Standard Index with weight greater than or equal to 2.5%, the MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Indexes weight will not deviate by more than ±5% of its weight in the MSCI Global Standard Index; |
| • | For countries in the MSCI Global Standard Index with weight less than 2.5%, the maximum MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Indexes weight will be three times its weight in the MSCI Global Standard Index; |
| • | Sector weights will not deviate by more than ±5% from its weight in the MSCI Global Standard Index; |
| • | Exposure to risk indices from Barra’s multi-factor risk model, including (i) Momentum; (ii) Value; (iii) Size; (iv) Size Nonlinearity; (v) Growth; (vi) Liquidity; and (vii) Financial Leverage will be limited to ±0.25 standard deviations relative to the MSCI Global Standard Index; exposure to the volatility risk index will be unlimited; and |
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| • | The maximum one-way turnover will be 10%. |
MSCI conducts SAIRs of
the MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Indexes at the end of May and November, coinciding with the semi-annual reviews of the MSCI Global Standard Indexes. The security covariance matrix used in the optimization for MSCI Global Minimum Volatility
Indexes is taken as of the end of April and October. Generally, the MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Indexes will follow the event maintenance of the MSCI Global Standard Index. Initial public offerings (IPOs) and other newly listed securities will
only be considered for inclusion in the MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Indexes at the next semi-annual index review, even if they qualify for early inclusion in the MSCI Global Standard Index. There will be no early inclusion of new securities in
the MSCI Global Minimum Volatility Indexes, except when a new security is the result of an event affecting an existing index constituent, such as a merger or spin-off. An index constituent will be deleted from the MSCI Global Minimum Volatility
Indexes following a corporate event or following a quarterly review of the MSCI Global Standard Index in which the index constituent is simultaneously deleted from the MSCI Global Standard Index.
MSCI ACWI Select Agriculture Producers Investable Market Index
(IMI)
Number of
Components: approximately 138
Index Description. The MSCI ACWI Select Agriculture Producers IMI is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index comprised of select companies in both developed and emerging markets that are primarily engaged in the business
of agriculture at or near the initial phase of agricultural input production. Free-float market capitalization is calculated by taking the security’s price and multiplying it by the number of shares readily available in the market rather than
the total number of shares outstanding. The Underlying Index contains companies classified under fertilizers and agricultural chemicals and agricultural products GICS categories. In addition, companies classified under the construction and farm
machinery and heavy trucks GICS category are included provided they derive the majority of their revenues from farm machinery and related parts. Finally, companies classified under the packaged foods and meats GICS category are included provided
they derive the majority of their revenues from production, based on the following guidelines:
| • | Poultry and Livestock: companies are included only if they are significantly involved in the breeding of animals by themselves or through contract farming; |
| • | Dairy: manufacturers of milk and milk products such as cheese and yogurt, are excluded due to the absence of revenue break up; |
| • | Sugar: manufacturers of sugar are included even if they do not farm sugarcane. Companies selling sweeteners, sugar free, syrups, etc. are excluded; |
| • | Edible oil: companies processing edible oil without cultivating the plantation are excluded; |
| • | Confectioneries and snacks: manufacturers of finished products are excluded due to their presence at the lower spectrum of the value chain; |
| • | Coffee: coffee companies are excluded due to their reliance on external parties for raw materials; and |
| • | Fishing: fishing companies are generally included whether they operate fisheries or receive their catch from the ocean. |
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI ACWI Select Energy Producers Investable Market Index
(IMI)
Number of
Components: approximately 274
Index Description. The MSCI ACWI Select Energy Producers IMI is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index comprised of select companies primarily engaged in the business of energy exploration and production in both
developed and emerging markets. Free-float market capitalization is calculated by taking the security’s price and multiplying it by the number of shares readily available in the market rather than the total number of shares outstanding. The
Underlying Index contains securities classified under oil and gas exploration and production and coal and consumable fuels GICS categories. In addition, securities classified under integrated oil and gas and oil and gas refining and marketing GICS
categories are
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included provided they do not derive a majority of their revenues from
marketing, storage and/or transportation of oil and gas. Companies classified in those sub-industries which do not separately disclose the refining and/or marketing operations in their financial statements are included. Companies primarily involved
in alternative fuels are excluded.
Calculation
Methodology. The Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding
tax rates in calculating the net dividends. Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to
institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to
U.S. residents.
MSCI ACWI Select Metals &
Mining Producers ex Gold and Silver Investable Market Index (IMI)
Number of Components:
approximately 253
Index Description. The MSCI ACWI Select Metals & Mining Producers ex Gold and Silver IMI is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index comprised of companies primarily involved in the extraction and production of
diversified metals, aluminum, steel, and precious metals and minerals, excluding gold and silver, in both developed and emerging markets. Free-float market capitalization is calculated by taking the security’s price and multiplying it by the
number of shares readily available in the market rather than the total number of shares outstanding. The Underlying Index includes companies classified under the aluminum, diversified metals and mining and steel GICS categories. In addition,
companies classified under the precious metals and minerals GICS category are included, provided they do not derive less than 50% of their revenues from gold mining or silver mining.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI All Colombia Capped Index
Number of Components:
approximately 24
Index Description. The MSCI All Colombia Capped Index is designed to measure the broad-based equity market in Colombia. The Underlying Index consists of equity securities of companies that are listed in Colombia and have the majority of
their operations based in Colombia, as well as companies that are headquartered in Colombia and have the majority of their operations based in Colombia (but may not be listed in Colombia). The Underlying Index is a free float-adjusted market
capitalization-weighted index with a capping methodology applied to issuer weights so that no single issuer of a component exceeds 25% of the Underlying Index weight and all issuers with a weight above 5% do not, in the aggregate, exceed 50% of the
Underlying Index weight.
Calculation Methodology. The Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in
calculating the net dividends. Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors.
Net dividends means dividends after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S.
residents.
MSCI ACWI Minimum Volatility (USD)
Index
Number of
Components: approximately 337
Index Description. The MSCI ACWI Minimum Volatility (USD) Index measures the combined performance of equity securities in both emerging and developed markets that have lower absolute volatility. Component companies include consumer
staples, financial and health care companies. Each security included in the Underlying Index is a current constituent of the MSCI ACWI Index.
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Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Brazil 25/50 Index
Number of Components:
approximately 74
Index Description. The MSCI Brazil 25/50 Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the BM&FBOVESPA (the Brazilian exchange).
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI BRIC Index
Number of Components:
approximately 305
Index Description. The MSCI BRIC Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the combined equity market performance in Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) and consists of stocks traded
primarily on the BM&FBOVESPA, Russian Trading System Stock Exchange, Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange, National Stock Exchange of India, Shanghai Stock Exchange, Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Chile Investable Market Index (IMI) 25/50
Number of Components:
approximately 39
Index Description. The MSCI Chile IMI 25/50 is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure broad-based equity market performance in Chile. The MSCI Chile IMI 25/50 Index consists of stocks traded
primarily on the Santiago Stock Exchange.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Asia Index
Number of Components:
approximately 535
Index Description. The MSCI EM Asia Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure equity market performance in the emerging market countries of Asia. Free-float market capitalization is
calculated
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by
taking the security's price and multiplying it by the number of shares readily available in the market rather than the total number of shares outstanding.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary Index
Number of Components:
approximately 88
Index Description. The MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the combined equity market performance of the consumer discretionary sector of
emerging markets countries. Free-float market capitalization is calculated by taking the security's price and multiplying it by the number of shares readily available in the market rather than the total number of shares outstanding.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA Index
Number of Components:
approximately 159
Index Description. The MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of the emerging market countries of Europe, the Middle East
and Africa. Free-float market capitalization is calculated by taking the security's price and multiplying it by the number of shares readily available in the market rather than the total number of shares outstanding.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Emerging Markets Energy 25/50 Index
Number of Components:
approximately 51
Index Description. The MSCI Emerging Markets Energy 25/50 Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of energy-related companies in emerging market countries. Free-float market
capitalization is calculated by taking the security's price and multiplying it by the number of shares readily available in the market rather than the total number of shares outstanding.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
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MSCI Emerging Markets Growth Index
Number of Components:
approximately 459
Index Description. The MSCI Emerging Markets Growth Index is a subset of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The Underlying Index generally represents approximately 50% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization of the MSCI Emerging
Markets Index and consists of those securities classified by MSCI as most representing the growth style. Securities classified as growth style generally tend to have higher forecasted earnings growth rates, lower book value to price ratios, lower
forward earnings to price ratios and lower dividend yields than securities representing the value style. MSCI uses a specialized framework to attribute both value and growth style characteristics to each security within the Underlying Index. Each
security is evaluated based on certain value factors and growth factors, which are then used to calculate a value score and growth score. Based upon these two scores, MSCI determines the extent to which each security is assigned to the value or
growth style. It is possible for a single security to have representation in both the value and growth style indexes; however, no more than 100% of a security’s float-adjusted market capitalization will be included within the combined style
framework. Free-float market capitalization is calculated by taking the security's price and multiplying it by the number of shares readily available in the market rather than the total number of shares outstanding.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Emerging Markets Index
Number of Components:
approximately 835
Index Description. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is designed to measure equity market performance in the global emerging markets.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (IMI)
Number of Components:
approximately 2,653
Index Description. The MSCI Emerging Markets IMI is designed to measure equity market performance in the global emerging markets. The Underlying Index captures large-, mid- and small-cap representation across 21 emerging market countries.
With 2,653 constituents, the Underlying Index covers approximately 99% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each country.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility (USD) Index
Number of Components:
approximately 234
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Index Description. The MSCI
Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility (USD) Index measures the performance of equity securities in global emerging markets that have lower absolute volatility. Component companies include consumer staples, financial and telecommunication companies.
Each security included in the Underlying Index is a current constituent of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index
Number of Components:
approximately 1,818
Index Description. The MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index measures the performance of equity securities of small capitalization companies, whose market capitalization represents the bottom 14% of companies in emerging market countries,
as measured by market capitalization. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is designed to measure small cap equity market performance in the global emerging markets.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Emerging Markets Value Index
Number of Components:
approximately 480
Index Description. The MSCI Emerging Markets Value Index is a subset of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The Underlying Index generally represents approximately 50% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization of the MSCI Emerging
Markets Index and consists of those securities classified by MSCI as most representing the value style. Securities classified as value style generally tend to have higher book value to price ratios, higher forward earnings to price ratios, higher
dividend yields and lower forecasted earnings growth rates than securities representing the growth style. MSCI uses a specialized framework to attribute both value and growth style characteristics to each security within the Underlying Index. Each
security is evaluated based on certain value factors and growth factors, which are then used to calculate a value score and growth score. Based upon these two scores, MSCI determines the extent to which each security is assigned to the value or
growth style. It is possible for a single security to have representation in both value and growth style indexes; however, no more than 100% of a security’s float-adjusted market capitalization will be included within the combined style
framework. Free-float market capitalization is calculated by taking the security's price and multiplying it by the number of shares readily available in the market rather than the total number of shares outstanding.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Frontier Markets 100 Index
Number of Components:
approximately 127
Index Description. The MSCI Frontier Markets 100 Index (the “Underlying Index”) is designed to measure equity market performance of frontier markets while putting stronger emphasis on tradability compared to the MSCI Frontier
Markets IMI
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(the “Parent Index”). The eligible universe for the Underlying
Index consists of all Parent Index constituents that meet certain size, liquidity, and foreign accessibility criteria. The Underlying Index includes the top 85 to 115 stocks by free float-adjusted market capitalization. Free float-adjusted market
capitalization is calculated by taking the security’s price and multiplying it by the number of shares readily available for international investors, rather than the total number of shares outstanding. Underlying Index constituents are
weighted by free float-adjusted market capitalization. The weight of the top two countries in aggregate is capped at 40%, and the MSCI 25/50 Indexes methodology is then applied to the resulting securities in the Underlying Index.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Korea 25/50 Index
Number of Components:
approximately 103
Index Description. The MSCI Korea 25/50 Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Stock Market Division of the Korea Exchange.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Malaysia Index
Number of Components:
approximately 43
Index Description. The MSCI Malaysia Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
MSCI Taiwan Index
Number of Components:
approximately 101
Index Description. The MSCI Taiwan Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends
after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
Additional Information.
“MSCI,” MSCI ACWI Select Agriculture Producers IMI, MSCI ACWI Select Energy Producers IMI, MSCI ACWI Select Metals & Mining Producers ex Gold and Silver IMI, MSCI All Colombia Capped Index, MSCI ACWI
Minimum Volatility (USD) Index, MSCI Brazil 25/50 Index, MSCI BRIC Index, MSCI Chile IMI 25/50, MSCI EM Asia Index,
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MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary Index, MSCI Emerging Markets
EMEA Index, MSCI Emerging Markets Energy 25/50 Index, MSCI Emerging Markets Growth Index, MSCI Emerging Markets Index, MSCI Emerging Markets IMI, MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility (USD) Index, MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index, MSCI
Emerging Markets Value Index, MSCI Frontier 100 Index, MSCI Korea 25/50 Index, MSCI Malaysia Index and MSCI Taiwan Index are servicemarks of MSCI Inc. and have been licensed for use by BFA or its affiliates. The Funds are neither sponsored,
endorsed, sold nor promoted by MSCI Inc., and MSCI Inc. makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in any of the Funds.
Investment Limitations
The Board has adopted as a non-fundamental policy the
investment objective of each Fund. Therefore, each Fund may change its investment objective and its Underlying Index without a shareholder vote. The Board has adopted as fundamental policies the following numbered investment restrictions, which
cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the applicable 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 and (b) more than 50% of outstanding voting securities of the fund.
The iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF will not:
| 1. | Concentrate its investments in a particular industry, as that term is used in the Investment Company Act, except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries. |
| 2. | Borrow money, except as permitted under the Investment Company Act. |
| 3. | Issue senior securities to the extent such issuance would violate the Investment Company Act. |
| 4. | Purchase or hold real estate, except the Fund may purchase and hold securities or other instruments that are secured by, or linked to, real estate or interests therein, securities of real estate investment trusts, mortgage-related securities and securities of issuers engaged in the real estate business, and the Fund may purchase and hold real estate as a result of the ownership of securities or other instruments. |
| 5. | Underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the sale of portfolio securities by the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriting or as otherwise permitted by applicable law. |
| 6. | Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts, except as permitted by the Investment Company Act. |
| 7. | Make loans to the extent prohibited by the Investment Company Act. |
Notations Regarding the iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF’s
Fundamental Investment Restrictions
The following
notations are not considered to be part of the iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF’s fundamental investment restrictions and are subject to change without shareholder approval.
With respect to the fundamental policy relating to
concentration set forth in (1) above, the Investment Company Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry. The Commission staff has taken the position that investment of 25% or more of a fund’s total assets
in one or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same industry or group of industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of concentration could change in the future. The policy in (1) above will be
interpreted to refer to concentration as that term may be interpreted from time to time. The policy also will be interpreted to permit investment without limit in the following: securities of the U.S. government and its agencies or
instrumentalities; securities of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and repurchase agreements collateralized by any such obligations. Accordingly,
issuers of the foregoing securities will not be considered to be members of any industry. There also will be no limit on investment in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction or country. Finance companies will be considered to be in the
industries of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of the parents. Each foreign government will be considered to be a member of a separate industry. With respect to the Fund’s industry
classifications, the Fund currently utilizes any one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or rating group indexes, and/or as defined by Fund management. The policy also will be interpreted
to give broad authority to the Fund as to how to classify issuers within or among industries.
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With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing
money set forth in (2) above, the Investment Company Act permits the Fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose, and to borrow up to 5% of the Fund’s total assets from banks
or other lenders for temporary purposes. (The Fund’s total assets include the amounts being borrowed.) To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the Investment Company Act requires the Fund to maintain at all times an “asset
coverage” of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings. Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the Fund’s total assets (including amounts borrowed), minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of
all borrowings. Borrowing money to increase portfolio holdings is known as “leveraging.” Certain trading practices and investments, such as reverse repurchase agreements, may be considered to be borrowings or involve leverage and thus
are subject to the Investment Company Act restrictions. In accordance with Commission staff guidance and interpretations, when the Fund engages in such transactions, the Fund instead of maintaining asset coverage of at least 300%, may segregate or
earmark liquid assets, or enter into an offsetting position, in an amount at least equal to the Fund’s exposure, on a mark-to-market basis, to the transaction (as calculated pursuant to requirements of the Commission). The policy in (2) above
will be interpreted to permit the Fund to engage in trading practices and investments that may be considered to be borrowing or to involve leverage to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act and to permit the Fund to segregate or earmark
liquid assets or enter into offsetting positions in accordance with the Investment Company Act. Short-term credits necessary for the settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with respect to securities lending will not be considered to
be borrowings under the policy. Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be borrowings are not subject to the policy.
With respect to the fundamental policy relating to
underwriting set forth in (5) above, the Investment Company Act does not prohibit the Fund from engaging in the underwriting business or from underwriting the securities of other issuers; in fact, in the case of diversified funds, the Investment
Company Act permits the Fund to have underwriting commitments of up to 25% of its assets under certain circumstances. Those circumstances currently are that the amount of the Fund’s underwriting commitments, when added to the value of the
Fund’s investments in issuers where the Fund owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of those issuers, cannot exceed the 25% cap. A fund engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities
may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act. Although it is not believed that the application of the Securities Act provisions described above would cause the Fund to be engaged in the business of underwriting, the policy in (5) above
will be interpreted not to prevent the Fund from engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities, regardless of whether the Fund may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act or is
otherwise engaged in the underwriting business to the extent permitted by applicable law.
With respect to the fundamental policy relating to lending set
forth in (7) above, the Investment Company Act does not prohibit the Fund from making loans (including lending its securities); however, Commission staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending more than one-third of their total assets
(including lending its securities), except through the purchase of debt obligations or the use of repurchase agreements. In addition, collateral arrangements with respect to options, forward currency and futures transactions and other derivative
instruments (as applicable), as well as delays in the settlement of securities transactions, will not be considered loans.
Under its non-fundamental investment restrictions, which may
be changed by the Board without shareholder approval, the Fund may not:
| a. | Make short sales of securities or maintain a short position, except to the extent permitted by the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, as amended from time to time, and applicable law. |
Unless otherwise indicated, all limitations under the
Fund’s fundamental or non-fundamental investment restrictions apply only at the time that a transaction is undertaken. Any change in the percentage of the Fund’s assets invested in certain securities or other instruments resulting from
market fluctuations or other changes in the Fund’s total assets will not require the Fund to dispose of an investment until BFA determines that it is practicable to sell or close out the investment without undue market or tax
consequences.
The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF will
not:
| 1. | 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; |
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| 2. | 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; |
| 3. | Pledge, hypothecate, mortgage or otherwise encumber its assets, except to secure permitted borrowings. (The deposit of underlying securities and other assets in escrow and collateral arrangements with respect to initial or variation margin for currency transactions and futures contracts will not be deemed to be pledges of the Fund’s assets); |
| 4. | Purchase, hold or deal in real estate, or oil, gas or mineral interests or leases, but the Fund may purchase and sell securities that are issued by companies that invest or deal in such assets; |
| 5. | Act as an underwriter of securities of other issuers, except to the extent the Fund may be deemed an underwriter in connection with the sale of securities in its portfolio; |
| 6. | Purchase securities on margin, except for such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of transactions, except that the Fund may make margin deposits in connection with transactions in currencies, options, futures and options on futures; |
| 7. | Sell securities short; or |
| 8. | Invest in commodities or commodity contracts, except that the Fund may buy and sell currencies and forward contracts with respect thereto, and may transact in futures contracts on securities, stock indices and currencies and options on such futures contracts and make margin deposits in connection with such contracts. |
Each of the iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility
ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF, iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture
Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF and iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF will not:
| 1. | Concentrate its investments (i.e., invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries), except that each Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its Underlying Index concentrates in the securities 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) each 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) each 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), each 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. |
| 3. | Issue any senior security, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, 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 interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| 5. | Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this restriction shall not prevent each Fund from investing in securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or securities or other instruments backed by real estate or mortgages), or commodities or commodity contracts (but this restriction shall not prevent each Fund from investing in securities of companies engaged in the production, ownership or distribution of commodities or in commodity-related businesses for the iShares Frontier 100 ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF and iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF or from trading in futures contracts and options on futures contracts, including options on currencies to the extent consistent with each Fund’s investment objective and policies). |
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| 6. | Engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by other persons, except to the extent that each Fund may technically be deemed to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act, in disposing of portfolio securities. |
Each of the iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI
Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF and iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, will not:
| 1. | Lend any funds or other assets except through the purchase of all or a portion of an issue of securities or obligations of the type in which it is permitted to invest (including participation interests in such securities or obligations) and except that a Fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount not to exceed 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets; |
| 2. | Issue senior securities or borrow money, except borrowings from banks for temporary or emergency purposes in an amount up to 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the amount borrowed), valued at the lesser of cost or market, less liabilities (not including the amount borrowed) valued at the time the borrowing is made, and the Fund will not purchase securities while borrowings in excess of 5% of the Fund’s total assets are outstanding, provided, that for purposes of this restriction, short-term credits necessary for the clearance of transactions are not considered borrowings; |
| 3. | Pledge, hypothecate, mortgage or otherwise encumber its assets, except to secure permitted borrowings. (The deposit of underlying securities and other assets in escrow and collateral arrangements with respect to initial or variation margin for currency transactions and futures contracts will not be deemed to be pledges of the Fund’s assets); |
| 4. | Purchase a security (other than obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities) if as a result 25% or more of its total assets would be invested in a single issuer. (This restriction applies to the iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF only); |
| 5. | Purchase, hold or deal in real estate, or oil, gas or mineral interests or leases, but a Fund may purchase and sell securities that are issued by companies that invest or deal in such assets; |
| 6. | Act as an underwriter of securities of other issuers, except to the extent the Fund may be deemed an underwriter in connection with the sale of securities in its portfolio; |
| 7. | Purchase securities on margin, except for such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of transactions, except that a Fund may make margin deposits in connection with transactions in currencies, options, futures and options on futures; |
| 8. | Sell securities short; or |
| 9. | Invest in commodities or commodity contracts, except that a Fund may buy and sell currencies and forward contracts with respect thereto, and may transact in futures contracts on securities, stock indices and currencies and options on such futures contracts and make margin deposits in connection with such contracts. |
The iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF will not:
| 1. | Concentrate its investments (i.e., invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries), except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in the securities 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. |
| 3. | Issue “senior securities” as defined in the 1940 Act and the rules, regulations and orders thereunder, except as permitted under the 1940 Act and the rules, regulation and orders thereunder. |
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| 4. | Make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| 5. | Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this restriction shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or securities or other instruments backed by real estate or mortgages), or 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 1933 Act, in disposing of portfolio securities. |
Industry concentration. Each
Fund (except for the iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF) will not 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, to the extent practicable, the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its benchmark MSCI Index concentrates in the stocks of such particular industry or group
of industries, provided that each Fund will comply with the diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to RICs, any underlying Treasury regulations or any successor provision.
The iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF has the following
concentration policy: With respect to the two most heavily weighted industries or groups of industries in its benchmark MSCI Index, a Fund will invest in securities (consistent with its investment objective and other investment policies) so that the
weighting of each such industry or group of industries in the Fund does not diverge by more than 10% from the respective weighting of such industry or group of industries in its benchmark MSCI Index. An exception to this policy is that if investment
in the stock of a single issuer would account for more than 25% of the Fund, the Fund will invest less than 25% of its net assets in such stock and will reallocate the excess to stock(s) in the same industry or group of industries, and/or to
stock(s) in another industry or group of industries, in its benchmark MSCI Index. The Fund will evaluate these industry weightings at least weekly, and at the time of evaluation will adjust its portfolio composition to the extent necessary to
maintain compliance with the above policy. The Fund may not concentrate its investments except as discussed above. The Board has adopted this policy as fundamental, which means that it may not be changed with respect to a Fund without the approval
of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities.
As of September 30, 2014, each of the following Funds was
concentrated (i.e., held 25% or more of its total assets) in the specified industries:
| Fund | Industry or Industries | |
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | Auto Manufacturers | |
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | Oil & Gas | |
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | Banks | |
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | Chemicals | |
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | Oil & Gas | |
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | Mining | |
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | Iron & Steel | |
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | Banks | |
| iShares MSCI South Korea ETF | Semiconductors | |
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | Semiconductors |
In addition to the investment
restrictions adopted as fundamental policies set forth above, each Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy not to 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 each Fund’s net assets to be invested in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment).
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BFA monitors the liquidity of restricted securities in each
Fund’s portfolio. In reaching liquidity decisions, BFA 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, except that certain percentage limitations will be observed
continuously in accordance with applicable law.
Each
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 of the Underlying Index or in Depositary Receipts representing securities in the Underlying Index. Each Fund also has adopted a non-fundamental 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, a Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy.
Each Fund (except for the iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF) has adopted a non-fundamental limitation such that, under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will
not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net assets.
Each Fund
may not purchase securities of other investment companies, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. As a matter of policy, however, a Fund will not purchase shares of any registered open-end investment company or registered unit investment
trust, in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G) (the “fund of funds” provisions) of the 1940 Act, at any time the Fund has knowledge that its shares are purchased by another investment company investor in reliance on the provisions of
subparagraph (G) of Section 12(d)(1).
Continuous
Offering
The method by which Creation Units are created
and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Funds on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject
them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed
a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units 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 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 1933 Act must take into account all of 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(a)(3) of
the 1933 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 Funds are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the 1933
Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 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 available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.
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Management
Directors and Officers.
The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Funds, including general supervision of the duties performed by BFA and other service providers. Each Director serves until he or
she resigns, is removed, dies, retires or becomes incapacitated. The President, Chief Compliance Officer, Treasurer and Secretary shall each hold office until their successors are chosen and qualify, and all other officers shall hold office until he
or she resigns or is removed. Directors who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company are referred to as independent directors (“Independent Directors”).
The registered investment companies advised by BFA or its
affiliates (the “BlackRock-advised Funds”) are organized into one complex of closed-end funds, two complexes of open-end funds and one complex of exchange-traded funds (“Exchange-Traded Fund Complex”) (each, a
“BlackRock Fund Complex”). Each Fund is included in the BlackRock Fund Complex referred to as the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. Each Director also serves as a Trustee of iShares Trust, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc.
and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust and, as a result, oversees a total of 299 funds within the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. With the exception of Robert S. Kapito and Mark Wiedman, the address of each Director and officer is c/o BlackRock,
Inc., 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. The address of Mr. Kapito and Mr. Wiedman is c/o BlackRock, Inc., Park Avenue Plaza, 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY
10055. The Board has designated Robert H. Silver as its Independent Chairman. Additional information about the Funds' Directors and officers may be found in this SAI, which is available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free
1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737).
Interested Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
S. Kapito1 (57) |
Director
(since 2009). |
President and Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. and Head of BlackRock, Inc.’s Portfolio Management Group (since its formation in 1998) and BlackRock, Inc.’s predecessor entities (since 1988); Trustee, University of Pennsylvania (since 2009); President of Board of Directors, Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund (since 2002); President of the Board of Directors, Periwinkle Theatre for Youth (since 1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2009); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006). | |||
| Mark
Wiedman2 (44) |
Director (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2007); Global Head of iShares (since 2011); Head of Corporate Strategy, BlackRock, Inc. (2009-2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2013); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2013); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2013); Director of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (since 2008). |
| 1 | Robert S. Kapito is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. |
| 2 | Mark Wiedman is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. |
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Independent Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
H. Silver (59) |
Director
(since 2007); Independent Chairman (since 2012). |
President and Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group, Inc. (since 2006); Director and Vice Chairman of the YMCA of Greater NYC (2001-2011); Broadway Producer (2006-2011); Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. (since 2008); Director and Member of the Audit and Compensation Committee of EPAM Systems, Inc. (2006-2009); President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly Paine Webber Inc.) (2003-2005) and various executive positions with UBS and its affiliates (1988-2005); CPA and Audit Manager of KPMG, LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) (1977-1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2007); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Independent Chairman of iShares Trust, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. and iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2012). | |||
| John
E. Martinez (53) |
Director
(since 2003); Securities Lending Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.) (since 2005). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2003); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Cecilia
H. Herbert (65) |
Director
(since 2005); Nominating and Governance Committee Chair and Equity Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director (1998-2013) and President (2007-2011) of the Board of Directors, Catholic Charities CYO; Trustee (2002-2011) and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee (2006-2010) of the Thacher School; Member (since 1992) and Chair (1994-2005) of the Investment Committee, Archdiocese of San Francisco; Trustee and Member of the Investment Committee, WNET, the New York public broadcasting/media company (since 2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of Forward Funds (34 portfolios) (since 2009). | |||
| Charles
A. Hurty (71) |
Director
(since 2005); Audit Committee Chair (since 2006). |
Retired; Partner, KPMG LLP (1968-2001). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund (1 portfolio) (since 2002); Director of SkyBridge Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (2 portfolios) (since 2002). |
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| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| John
E. Kerrigan (59) |
Director
(since 2005); Fixed Income Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University (since 2002). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Madhav
V. Rajan (50) |
Director
(since 2011); 15(c) Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Head of MBA Program, Stanford University Graduate School of Business (since 2001); Professor of Law (by courtesy), Stanford Law School (since 2005); Visiting Professor, University of Chicago (2007-2008). | Trustee
of iShares Trust (since 2011); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2011); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director, Cavium, Inc. (since 2013). | |||
| Jane
D. Carlin (59) |
Director
(since 2015). |
Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group (2006-2012). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2015); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2015); Director of PHH Corporation (mortgage solutions) (since 2012). |
Officers
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Manish
Mehta (43) |
President (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Chief Operating Officer for iShares (since 2009); Head of Strategy and Corporate Development, BGI (2005-2009); Chief of Staff to the CEO, BGI (2005-2009). | ||
| Jack
Gee (55) |
Treasurer
and Chief Financial Officer (since 2008). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Senior Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2009); Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2004-2009). | ||
| Eilleen
M. Clavere (62) |
Secretary
(since 2007). |
Director of Global Fund Administration, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Director of Legal Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2006-2009); Legal Counsel and Vice President of Atlas Funds, Atlas Advisers, Inc. and Atlas Securities, Inc. (2005-2006); Counsel at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP (2001-2005). |
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| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Edward
B. Baer (46) |
Vice
President and Chief Legal Officer (since 2012). |
Managing Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (2004-2006). | ||
| Scott
Radell (46) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2012). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BGI (2007-2009); Credit Portfolio Manager, BGI (2005-2007); Credit Research Analyst, BGI (2003-2005). | ||
| Amy
Schioldager (52) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2007). |
Senior Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Global Head of Index Equity, BGI (2008-2009); Global Head of U.S. Indexing, BGI (2006-2008); Head of Domestic Equity Portfolio Management, BGI (2001-2006). | ||
| Ira
P. Shapiro (51) |
Vice
President (since 2007). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Strategic Product Initiatives for iShares (since 2012); Chief Legal Officer, Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (2007-2012); Associate General Counsel, BGI (2004-2009). |
The Board has concluded that, based on each Director’s
experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Directors, each Director should serve as a Director of the Board. Among the attributes common to all Directors are their ability to
review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the Funds' investment adviser, other service providers, counsel and the independent registered public accounting firm, and to exercise
effective business judgment in the performance of their duties as Directors. A Director’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively may have been attained through the Director’s educational background or professional training;
business, consulting, public service or academic positions; experience from service as a Board member of the Funds and the other funds in the Company (and any predecessor funds), other investment funds, public companies, or non-profit entities or
other organizations; and/or other life experiences. Also, set forth below is a brief discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each Director that led the Board to conclude that he or she should serve as a
Director.
Robert Kapito has been a Director of the
Company since 2009. Mr. Kapito has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2009, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and a Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006. In
addition, he has over 20 years of experience as part of BlackRock, Inc. and BlackRock, Inc.’s predecessor entities. Mr. Kapito serves as President and Director of BlackRock, Inc., and is the Chairman of the Operating Committee, a member of the
Office of the Chairman, the Leadership Committee and the Corporate Council. He is responsible for day-to-day oversight of BlackRock, Inc.'s key operating units, including the Account Management and Portfolio Management Groups, Real Estate Group and
BlackRock Solutions®. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2007, Mr. Kapito served as Head of BlackRock, Inc.'s Portfolio Management Group. In that role,
he was responsible for overseeing all portfolio management within BlackRock, Inc., including the Fixed Income, Equity, Liquidity, and Alternative Investment Groups. Mr. Kapito serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of
Pennsylvania. He has also been President of the Board of Directors for the Hope & Heroes Children's Cancer Fund since 2002 and President of the Board of Directors for
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Periwinkle Theatre for Youth, a national non-profit arts-in-education
organization, since 1983. Mr. Kapito earned a BS degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School in 1983.
Mark Wiedman has been a Director of the Company since 2013.
Mr. Wiedman has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2013, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2013 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2013. Mr. Wiedman is the Global Head and Managing Director of iShares. In
addition, he is a member of BlackRock, Inc.'s Global Executive Committee and Global Operating Committee. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2011, Mr. Wiedman was the head of Corporate Strategy for BlackRock, Inc. Mr. Wiedman joined
BlackRock, Inc. in 2004 to help start the advisory business, which evolved into the Financial Markets Advisory Group in BlackRock Solutions. This group advises financial institutions and governments on managing their capital markets exposures and
businesses. Prior to BlackRock, Inc., he served as senior advisor and chief of staff for the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and also was a management consultant at McKinsey & Co., advising financial
institutions in the United States, Europe, and Japan. He has taught as an adjunct associate professor of law at Fordham University in New York and Renmin University in Beijing. Mr. Wiedman serves on the board of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc., a
publicly-traded U.S. mortgage banking and investment management firm started in 2008, with BlackRock, Inc. as a sponsor. Mr. Wiedman earned an AB degree, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, in social studies from
Harvard College in 1992 and a JD degree from Yale Law School in 1996.
Robert H. Silver has been a Director of the Company since 2007
and Chairman of the Company's Board since 2012. Mr. Silver has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2007, Chairman of iShares Trust's Board since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chairman of iShares MSCI
Russia Capped ETF, Inc.'s Board since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chairman of iShares U.S. ETF Trust's Board since 2012. Mr. Silver is President and a Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group Inc., a firm dedicated to advising
and investing in emerging business enterprises and to supporting philanthropic activities that benefit under-served urban youth. Previously, Mr. Silver served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly
Paine Webber Inc.), the registered broker dealer comprising the Wealth Management USA business unit of UBS AG, including the following responsibilities: President of Paine Webber Services, Director of Retail Products and Marketing, Director of
Private Client Group Branch Offices, Director of Finance and Controls for Paine Webber, Inc. and Chief Administrative Officer for Paine Webber Private Client Group. Mr. Silver also served on the Board of Directors of EPAM Systems, Inc., a provider
of software engineering outsourcing services in Central and Eastern Europe, served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), chaired the National Securities Clearing Corporations’ Membership
and Risk Committee and served as Governor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. In addition, Mr. Silver was a Vice Chairman and a Member of the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greater New York and chaired its Fund Development Committee from 2001
until 2011 and Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. since 2008. Mr. Silver began his career as a CPA and Audit Manager at KPMG LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) from 1977 until 1983. Mr. Silver has a BS degree in business
administration from the University of North Carolina.
John E. Martinez has been a Director of the Company since 2003
and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Martinez has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2003, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since
2012. Mr. Martinez is a Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.), providing governance oversight and consulting services to this privately held firm that develops products and strategies for homeowners in managing the equity
in their homes. Mr. Martinez previously served as Director of Barclays Global Investors (BGI) UK Holdings, where he provided governance oversight representing BGI’s shareholders (Barclays PLC, BGI management shareholders) through oversight of
BGI’s worldwide activities. Mr. Martinez also previously served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Global Index and Markets Group of BGI, Chairman of Barclays Global Investor Services and Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Markets Group
of BGI. From 2003-2012, he was a Director and Executive Committee Member for Larkin Street Youth Services, providing governance oversight and strategy development to an agency that provides emergency and transitional housing, healthcare, education,
job and life skills training to homeless youth. He now serves on the Larkin Street Honorary Board. Since 2012, Mr. Martinez has served as a Director for Reading Partners, an organization committed to making all children literate through one-on-one
tutoring of students in grades K-4 who are not yet reading at grade level. Mr. Martinez has an AB degree in economics from The University of California, Berkeley and holds an MBA degree in finance and statistics from The University of Chicago Booth
School of Business.
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Cecilia H. Herbert has been a Director of the Company since
2005 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Ms. Herbert has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus
Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of
iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. In addition, Ms. Herbert has served on three other mutual fund boards, currently serving as
Trustee of the Forward Funds, since 2009, and previously as Trustee of the Pacific Select Funds from 2004 until 2005 and Trustee of the Montgomery Funds from 1992 until 2003. She was President of the Board of Catholic Charities CYO, the largest
social services agency in the Bay Area, from 2007 until 2011 and member of that board from 1992 until 2013. She was past Chair from 1994 until 2005, and member since 1992, of the Investment Council of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. She currently
serves as Trustee of WNET, New York’s public media station, since 2011. She worked from 1973-1990 at J.P. Morgan/Morgan Guaranty Trust, retiring as Managing Director and Head of the West Coast Office. Ms. Herbert has been on numerous
non-profit boards, chairing investment and finance committees. She holds a double major in economics and communications from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Charles A. Hurty has been a Director of the Company since 2005
and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Company since 2006. Mr. Hurty has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares Trust since 2006, a Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010 and a Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011. In addition, Mr. Hurty serves as Director of the GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund since 2002, Director of the SkyBridge Alternative
Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (formerly, Citigroup Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC) since 2002 and was a Director of the CSFB Alternative Investment Funds from 2005 to December 2009, when the
funds were liquidated. Mr. Hurty was formerly a Partner at KPMG, LLP from 1968 to 2001. Mr. Hurty has a BS degree in accounting from the University of Kansas.
John E. Kerrigan has been a Director of the Company since 2005
and Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Kerrigan served as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Company from 2010 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005,
Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares Trust from 2010 until 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Fixed Income
Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. from 2010 until 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011, Chair of the Fixed
Income Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust from 2011 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan serves as Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University since 2002. Mr.
Kerrigan was formerly a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch & Co., including the following responsibilities: Global Manager of Institutional Client Division eCommerce and Global Manager of Technology Specialists Sales. Mr. Kerrigan is a Trustee,
since 2008, of Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton, CA, and Director, since 1999, of The BASIC Fund (Bay Area Scholarships for Inner City Children). Mr. Kerrigan has a BA degree from Boston College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst
Charterholder.
Madhav V. Rajan has been a Director of
the Company since 2011 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Rajan has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2011, Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF,
Inc. since 2011, Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. Mr. Rajan is the Robert K.
Jaedicke Professor of Accounting at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He has taught accounting for over 20 years to undergraduate, MBA and law students, as well as to senior executives. Mr. Rajan serves as the Senior Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs and head of the MBA Program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Rajan served as editor of “The Accounting Review” from 2002 to 2008 and is co-author of “Cost Accounting: A
Managerial Emphasis,” a leading cost accounting textbook. Mr. Rajan holds MS, MBA and Ph.D. degrees in accounting from Carnegie Mellon University.
Jane D. Carlin has been a Director of the Company since 2015.
Ms. Carlin has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2015 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2015. Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of
Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group from 2006 to 2012. In addition, Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of the Bank Operational Risk Oversight Department of Credit Suisse Group from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, Ms.
Carlin served as Managing Director and
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Deputy General Counsel of Morgan Stanley Group. Ms. Carlin has over 30 years
of experience in the financial sector and has served in a number of legal, regulatory, and risk management positions. Ms. Carlin has served as an Independent Director on the Board of PHH Corporation since 2012. She previously served as a Director on
the Boards of Astoria Financial Corporation and Astoria Bank. Ms. Carlin was appointed by the United States Treasury to the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security, where she served
as Chairperson from 2010 to 2012 and Vice Chair and Chair of the Cyber Security Committee from 2009 to 2010. Ms. Carlin has a BA degree in political science from State University of New York at Stony Brook and a JD degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo
School of Law.
Board –
Leadership Structure and Oversight Responsibilities
Overall responsibility for oversight of the Funds rests with
the Board. The Board has engaged BFA to manage the Funds on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing BFA and other service providers in the operations of the Funds in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, applicable
provisions of state and other laws and the Company’s charter. The Board is currently composed of nine members, seven of whom are Independent Directors. The Board currently conducts regular meetings five times a year. In addition, the Board
frequently holds special in-person or telephonic meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may arise or require action between regular meetings. The Independent Directors meet regularly outside the presence of
management, in executive session or with other service providers to the Company.
The Board has appointed an Independent Director to serve in
the role of Chairman. The Chairman’s role is to preside at all meetings of the Board and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Directors generally between meetings. The Chairman may also perform such other
functions as may be delegated by the Board from time to time. The Board has established six standing Committees: a Nominating and Governance Committee, an Audit Committee, a 15(c) Committee, a Securities Lending Committee, an Equity Plus Committee
and a Fixed Income Plus Committee to assist the Board in the oversight and direction of the business and affairs of the Funds, and from time to time may establish ad-hoc committees or informal working groups to review and address the policies and
practices of the Funds with respect to certain specified matters. The Chair of each standing Committee is an Independent Director. The role of the Chair of each Committee is to preside at all meetings of the Committee and to act as a liaison with
service providers, officers, attorneys and other Directors between meetings. Each Committee meets regularly to conduct the oversight functions delegated to the Committee by the Board and reports its finding to the Board. The Board and each standing
Committee conduct annual assessments of their oversight function and structure. The Board has determined that the Board’s leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise independent judgment over management and it
allocates areas of responsibility among committees of Independent Directors and the full Board to enhance effective oversight.
Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Funds is the
responsibility of BFA or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to the supervision of BFA. Each Fund is subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance, operational, counterparty and valuation risks,
among others. While there are a number of risk management functions performed by BFA and other service providers, as applicable, it is not possible to eliminate all of the risks applicable to the Funds. The Directors have an oversight role in this
area, satisfying themselves that risk management processes and controls are in place and operating effectively. Risk oversight forms part of the Board’s general oversight of each Fund and is addressed as part of various Board and committee
activities. The Board, directly or through a committee, also reviews reports from, among others, management and the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by each Fund and
management’s risk functions. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who oversees the implementation and testing of the Company's compliance program, including assessments by independent third parties, and reports to the Board
regarding compliance matters for the Company and its principal service providers. In testing and maintaining the compliance program, the Chief Compliance Officer (and his or her delegates) assesses key compliance risks affecting each Fund, and
addresses them in periodic reports to the Board. The Independent Directors have engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities.
Committees of the Board of Directors. Each Independent Director serves on the Audit Committee. The Chair of the Audit Committee is Charles A. Hurty. The purposes of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board (i) in its oversight of the Company's
accounting and financial reporting principles and policies and related controls and procedures maintained by or on behalf of the Company; (ii) in its oversight of the Company's financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (iii) 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); (iv) in evaluating the independence of the
independent accountants; (v) in complying with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the
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Company's accounting and financial reporting, internal controls, compliance
controls and independent audits; and (vi) to assume such other responsibilities as may be delegated by the Board. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are
Cecilia H. Herbert (Chair), Charles A. Hurty, Madhav V. Rajan and John E. Kerrigan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The Nominating and Governance Committee nominates individuals for Independent Director membership on the Board. The Nominating
and Governance Committee functions include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) reviewing the qualifications of any person properly identified or nominated to serve as an Independent Director; (ii) recommending to the Board and current
Independent Directors the nominee(s) for appointment as an Independent Director by the Board and current Independent Directors and/or for election as Independent Directors by shareholders to fill any vacancy for a position of Independent Director(s)
on the Board; (iii) recommending to the Board and current Independent Directors the size and composition of the Board and Board committees and whether they comply with applicable laws and regulations; (iv) recommending a current Independent Director
to the Board and current Independent Directors to serve as Lead Independent Director; (v) periodic review of the Board's retirement policy; and (vi) recommending an appropriate level of compensation for the Independent Directors for their services
as Directors, members or chairpersons of committees of the Board, Lead Independent Director, Chairperson of the Board and any other positions as the Nominating and Governance Committee considers appropriate. The Nominating and Governance Committee
does not consider Board nominations recommended by shareholders (acting solely in their capacity as a shareholder and not in any other capacity). The Nominating and Governance Committee met five times during the fiscal year ended August 31,
2014.
Each Independent Director serves on the 15(c)
Committee. The Chair of the 15(c) Committee is Madhav V. Rajan. The principal responsibilities of the 15(c) Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for the annual review and renewal of the Company's advisory
and sub-advisory agreements. These responsibilities include: (i) meeting with BlackRock, Inc. in advance of the Board meeting at which the Company's advisory and sub-advisory agreements are to be considered to discuss generally the process for
providing requested information to the Board and the format in which information will be provided; and (ii) considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to
evaluate the investment advisory and sub-advisory agreements of the Company. The 15(c) Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Securities Lending Committee are John E.
Martinez (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and John E. Kerrigan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Securities Lending Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
the Company's securities lending activities. These responsibilities include: (i) requesting that certain information be provided to the Committee for its review and consideration prior to such information being provided to the Board; (ii)
considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to oversee the Company's securities lending activities and make required findings and approvals; and (iii) providing
a recommendation to the Board regarding the annual approval of the Company's Securities Lending Guidelines and the required findings with respect to, and annual approval of, the Company's agreement with the lending agent. The Securities Lending
Committee met seven times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Equity Plus Committee are Cecilia H.
Herbert (Chair), John E. Martinez and Madhav V. Rajan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Equity Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for equity funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters that should be
brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board as appropriate. The
Equity Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are John E.
Kerrigan (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and Charles A. Hurty, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for fixed income or multi-asset funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters
that should be brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the
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Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board
as appropriate. The Fixed Income Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
As the Chairman of the Board, Robert H. Silver may participate
in each Committee's meetings.
The following table sets
forth, as of December 31, 2013, the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Director in the Funds and in other registered investment companies overseen by the Director within the same family of investment companies as the
Company. If a fund is not listed below, the Director did not own any securities in that fund as of the date indicated above:
| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| Robert S. Kapito | None | None | None | |||
| Mark Wiedman1 | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| Robert H. Silver | iShares iBonds Sep 2015 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2016 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2017 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2018 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 3000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financial Services ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| George G.C. Parker | iShares California AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares S&P 100 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| John E. Martinez | iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Emerging Markets Infrastructure ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares TIPS Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | $10,001-$50,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares International Select Dividend ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| Charles A. Hurty | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares North American Tech-Multimedia Networking ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financials ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| John E. Kerrigan | iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Short-Term National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Jane D. Carlin2 | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 |
62
Table of Contents
| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $50,001-$100,000 |
| 1 | Appointed to serve as an Interested Director effective December 31, 2013. |
| 2 | Appointed to serve as an Independent Director effective February 3, 2015. The funds held and dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by Jane D. Carlin are as of December 31, 2014. |
As of December 31, 2013, none of the Independent Directors or
their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities of BFA (the Funds' investment adviser), the Distributor or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with BFA or the Distributor.
Remuneration of Directors.
Each current Independent Director is paid an annual retainer of $300,000 for his or her services as a Board member to the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, together with
out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board's policy on travel and other business expenses relating to attendance at meetings. For the period from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013, each current Independent Director was paid an
annual retainer of $275,000 for his or her services as a Board member to the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, together with out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board’s policy on travel and other business
expenses relating to attendance at meetings. The Independent Chairman of the Boards is paid an additional annual retainer of $50,000. The Chair of the Audit Committees is paid an additional annual retainer of $40,000. The Chair of each of the
Nominating and Governance Committees, Equity Plus Committees, Fixed Income Plus Committees, Securities Lending Committees and 15(c) Committees is paid an additional annual retainer of $15,000. Each Independent Director that serves as a director of
subsidiaries of the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex is paid an additional annual retainer of $10,000 (plus an additional $1,765 paid annually to compensate for taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Director’s service on
the boards of certain Mauritius-based subsidiaries). Additionally, any Independent Director who travels to the Republic of Mauritius to attend board meetings is paid an additional $12,000 (plus an additional $2,117 paid annually to compensate for
taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Director’s service on the boards of certain Mauritius-based subsidiaries).
The table below sets forth the compensation earned by each
Independent Director and Interested Director from each Fund for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014 and the aggregate compensation paid to them by the Exchange-Traded Complex for the calendar year ended December 31, 2013.
| Directors | iShares
Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF |
iShares
MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF |
iShares
MSCI Brazil Capped ETF |
iShares
MSCI BRIC ETF | ||||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||||||
| Robert H. Silver | $ 2,549 | $ 573 | $2,469 | $ 187 | ||||
| George G.C. Parker | 2,157 | 485 | 2,089 | 158 | ||||
| John E. Martinez | 2,274 | 511 | 2,203 | 167 | ||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 2,392 | 538 | 2,317 | 175 | ||||
| Charles A. Hurty | 2,470 | 556 | 2,393 | 181 | ||||
| John E. Kerrigan | 3,797 | 511 | 2,203 | 1,689 | ||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 2,966 | 511 | 2,203 | 859 | ||||
| Interested Directors: | ||||||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $ 0 | $ 0 | $ 0 | $ 0 | ||||
| Mark Wiedman2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Michael Latham3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
63
Table of Contents
| Directors | iShares
MSCI Chile Capped ETF |
iShares
MSCI Colombia Capped ETF |
iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF |
iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | ||||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||||||
| Robert H. Silver | $ 144 | $ 12 | $ 37 | $ 3 | ||||
| George G.C. Parker | 122 | 10 | 31 | 2 | ||||
| John E. Martinez | 129 | 10 | 33 | 2 | ||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 135 | 11 | 34 | 3 | ||||
| Charles A. Hurty | 140 | 11 | 36 | 3 | ||||
| John E. Kerrigan | 129 | 10 | 1,555 | 1,525 | ||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 129 | 10 | 725 | 695 | ||||
| Interested Directors:1 | ||||||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $ 0 | $ 0 | $ 0 | $ 0 | ||||
| Mark Wiedman2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Michael Latham3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Directors | iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF |
iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF |
iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets ETF |
iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | ||||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||||||
| Robert H. Silver | $5 | $ 1 | $ 19,988 | $ 3 | ||||
| George G.C. Parker | 4 | 1 | 16,913 | 2 | ||||
| John E. Martinez | 4 | 1 | 17,836 | 2 | ||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 4 | 1 | 18,758 | 3 | ||||
| Charles A. Hurty | 5 | 1 | 19,373 | 3 | ||||
| John E. Kerrigan | 4 | 1,523 | 19,358 | 1,525 | ||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 4 | 693 | 18,528 | 694 | ||||
| Interested Directors:1 | ||||||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $0 | $ 0 | $ 0 | $ 0 | ||||
| Mark Wiedman2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Michael Latham3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Directors | iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF |
iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF |
iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF |
iShares
MSCI Frontier 100 ETF1 | ||||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||||||
| Robert H. Silver | $ 927 | $ 20 | $ 11 | $363 | ||||
| George G.C. Parker | 784 | 17 | 10 | 307 | ||||
| John E. Martinez | 827 | 18 | 10 | 324 | ||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 870 | 19 | 11 | 341 | ||||
| Charles A. Hurty | 898 | 19 | 11 | 352 | ||||
| John E. Kerrigan | 2,350 | 1,540 | 1,533 | 324 | ||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 1,519 | 710 | 702 | 324 | ||||
| Interested Directors:1 | ||||||||
64
Table of Contents
| Directors | iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF |
iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF |
iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF |
iShares
MSCI Frontier 100 ETF1 | ||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||||
| Mark Wiedman2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Michael Latham3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Directors | iShares
MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF |
iShares
MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF |
iShares
MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF |
iShares
MSCI Malaysia ETF | ||||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||||||
| Robert H. Silver | $ 21 | $4 | $83 | $ 357 | ||||
| George G.C. Parker | 18 | 3 | 71 | 302 | ||||
| John E. Martinez | 19 | 3 | 74 | 319 | ||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 20 | 4 | 78 | 335 | ||||
| Charles A. Hurty | 20 | 4 | 81 | 346 | ||||
| John E. Kerrigan | 19 | 3 | 74 | 319 | ||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 19 | 3 | 74 | 319 | ||||
| Interested Directors:1 | ||||||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $ 0 | $0 | $ 0 | $ 0 | ||||
| Mark Wiedman2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Michael Latham3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Directors | iShares
MSCI South Korea Capped ETF |
iShares
MSCI Taiwan ETF | ||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||
| Robert H. Silver | $ 2,220 | $ 1,492 | ||
| George G.C. Parker | 1,879 | 1,263 | ||
| John E. Martinez | 1,981 | 1,332 | ||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 2,083 | 1,401 | ||
| Charles A. Hurty | 2,152 | 1,447 | ||
| John E. Kerrigan | 1,981 | 1,332 | ||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 1,981 | 1,332 | ||
| Interested Directors: | ||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $ 0 | $ 0 | ||
| Mark Wiedman2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Michael Latham3 | 0 | 0 |
| Directors | Pension
or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Company Expenses4 |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement4 |
Total
Compensation From the Funds and Fund Complex5 | |||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||||
| Robert H. Silver | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $325,000 |
65
Table of Contents
| Directors | Pension
or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Company Expenses4 |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement4 |
Total
Compensation From the Funds and Fund Complex5 | |||
| George G.C. Parker | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 275,000 | |||
| John E. Martinez | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 290,000 | |||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 305,000 | |||
| Charles A. Hurty | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 315,000 | |||
| John E. Kerrigan | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 315,882 | |||
| Madhav V. Rajan | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 301,765 | |||
| Interested Directors: | ||||||
| Robert S. Kapito | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 0 | |||
| Mark Wiedman2 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 0 | |||
| Michael Latham3 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 0 | |||
| 1 | Compensation is not shown for Jane D. Carlin because she was appointed to serve as an Independent Director of the Company effective February 3, 2015. |
| 2 | Appointed to serve as an Interested Director effective December 31, 2013. |
| 3 | Served as an Interested Director through December 31, 2013. |
| 4 | No Director or officer is entitled to any pension or retirement benefits from the Company. |
| 5 | Includes compensation for service on the Boards of Trustees of iShares Trust and iShares U.S. ETF Trust and the Board of Directors of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. |
The board of directors of each Subsidiary, which is
responsible for the overall management and operations of the Subsidiary, is partially comprised of certain members of the Board of Directors of the Company.
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities.
The Directors and officers of the Company collectively owned
less than 1% of each Fund's outstanding shares as of November 28, 2014.
Although the Company does not have information concerning the
beneficial ownership of shares held in the names of Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participants (as defined below), as of November 28, 2014, the name and percentage ownership of each DTC participant that owned of record 5% or more of
the outstanding shares of a Fund were as follows:
| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | State
Street Bank and Trust Company 1776 Heritage Drive North Quincy, MA 02171 |
16.80% | ||
| Merrill
Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith Safekeeping 101 Hudson Street 8th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302 |
13.50% | |||
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
11.51% |
66
Table of Contents
| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| UBS
Financial Services Inc. 1000 Harbor Blvd. 4th Floor Weehawken, NJ 07087 |
7.76% | |||
| TD
Ameritrade Clearing, Inc. 1005 N. Ameritrade Place Bellevue, NE 68005 |
6.49% | |||
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
5.07% | |||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | Northern
Trust Company/ United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund 50 South LaSalle Street Chicago, IL 60675 |
41.63% | ||
| Citibank,
N.A. 3800 CitiBank Center Tampa Building A/Floor 2 Tampa, FL 33610 |
5.80% | |||
| Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 525 Washington Blvd. 11th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
5.62% | |||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 525 Washington Blvd. 11th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
9.61% | ||
| Deutsche
Bank Securities Inc./Cedear 1251 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 |
8.45% | |||
| Credit
Suisse Securities (USA) LLC One Madison Ave 3rd Floor New York, NY 10010 |
7.33% | |||
| The
Bank of New York Mellon 401 Salina Street 2nd Floor Syracuse, NY 13202 |
7.21% | |||
| State
Street Bank and Trust Company 1776 Heritage Drive North Quincy, MA 02171 |
6.16% | |||
| Goldman
Sachs International 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 |
5.96% | |||
| Merrill
Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated 101 Hudson Street 9th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302-3997 |
5.27% |
67
Table of Contents
| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| Citibank,
N.A. 3800 CitiBank Center Tampa Building A/Floor 2 Tampa, FL 33610 |
5.02% | |||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
10.03% | ||
| Computershare
Trust Company, N.A. 250 Royall Street Canton, MA 02021 |
9.40% | |||
| Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 525 Washington Blvd. 11th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
8.95% | |||
| TD
Ameritrade Clearing, Inc. 1005 N. Ameritrade Place Bellevue, NE 68005 |
7.27% | |||
| Morgan
Stanley & Co. Harborside Financial Center Plaza 3, 1st Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
6.30% | |||
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
5.88% | |||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 525 Washington Blvd. 11th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
24.88% | ||
| JPMorgan
Chase Bank, National Association 14201 Dallas Pkwy 12th Floor Dallas, TX 75240 |
7.72% | |||
| Pershing
LLC One Pershing Plaza Jersey City, NJ 07399 |
7.38% | |||
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
5.17% | |||
| The
Bank of New York Mellon 401 Salina Street 2nd Floor Syracuse, NY 13202 |
5.05% | |||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | JPMorgan
Chase Bank, National Association 14201 Dallas Pkwy 12th Floor Dallas, TX 75240 |
79.32% |
68
Table of Contents
| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| J.P.
Morgan Clearing Corp One Metrotech Center North Brooklyn, NY 11201 |
5.75% | |||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
44.39% | ||
| RBC
Capital Markets Corporation One Liberty Plaza New York, NY 10006-1446 |
10.26% | |||
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
7.41% | |||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
20.60% | ||
| Knight
Clearing Services LLC 545 Washington BLVD Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
14.84% | |||
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
13.34% | |||
| Fifth
Third Bank (The) 5001 Kingsley Drive Cincinnati, OH 45263 |
7.04% | |||
| RBC
Capital Markets Corporation One Liberty Plaza New York, NY 10006-1446 |
6.83% | |||
| TD
Ameritrade Clearing, Inc. 1005 N. Ameritrade Place Bellevue, NE 68005 |
5.61% | |||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
44.53% | ||
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
15.54% | |||
| Goldman
Sachs Execution & Clearing, L.P. 30 Hudson Street 27th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302 |
13.95% | |||
| JPMorgan
Chase Bank, National Association 14201 Dallas Pkwy 12th Floor Dallas, TX 75240 |
5.82% | |||
69
Table of Contents
| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | Morgan
Stanley & Co. Harborside Financial Center Plaza 3, 1st Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
41.55% | ||
| Merrill
Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated 101 Hudson Street 9th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302-3997 |
21.89% | |||
| RBC
Capital Markets Corporation One Liberty Plaza New York, NY 10006-1446 |
10.10% | |||
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
5.65% | |||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | State
Street Bank and Trust Company 1776 Heritage Drive North Quincy, MA 02171 |
14.32% | ||
| Mellon
Trust of New England, National Association Three Mellon Bank Center Floor 1533700 Pittsburgh, PA 15259 |
12.74% | |||
| Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 525 Washington Blvd. 11th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
9.00% | |||
| JPMorgan
Chase Bank, National Association 14201 Dallas Pkwy 12th Floor Dallas, TX 75240 |
5.42% | |||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | J.P.
Morgan Clearing Corp One Metrotech Center North Brooklyn, NY 11201 |
25.49% | ||
| Raymond,
James & Associates, Inc. 880 Carillon Parkway P.O. Box 12749 St. Petersburg, FL 33733 |
8.40% | |||
| Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 525 Washington Blvd. 11th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
7.84% | |||
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
6.93% |
70
Table of Contents
| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| Goldman
Sachs Execution & Clearing, L.P. 30 Hudson Street 27th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302 |
6.47% | |||
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
6.33% | |||
| The
Huntington National Bank 7 Easton Oval-EA4 Columbus, OH 43219 |
5.00% | |||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | Bank
of America, National Association 411 N. Akard Street 5th Floor Dallas, TX 75201 |
11.07% | ||
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
9.75% | |||
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
9.48% | |||
| Morgan
Stanley & Co. Harborside Financial Center Plaza 3, 1st Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
9.40% | |||
| BlackRock
Institutional Trust Company, N.A. 400 Howard Street San Francisco, CA 94105 |
6.02% | |||
| Mellon
Trust of New England, National Association Three Mellon Bank Center Floor 1533700 Pittsburgh, PA 15259 |
5.77% | |||
| UBS
Financial Services Inc. 1000 Harbor Blvd. 4th Floor Weehawken, NJ 07087 |
5.26% | |||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
30.84% | ||
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
16.88% | |||
| Merrill
Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated 101 Hudson Street 9th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302-3997 |
6.50% |
71
Table of Contents
| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| Citibank,
N.A. 3800 CitiBank Center Tampa Building A/Floor 2 Tampa, FL 33610 |
6.28% | |||
| TD
Ameritrade Clearing, Inc. 1005 N. Ameritrade Place Bellevue, NE 68005 |
5.06% | |||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
48.27% | ||
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
13.36% | |||
| Pershing
LLC One Pershing Plaza Jersey City, NJ 07399 |
8.96% | |||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
14.22% | ||
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
10.06% | |||
| The
Bank of New York Mellon 401 Salina Street 2nd Floor Syracuse, NY 13202 |
6.21% | |||
| Morgan
Stanley & Co. Harborside Financial Center Plaza 3, 1st Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
5.64% | |||
| TD
Ameritrade Clearing, Inc. 1005 N. Ameritrade Place Bellevue, NE 68005 |
5.40% | |||
| Northern
Trust Company/ United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund 50 South LaSalle Street Chicago, IL 60675 |
5.39% | |||
| Merrill
Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith Safekeeping 101 Hudson Street 8th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302 |
5.35% | |||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
23.73% |
72
Table of Contents
| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| The
Bank of New York Mellon 401 Salina Street 2nd Floor Syracuse, NY 13202 |
13.02% | |||
| Pershing
LLC One Pershing Plaza Jersey City, NJ 07399 |
10.51% | |||
| J.P.
Morgan Clearing Corp One Metrotech Center North Brooklyn, NY 11201 |
10.01% | |||
| State
Street Bank and Trust Company 1776 Heritage Drive North Quincy, MA 02171 |
8.57% | |||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | Pershing
LLC One Pershing Plaza Jersey City, NJ 07399 |
25.72% | ||
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
12.62% | |||
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
9.47% | |||
| Merrill
Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith Safekeeping 101 Hudson Street 8th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302 |
8.84% | |||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | Citibank,
N.A. 3800 CitiBank Center Tampa Building A/Floor 2 Tampa, FL 33610 |
72.65% | ||
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
5.35% | |||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | State
Street Bank and Trust Company 1776 Heritage Drive North Quincy, MA 02171 |
19.63% | ||
| Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 525 Washington Blvd. 11th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
16.56% | |||
| First
Clearing, LLC 901 East Byrd Street Richmond, VA 23219 |
15.90% | |||
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Table of Contents
| Fund | Name | Percentage
of Ownership | ||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | Citibank,
N.A. 3800 CitiBank Center Tampa Building A/Floor 2 Tampa, FL 33610 |
16.23% | ||
| State
Street Bank and Trust Company 1776 Heritage Drive North Quincy, MA 02171 |
13.63% | |||
| Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 525 Washington Blvd. 11th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
12.83% | |||
| The
Bank of New York Mellon 401 Salina Street 2nd Floor Syracuse, NY 13202 |
6.13% | |||
| Deutsche
Bank Securities Inc./Cedear 1251 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 |
5.43% | |||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 525 Washington Blvd. 11th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
29.91% | ||
| State
Street Bank and Trust Company 1776 Heritage Drive North Quincy, MA 02171 |
15.38% | |||
| JPMorgan
Chase Bank, National Association 14201 Dallas Pkwy 12th Floor Dallas, TX 75240 |
6.70% | |||
| Northern
Trust Company/ United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund 50 South LaSalle Street Chicago, IL 60675 |
5.89% | |||
| The
Bank of New York Mellon 401 Salina Street 2nd Floor Syracuse, NY 13202 |
5.89% |
Potential Conflicts of Interest. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (“PNC”) has a significant economic interest in BlackRock, Inc., the parent of BFA, the Funds' investment adviser. PNC is considered to be an affiliate of
BlackRock, Inc. under the 1940 Act. Certain activities of BFA, BlackRock, Inc. and their affiliates (collectively, “BlackRock”) and PNC and its affiliates (collectively, “PNC” and together with BlackRock,
“Affiliates”), with respect to the Funds and/or other accounts managed by BlackRock or PNC, may give rise to actual or perceived conflicts of interest such as those described below.
BlackRock is one of the world's largest asset management
firms. PNC is a diversified financial services organization spanning the retail, business and corporate markets. BlackRock and PNC are affiliates of one another under the 1940 Act. BlackRock and PNC and their respective affiliates (including, for
these purposes, their directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees), including the entities and personnel who may be involved in the investment activities and business operations of a Fund, are engaged worldwide in
businesses, including equity, fixed-income, cash management and alternative investments. These are considerations of which investors in a Fund should be aware, and which may cause
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conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders.
These activities and interests include potential multiple advisory, transactional, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments that may be purchased or sold by a Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates have proprietary interests in,
and may manage or advise with respect to, accounts or funds (including separate accounts and other funds and collective investment vehicles) that have investment objectives similar to those of a Fund and/or that engage in transactions in the same
types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. One or more Affiliates are also major participants in the global currency, equities, swap and fixed-income markets, in each case both on a proprietary basis and for the accounts of
customers. As such, one or more Affiliates are or may be actively engaged in transactions in the same securities, currencies, and instruments in which a Fund invests. Such activities could affect the prices and availability of the securities,
currencies, and instruments in which a Fund invests, which could have an adverse impact on the Fund's performance. Such transactions, particularly in respect of most proprietary accounts or customer accounts, will be executed independently of a
Fund's transactions and thus at prices or rates that may be more or less favorable than those obtained by the Fund. When BlackRock and its Affiliates purchase or sell the same assets for their managed accounts, including a Fund, the assets actually
purchased or sold may be allocated among the accounts on a basis determined in their good faith discretion to be equitable. In some cases, this system may adversely affect the amount or price of the assets purchased or sold for a Fund. In addition,
transactions in investments by one or more other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of a Fund, particularly, but not limited to,
with respect to small capitalization, emerging market or less liquid strategies. This may occur when investment decisions regarding a Fund are based on research or other information that is also used to support decisions for other accounts. When
BlackRock or its Affiliates implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of another account ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar decisions or strategies for a Fund, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other factors could result
in the Fund receiving less favorable trading results and the costs of implementing such decisions or strategies could be increased or the Fund could otherwise be disadvantaged. BlackRock or its Affiliates may, in certain cases, elect to implement
internal policies and procedures designed to limit such consequences, which may cause a Fund to be unable to engage in certain activities, including purchasing or disposing of securities, when it might otherwise be desirable for it to do so.
Conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions regarding
a Fund may benefit other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position by a Fund may impair the price of the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) one or
more Affiliates or their other accounts, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security by a Fund may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) one or more Affiliates or their other
accounts.
In certain circumstances, BFA, on behalf of a
Fund, may seek to buy from or sell securities to another fund or account advised by BFA or an affiliate. BFA may (but is not required to) effect purchases and sales between BFA clients or clients of affiliates (“cross trades”), including
a Fund, if BFA believes such transactions are appropriate based on each party's investment objectives and guidelines, subject to applicable law and regulation. There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to these
transactions which could limit BFA’s decision to engage in these transactions for a Fund. BFA may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions. On any occasion when a Fund
participates in a cross trade, BFA will comply with procedures adopted pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and applicable SEC guidance.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their clients may pursue or
enforce rights with respect to an issuer in which a Fund has invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Fund. As a result, prices, availability, liquidity and terms of a Fund's investments may be negatively impacted by the
activities of BlackRock or its Affiliates or their clients, and transactions for the Fund may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.
The results of a Fund's investment activities may differ
significantly from the results achieved by BlackRock and its Affiliates for their proprietary accounts or other accounts (including investment companies or collective investment vehicles) managed or advised by them. It is possible that one or more
Affiliate-managed accounts and such other accounts will achieve investment results that are substantially more or less favorable than the results achieved by a Fund. Moreover, it is possible that a Fund will sustain losses during periods in which
one or more Affiliate-managed accounts achieve significant profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible. The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their proprietary accounts and
accounts under their management may also limit the investment opportunities
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for
a Fund in certain emerging and other markets in which limitations are imposed upon the amount of investment, in the aggregate or in individual issuers, by affiliated foreign investors.
From time to time, a Fund's activities may also be restricted
because of regulatory restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. As a result, there may be periods, for example, when BlackRock, and/or one or more Affiliates, will
not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions in certain securities or instruments with respect to which BlackRock and/or one or more Affiliates are performing services or when position limits have been reached.
In connection with its management of a Fund, BlackRock may
have access to certain fundamental analysis and proprietary technical models developed by one or more Affiliates. BlackRock will not be under any obligation, however, to effect transactions on behalf of a Fund in accordance with such analysis and
models. In addition, neither BlackRock nor any of its Affiliates will have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by
them, for the benefit of the management of a Fund and it is not anticipated that BlackRock will have access to such information for the purpose of managing the Fund. The proprietary activities or portfolio strategies of BlackRock and its Affiliates,
or the activities or strategies used for accounts managed by them or other customer accounts could conflict with the transactions and strategies employed by BlackRock in managing a Fund.
A Fund may be included in investment models developed by BFA
and its affiliates for use by clients and financial advisors. The price, availability and liquidity of a Fund may be impacted by purchases and redemptions of a Fund by model-driven investment portfolios.
In addition, certain principals and certain employees of
BlackRock are also principals or employees of Affiliates. As a result, the performance by these principals and employees of their obligations to such other entities may be a consideration of which investors in a Fund should be aware.
BlackRock may enter into transactions and invest in
securities, instruments and currencies on behalf of a Fund in which customers of BlackRock or its Affiliates, or, to the extent permitted by the SEC, BlackRock or another Affiliate, serves as the counterparty, principal or issuer. In such cases,
such party's interests in the transaction will be adverse to the interests of the Fund, and such party may have no incentive to assure that the Fund obtains the best possible prices or terms in connection with the transactions. In addition, the
purchase, holding and sale of such investments by a Fund may enhance the profitability of BlackRock or its Affiliates. One or more Affiliates may also create, write or issue derivatives for their customers, the underlying securities, currencies or
instruments of which may be those in which a Fund invests or which may be based on the performance of the Fund. A Fund may, subject to applicable law, purchase investments that are the subject of an underwriting or other distribution by one or more
Affiliates and may also enter into transactions with other clients of an Affiliate where such other clients have interests adverse to those of the Fund.
At times, these activities may cause departments of BlackRock
or its Affiliates to give advice to clients that may cause these clients to take actions adverse to the interests of the Fund. To the extent affiliated transactions are permitted, a Fund will deal with BlackRock and its Affiliates on an arms-length
basis. BlackRock or its Affiliates may also have an ownership interest in certain trading or information systems used by a Fund. A Fund's use of such trading or information systems may enhance the profitability of BlackRock and its Affiliates.
One or more Affiliates may act as broker, dealer, agent,
lender or adviser or in other commercial capacities for a Fund. It is anticipated that the commissions, mark-ups, mark-downs, financial advisory fees, underwriting and placement fees, sales fees, financing and commitment fees, brokerage fees, other
fees, compensation or profits, rates, terms and conditions charged by an Affiliate will be in its view commercially reasonable, although each Affiliate, including its sales personnel, will have an interest in obtaining fees and other amounts that
are favorable to the Affiliate and such sales personnel.
Subject to applicable law, the Affiliates (and their personnel
and other distributors) will be entitled to retain fees and other amounts that they receive in connection with their service to the Funds as broker, dealer, agent, lender, adviser or in other commercial capacities and no accounting to the Funds or
their respective shareholders will be required, and no fees or other compensation payable by the Funds or their respective shareholders will be reduced by reason of receipt by an Affiliate of any such fees or other amounts.
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When an Affiliate acts as broker, dealer, agent, adviser or in
other commercial capacities in relation to the Funds, the Affiliate may take commercial steps in its own interests, which may have an adverse effect on the Funds. A Fund will be required to establish business relationships with its counterparties
based on the Fund's own credit standing. Neither BlackRock nor any of the Affiliates will have any obligation to allow their credit to be used in connection with a Fund's establishment of its business relationships, nor is it expected that the
Fund's counterparties will rely on the credit of BlackRock or any of the Affiliates in evaluating the Fund's creditworthiness.
Lending on behalf of a Fund is done by BTC pursuant to SEC
exemptive relief, enabling BTC to act as securities lending agent to, and receive a share of securities lending revenues from, a Fund. BFA may also receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of the cash collateral from securities lending.
There is a potential conflict of interest in that BTC as a lending agent may have an incentive to increase the amount of securities on loan or to lend riskier assets in order to generate additional revenue for BTC and its affiliates. However,
BTC’s SEC exemptive relief sets forth certain conditions designed to assist in mitigating such conflicts of interest.
Purchases and sales of securities for a Fund may be bunched or
aggregated with orders for other BlackRock client accounts. BlackRock, however, is not required to bunch or aggregate orders if portfolio management decisions for different accounts are made separately, or if it determines that bunching or
aggregating is not practicable or required, or in cases involving client direction.
Prevailing trading activity frequently may make impossible the
receipt of the same price or execution on the entire volume of securities purchased or sold. When this occurs, the various prices may be averaged, and the Funds will be charged or credited with the average price. Thus, the effect of the aggregation
may operate on some occasions to the disadvantage of the Funds. In addition, under certain circumstances, the Funds will not be charged the same commission or commission equivalent rates in connection with a bunched or aggregated order.
BlackRock may select brokers (including, without limitation,
Affiliates) that furnish BlackRock, the Funds, other BlackRock client accounts or other Affiliates or personnel, directly or through correspondent relationships, with research or other appropriate services which provide, in BlackRock's view,
appropriate assistance to BlackRock in the investment decision-making process (including with respect to futures, fixed-price offerings and over-the-counter transactions). Such research or other services may include, to the extent permitted by law,
research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; proxy analysis; trade industry seminars; computer data bases; research-oriented software and other services and products. Research or
other services obtained in this manner may be used in servicing any or all of the Funds and other BlackRock client accounts, including in connection with BlackRock client accounts other than those that pay commissions to the broker relating to the
research or other service arrangements. Such products and services may disproportionately benefit other BlackRock client accounts relative to the Funds based on the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Funds and such other BlackRock client
accounts. For example, research or other services that are paid for through one client's commissions may not be used in managing that client's account. In addition, other BlackRock client accounts may receive the benefit, including disproportionate
benefits, of economies of scale or price discounts in connection with products and services that may be provided to the Funds and to such other BlackRock client accounts. To the extent that BlackRock uses soft dollars, it will not have to pay for
those products and services itself.
BlackRock may
receive research that is bundled with the trade execution, clearing, and/or settlement services provided by a particular broker-dealer. To the extent that BlackRock receives research on this basis, many of the same conflicts related to traditional
soft dollars may exist. For example, the research effectively will be paid by client commissions that also will be used to pay for the execution, clearing, and settlement services provided by the broker-dealer and will not be paid by
BlackRock.
BlackRock may endeavor to execute trades
through brokers who, pursuant to such arrangements, provide research or other services in order to ensure the continued receipt of research or other services BlackRock believes are useful in its investment decision-making process. BlackRock may from
time to time choose not to engage in the above described arrangements to varying degrees. BlackRock may also enter into commission sharing arrangements under which BlackRock may execute transactions through a broker-dealer, including, where
permitted, an Affiliate, and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to BlackRock. To the extent that BlackRock engages in commission sharing arrangements,
many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist.
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BlackRock may utilize certain electronic crossing networks
(“ECNs”) in executing client securities transactions for certain types of securities. These ECNs may charge fees for their services, including access fees and transaction fees. The transaction fees, which are similar to commissions
or mark-ups/mark-downs, will generally be charged to clients and, like commissions and mark-ups/mark-downs, would generally be included in the cost of the securities purchased. Access fees may be paid by BlackRock even though incurred in connection
with executing transactions on behalf of clients, including the Funds. In certain circumstances, ECNs may offer volume discounts that will reduce the access fees typically paid by BlackRock. BlackRock will only utilize ECNs consistent with its
obligation to seek to obtain best execution in client transactions.
BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to
prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Funds, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with BlackRock's fiduciary obligations to its
clients. Nevertheless, notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of BlackRock may have the effect of favoring the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of BlackRock and/or
its Affiliates, provided that BlackRock believes such voting decisions to be in accordance with its fiduciary obligations. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the Proxy Voting
Policy section of this SAI.
It is also possible
that, from time to time, BlackRock or its Affiliates may, although they are not required to, purchase and hold shares of a Fund. Increasing a Fund's assets may enhance liquidity, investment flexibility and diversification and may contribute to
economies of scale that tend to reduce the Fund's expense ratio. BlackRock and its Affiliates reserve the right to sell or redeem at any time some or all of the shares of a Fund acquired for their own accounts. A large sale or redemption of shares
of a Fund by BlackRock or its Affiliates could significantly reduce the asset size of the Fund, which might have an adverse effect on the Fund's liquidity, investment flexibility, portfolio diversification and expense ratio. BlackRock will consider
the effect of redemptions on a Fund and other shareholders in deciding whether to redeem its shares.
It is possible that a Fund may invest in securities of
companies with which an Affiliate has or is trying to develop investment banking relationships as well as securities of entities in which BlackRock or its Affiliates has significant debt or equity investments or in which an Affiliate makes a market.
A Fund also may invest in securities of companies to which an Affiliate provides or may someday provide research coverage. Such investments could cause conflicts between the interests of a Fund and the interests of BlackRock, other clients of
BlackRock or its Affiliates. In making investment decisions for a Fund, BlackRock is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information acquired by any division, department or Affiliate of BlackRock in the course of these activities. In
addition, from time to time, the activities of an Affiliate may limit a Fund's flexibility in purchases and sales of securities. When an Affiliate is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of an entity, BlackRock may be
prohibited from purchasing or recommending the purchase of certain securities of that entity for a Fund. As indicated below, BlackRock or its Affiliates may engage in transactions with companies in which BlackRock-advised funds or other clients have
an investment.
BlackRock and Ace Limited
(“ACE”), a public company whose securities are held by BlackRock-advised funds and other accounts, partially funded the creation of a re-insurance company (“Re Co”) pursuant to which each has approximately a 9.9% ownership
interest and each has representation on the board of directors. Certain employees and executives of BlackRock will also have a less than ½ of 1% ownership interest in Re Co. BlackRock will manage the investment portfolio of Re Co, which will be
held in a wholly-owned subsidiary. Re Co will participate as a reinsurer with reinsurance contracts underwritten by subsidiaries of ACE. An independent director of certain BlackRock-advised funds also serves as an independent director of ACE and has
no interest or involvement in the Re Co transaction.
BlackRock and its Affiliates, their personnel and other
financial service providers may have interests in promoting sales of the Funds. With respect to BlackRock and its Affiliates and their personnel, the remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of the Funds or other products may
be greater than remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of certain funds or other products that might be provided or offered. BlackRock and its Affiliates and their sales personnel may directly or indirectly receive a
portion of the fees and commissions charged to the Funds or their respective shareholders. BlackRock and its advisory or other personnel may also benefit from increased amounts of assets under management. Fees and commissions may also be higher than
for other products or services, and the remuneration and profitability to BlackRock or its Affiliates and such personnel resulting from transactions on behalf of or management of the Funds may be greater than the remuneration and profitability
resulting from other funds or products.
BlackRock and
its Affiliates and their personnel may receive greater compensation or greater profit in connection with an account for which BlackRock serves as an adviser than with an account advised by an unaffiliated investment adviser.
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Differentials in compensation may be related to the fact that BlackRock may
pay a portion of its advisory fee to its Affiliate, or relate to compensation arrangements, including for portfolio management, brokerage transactions or account servicing. Any differential in compensation may create a financial incentive on the
part of BlackRock or its Affiliates and their personnel to recommend BlackRock over unaffiliated investment advisers or to effect transactions differently in one account over another.
Third parties, including service providers to BFA or a Fund,
may sponsor events (including, but not limited to, marketing and promotional activities and presentations, educational training programs and conferences) for registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors. There is a
potential conflict of interest as such sponsorships may defray the costs of such activities to BFA, and may provide an incentive to BFA to retain such third parties to provide services to a Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may provide valuation assistance
to certain clients with respect to certain securities or other investments and the valuation recommendations made for their clients' accounts may differ from the valuations for the same securities or investments assigned by a Fund's pricing vendors,
especially if such valuations are based on broker-dealer quotes or other data sources unavailable to the Fund's pricing vendors. While BlackRock will generally communicate its valuation information or determinations to a Fund's pricing vendors
and/or fund accountants, there may be instances where the Fund's pricing vendors or fund accountants assign a different valuation to a security or other investment than the valuation for such security or investment determined or recommended by
BlackRock.
As disclosed in more detail in the Determination of Net Asset Value section of each Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI, when 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 procedures adopted by the Board. When determining an asset’s “fair value,” the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) seeks to determine
the price that a Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on which the assets or liabilities are being valued and does not seek to determine the price that the Fund
might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. While fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that
BlackRock’s Pricing Group deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third-party valuation models, fair value represents only a good faith approximation
of the value of a security. The fair value of one or more securities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining a Fund’s net
asset value. As a result, a Fund’s sale or redemption of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued by BlackRock (pursuant to Board-adopted procedures) at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or
increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders and BlackRock receiving additional revenue.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, a Fund may invest
all or some of its short-term cash investments in any money market fund or similarly-managed private fund advised or managed by BlackRock. In connection with any such investments, a Fund, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, may pay its share of
expenses of a money market fund in which it invests, which may result in a Fund bearing some additional expenses.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their directors, officers and
employees, may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts, and may have conflicts of interest with respect to investments made on behalf of a Fund. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints,
positions may be taken by directors, officers, employees and Affiliates of BlackRock that are the same, different from or made at different times than positions taken for the Fund. To lessen the possibility that a Fund will be adversely affected by
this personal trading, the Fund, BFA and BlackRock each has adopted a code of ethics in compliance with Section 17(j) of the 1940 Act that restricts securities trading in the personal accounts of investment professionals and others who normally come
into possession of information regarding the Fund's portfolio transactions. Each code of ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be
obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Each code of ethics is also available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov
or by writing the SEC's Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-1520.
BlackRock and its Affiliates will not purchase securities or
other property from, or sell securities or other property to, a Fund, except that the Fund may in accordance with rules adopted under the 1940 Act engage in transactions with accounts that are affiliated with the Fund as a result of common officers,
directors, or investment advisers or pursuant to exemptive orders granted to the Funds and/or BlackRock by the SEC. These transactions would be effected in circumstances in which
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BlackRock determined that it would be appropriate for a Fund to purchase and
another client of BlackRock to sell, or the Fund to sell and another client of BlackRock to purchase, the same security or instrument on the same day. From time to time, the activities of a Fund may be restricted because of regulatory requirements
applicable to BlackRock or its Affiliates and/or BlackRock's internal policies designed to comply with, limit the applicability of, or otherwise relate to such requirements. A client not advised by BlackRock would not be subject to some of those
considerations. There may be periods when BlackRock may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise restrict or limit their advice in certain securities or instruments issued by or related to companies for which an
Affiliate is performing investment banking, market making or other services or has proprietary positions. For example, when an Affiliate is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of, or advisory services for, a company, the
Funds may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling securities of that company. Similar situations could arise if personnel of BlackRock or its Affiliates serve as directors of companies the securities of which the Funds wish to
purchase or sell. However, if permitted by applicable law, the Funds may purchase securities or instruments that are issued by such companies or are the subject of an underwriting, distribution, or advisory assignment by an Affiliate, or in cases in
which personnel of BlackRock or its Affiliates are directors or officers of the issuer.
The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their
proprietary accounts and for client accounts may also limit the investment strategies and rights of the Funds. For example, in certain regulated industries, in certain emerging or international markets, in corporate and regulatory ownership
definitions, and in certain futures and derivative transactions, there may be limits on the aggregate amount of investment by affiliated investors that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent or,
if exceeded, may cause BlackRock, the Funds or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions.
If certain aggregate ownership thresholds are reached or
certain transactions undertaken, the ability of BlackRock on behalf of clients (including the Funds) to purchase or dispose of investments, or exercise rights or undertake business transactions, may be restricted by regulation or otherwise impaired.
As a result, BlackRock, on behalf of clients (including the Funds), may limit purchases, sell existing investments, or otherwise restrict or limit the exercise of rights (including voting rights) when BlackRock, in its sole discretion, deems it
appropriate in light of potential regulatory or other restrictions on ownership or other consequences resulting from reaching investment thresholds.
In those circumstances where ownership thresholds or
limitations must be observed, BlackRock seeks to allocate limited investment opportunities equitably among clients (including the Funds), taking into consideration benchmark weight and investment strategy. When ownership in certain securities nears
an applicable threshold, BlackRock may limit purchases in such securities to the issuer's weighting in the applicable benchmark used by BlackRock to manage a Fund. If client (including Fund) holdings of an issuer exceed an applicable threshold and
BlackRock is unable to obtain relief to enable the continued holding of such investments, it may be necessary to sell down these positions to meet the applicable limitations. In these cases, benchmark overweight positions will be sold prior to
benchmark positions being reduced to meet applicable limitations.
In addition to the foregoing, other ownership thresholds may
trigger reporting requirements to governmental and regulatory authorities, and such reports may entail the disclosure of the identity of a client or BlackRock’s intended strategy with respect to such security or asset.
To the extent permitted by applicable laws, BlackRock and its
Affiliates may maintain securities indexes as part of their product offerings. Index based funds seek to track the performance of securities indexes and may use the name of the index in the fund name. Index providers, including BlackRock and its
Affiliates may be paid licensing fees for use of their index or index name. BlackRock and its Affiliates will not be obligated to license their indexes to BlackRock, and BlackRock cannot be assured that the terms of any index licensing agreement
with BlackRock and its Affiliates will be as favorable as those terms offered to other index licensees.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may serve as Authorized
Participants in the creation and redemption of exchange-traded funds, including funds advised by Affiliates of BlackRock. As described in greater detail in the Creations and
Redemptions section of each Prospectus, BlackRock and its Affiliates may therefore be deemed to be participants in a distribution of iShares funds that could render them statutory underwriters.
BlackRock may enter into contractual arrangements with third
party service providers to a Fund (e.g., custodians and administrators) pursuant to which BlackRock receives fee discounts or concessions in recognition of BlackRock’s overall relationship with such
service providers. To the extent that BlackRock is responsible for paying these service providers out of
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its
management fee, the benefits of any such fee discounts or concessions may accrue, in whole or in part, to BlackRock. BlackRock will disclose any material benefits it receives as a result of such fee discounts or concessions to the Board.
Present and future activities of BlackRock and its Affiliates,
including BFA, in addition to those described in this section, may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.
Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution
Services
Investment Adviser. BFA serves as investment adviser to each Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Company, on behalf of each Fund, and BFA. BFA is a California corporation indirectly owned by BlackRock, Inc.,
and is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, BFA, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of each
Fund, manages and administers the Company and the investment of each Fund's assets. BFA is responsible for placing purchase and sale orders and providing continuous supervision of the investment portfolio of each Fund.
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, BFA may from
time to time, in its sole discretion to the extent permitted by applicable law, appoint one or more sub-advisers, including, without limitation, affiliates of BFA, to perform investment advisory or other services with respect to the Fund. In
addition, BFA may delegate certain of its investment advisory functions under the Investment Advisory Agreement to one or more of its affiliates to the extent permitted by applicable law. BFA may terminate any or all sub-advisers or such delegation
arrangements in its sole discretion upon appropriate notice at any time to the extent permitted by applicable law.
BFA is responsible, under the Investment Advisory Agreement,
for substantially all expenses of the Funds, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services, except interest expense, taxes, brokerage expenses, distribution fees or expenses and extraordinary
expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the
iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, BFA will be paid a management fee from the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at the annual rate of 0.18%. Because the Fund has been in operation for less than one full
fiscal year, this percentage reflects the rate at which BFA will be paid.
For its investment advisory services to the iShares MSCI
Colombia Capped ETF, BFA will be paid a management fee from the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at the annual rate of 0.61%. Because the Fund has been in operation for less than one full fiscal year, this
percentage reflects the rate at which BFA will be paid.
For its investment advisory services to the iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, BFA will be paid a management fee from the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at the annual rate of 0.79%. Because the Fund has been in
operation for less than one full fiscal year, this percentage reflects the rate at which BFA will be paid.
For its investment advisory services to certain of the Funds
included in this SAI, BFA is entitled to receive a management fee from such Funds corresponding to each of the Fund's allocable portion of an aggregate management fee based on the aggregate average daily net assets of the following iShares funds:
iShares MSCI All Peru Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI China ETF, iShares MSCI China Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Indonesia ETF, iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF,
iShares MSCI Philippines ETF, iShares MSCI Poland Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Qatar Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, iShares MSCI Thailand Capped
ETF, iShares MSCI Turkey ETF and iShares MSCI UAE Capped ETF. The aggregate management fee is calculated as follows: 0.74% per annum of the aggregate net assets less than or equal to $2.0 billion, plus 0.69% per annum of the aggregate net assets
over $2.0 billion, up to and including $4.0 billion, plus 0.64% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $4.0 billion, up to and including $8.0 billion, plus 0.57% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $8.0 billion, up to and including $16.0
billion, plus 0.51% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $16.0 billion, up to and including $32.0 billion, plus 0.45% per annum of the aggregate net assets in excess of $32.0 billion.
For its investment advisory services to certain of the Funds
included in this SAI, BFA is entitled to receive a management fee from such Fund corresponding to the Fund's allocable portion of an aggregate management fee based on the aggregate
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average daily net assets of the following iShares funds: iShares MSCI All
Country Asia ex Japan ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF. Effective July 1, 2014, the aggregate management fee is calculated as follows: 0.75% per annum of the aggregate net assets less than or equal to $14.0
billion, plus 0.68% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $14.0 billion, up to and including $28.0 billion, plus 0.61% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $28.0 billion, up to and including $42.0 billion, plus 0.54% per annum of the
aggregate net assets over $42.0 billion, up to and including $56.0 billion, plus 0.47% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $56.0 billion, up to and including $70.0 billion, plus 0.41% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $70.0 billion,
up to and including $84.0 billion, plus 0.35% per annum of the aggregate net assets in excess of $84.0 billion.
For its investment advisory services to certain of the Funds
included in this SAI, BFA is entitled to receive a management fee from such Funds corresponding to each of the Fund's allocable portion of an aggregate management fee based on the aggregate average daily net assets of the following iShares funds:
iShares MSCI Australia ETF, iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Canada ETF, iShares MSCI EMU ETF, iShares MSCI France ETF, iShares MSCI Germany ETF, iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, iShares MSCI Ireland Capped
ETF, iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, iShares MSCI New Zealand Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Singapore ETF,
iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF and iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF. Effective July 1, 2014, the aggregate management fee is calculated as follows: 0.59% per annum of the aggregate net
assets less than or equal to $7.0 billion, plus 0.54% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $7.0 billion, up to and including $11.0 billion, plus 0.49% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $11.0 billion, up to and including $24.0 billion,
plus 0.44% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $24.0 billion, up to and including $48.0 billion, plus 0.40% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $48.0 billion, up to and including $72.0 billion, plus 0.36% per annum of the aggregate net
assets in excess of $72.0 billion.
For its investment
advisory services to certain of the Funds included in this SAI, BFA is entitled to receive a management fee from such Funds corresponding to each of the Fund’s allocable portion of an aggregate management fee based on the aggregate average
daily net assets of the following iShares funds: iShares Human Rights ETF, iShares MSCI ACWI ETF, iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF, iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and iShares MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility
ETF. Effective July 1, 2014, the aggregate management fee is calculated as follows: 0.35% per annum of the aggregate net assets less than or equal to $30.0 billion, plus 0.32% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $30.0 billion, up to and
including $60.0 billion, plus 0.28% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $60.0 billion, up to and including $90.0 billion, plus 0.252% per annum of the aggregate net assets in excess of $90.0 billion.
For its investment management services to each Fund, BFA
received a management fee at the annual rates (as a percentage of each Fund’s average net assets) set forth below for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The following table sets forth the management fees paid by
each Fund to BFA for the fiscal years noted:
| Fund | Management
Fee for the Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Fund
Inception Date |
Management
Fees Paid For Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Management
Fees Paid For Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2013 |
Management
Fees Paid For Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2012 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF1 | 0.18% | 10/18/12 | $ 6,606,028 | $ 1,376,356 | N/A | |||||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF2 | 0.33% | 10/18/11 | 3,757,055 | 2,816,648 | $ 538,193 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | 0.62% | 07/10/00 | 29,033,197 | 47,012,111 | 55,389,902 | |||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | 0.68% | 11/12/07 | 2,950,620 | 4,460,564 | 5,399,206 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | 0.62% | 11/12/07 | 2,104,233 | 3,237,806 | 3,655,560 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | 0.61% | 06/18/13 | 129,378 | 19,007 | N/A | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF3 | 0.68% | 02/08/12 | 296,354 | 481,059 | 64,202 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | 0.67% | 02/08/12 | 34,904 | 16,966 | 31,777 |
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| Fund | Management
Fee for the Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Fund
Inception Date |
Management
Fees Paid For Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Management
Fees Paid For Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2013 |
Management
Fees Paid For Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2012 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF4 | 0.68% | 01/18/12 | 66,881 | 46,239 | 31,766 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | 0.67% | 02/08/12 | 12,636 | 13,558 | 28,472 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF5 | 0.68% | 04/07/03 | 258,410,222 | 281,065,191 | 238,711,967 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF6 | 0.68% | 02/08/12 | 37,510 | 24,208 | 39,428 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF7 | 0.67% | 10/18/11 | 15,031,499 | 9,484,500 | 726,408 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | 0.67% | 08/16/11 | 247,131 | 133,724 | 246,547 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF8 | 0.68% | 02/08/12 | 123,624 | 68,841 | 36,290 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | 0.79% | 09/12/12 | 4,380,187 | 690,651 | N/A | |||||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF9 | 0.39% | 01/31/12 | 162,274 | 81,354 | 11,217 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | 0.39% | 01/31/12 | 21,673 | 18,793 | 10,385 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF10 | 0.39% | 01/31/12 | 670,187 | 884,095 | 6,435 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | 0.48% | 03/12/96 | 3,846,410 | 4,872,823 | 4,728,077 | |||||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | 0.62% | 05/09/00 | 26,444,377 | 19,187,742 | 19,188,641 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 0.62% | 06/20/00 | 18,110,836 | 15,871,664 | 14,284,338 |
| 1 | For the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in an amount equal to the Fund’s pro rata share of the fees and expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments in other series of iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc., “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses,” until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA waived $116,082 and $0, respectively, of its management fees. BFA may voluntarily waive a portion of its management fee, as it determines, from time to time. Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, respectively, BFA waived $875,684 and $501,946 of its management fees. As of November 1, 2013, the voluntary waiver is no longer in effect. |
| 2 | For the iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees, in an amount equal to the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses attributable to the Fund's investments in other series of iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc., “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses,” until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012, August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA waived $6,796, $20,001 and $6,390, respectively, of its management fees. Effective September 11, 2014, BFA has contractually agreed to waive any additional portion of its management fee necessary to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.20% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012, August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA voluntarily waived $171,948, $1,136,018 and $1,493,893, respectively, of its management fees. As of September 12, 2014, the voluntary waiver is no longer in effect. |
| 3 | For the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for its investment advisory services to the Fund in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012, August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA waived $17,939, $134,414 and $82,805, respectively, of its management fees. |
| 4 | For the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for its investment advisory services to the Fund in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012, August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA waived $8,876, $12,920 and $18,687, respectively, of its management fees. |
| 5 | For the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount equal to the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses attributable to the Fund's investments in other series of iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc., “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses,” until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012, August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA waived $4,168, $0 and $0, respectively, of its management fees. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012, August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA voluntarily waived $2,966,217, $427,889 and $784,811, respectively, of its management fees. As of September 12, 2014, the voluntary waiver is no longer in effect. |
| 6 | For the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for its investment advisory services to the Fund in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012, August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA waived $11,017, $6,764 and $10,481, respectively, of its management fees. |
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| 7 | For the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for its investment advisory services to the Fund in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.25% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012, August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA waived $461,865, $5,941,097 and $9,452,759, respectively, of its management fees. |
| 8 | For the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee for its investment advisory services to the Fund in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012, August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA waived $10,140, $19,235 and $34,542, respectively, of its management fees. |
| 9 | For the iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in an amount equal to the Fund’s pro rata share of the fees and expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments in other series of iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc., “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses,” until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012, August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA waived $206, $1,448 and $2,676, respectively, of its management fees. |
| 10 | For the iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee in an amount equal to the Fund’s pro rata share of the fees and expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments in other series of iShares Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc., “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses,” until December 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2012, August 31, 2013 and August 31, 2014, BFA waived $0, $0 and $0, respectively, of its management fees. |
The investment advisory agreement with respect to each 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 applicable Fund,
provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a majority of the Board members who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable 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 each Fund is terminable without penalty, on 60 days’ notice, by the Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the applicable Fund’s outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act). The
investment advisory agreement is also terminable upon 60 days’ notice by BFA and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Each Subsidiary has entered into a separate contract with BFA
whereby BFA provides investment advisory services to each Subsidiary. BFA does not receive separate compensation from each Subsidiary for providing it with investment advisory services. Each applicable Fund pays BFA a management fee based on the
Fund's assets, including the assets invested in each Subsidiary. Each Subsidiary has also entered into separate arrangements that provide for the provision of other services to each Subsidiary (including administrative, custody, transfer agency and
other services), and BFA shall pay the costs and expenses related to the provision of those services.
Portfolio Managers. As
of August 31, 2014, the individuals named as Portfolio Managers in the Funds' Prospectuses were also primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of other iShares funds and certain other types of portfolios and/or accounts as
follows:
| Matthew Goff | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 236 | $525,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 2 | 200,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
| Diane Hsiung | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 236 | $525,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 21 | 7,750,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
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| Jennifer Hsui | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 238 | $526,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
| Greg Savage | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 302 | $590,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 89 | 45,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 12 | 1,500,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
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 constitute those indexes or through a representative sampling of the securities that constitute those indexes based on objective criteria and data. Pursuant to BFA’s policy, investment opportunities are allocated equitably
among the Funds and other portfolios and accounts. For example, under certain circumstances, an investment opportunity may be restricted due to limited supply in the market, legal constraints or other factors, in which event the investment
opportunity will be allocated equitably among those portfolios and accounts, including the Funds, seeking such investment opportunity. As a consequence, from time to time each Fund may receive a smaller allocation of an investment opportunity than
it would have if the Portfolio Managers and BFA and its affiliates did not manage other portfolios or accounts.
Like the Funds, 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 BFA or its affiliates, as applicable, for its advisory services. One or more of those other portfolios or accounts, however, may
pay BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA or its affiliates a portion of that portfolio’s or
account’s gains, or would pay BFA or its affiliates more for its services than would otherwise be the case if BFA or any of its affiliates meets or exceeds specified performance targets. By their nature, incentive-based fee arrangements could
present an incentive for BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA and each of its affiliates have an obligation to allocate resources and opportunities equitably among portfolios and accounts and intend to do so, shareholders of the Funds 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 Managers favoring
those portfolios or accounts with incentive-based fee arrangements.
The tables below show, for each Portfolio Manager, the number
of portfolios or accounts of the types set forth in the above tables and the aggregate of total assets in those portfolios or accounts with respect to which the investment management fees are based on the performance of those portfolios or
accounts as of August 31, 2014:
| Matthew Goff | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
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Table of Contents
| Diane Hsiung | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
| Jennifer Hsui | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
| Greg Savage | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
The discussion below describes the
Portfolio Managers' compensation as of August 31, 2014.
Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview
BlackRock, Inc.'s financial arrangements with its portfolio
managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of
factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock, Inc.
Base compensation. Generally,
portfolio managers receive base compensation based on their position with the firm.
Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is a function of several components: the performance of BlackRock, Inc., the performance of the portfolio manager's group within BlackRock, Inc. and the individual's performance and
contribution to the overall performance of these portfolios and BlackRock, Inc.
Distribution of Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash and BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units which vest ratably over a number of years. The BlackRock, Inc. restricted
stock units, if properly vested, will be settled in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. Typically, the cash bonus, when combined with base salary, represents more than 60% of total compensation for the portfolio managers. Paying a portion of annual
bonuses in stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year “at risk” based on BlackRock, Inc.'s ability to sustain and improve its performance over future periods.
Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards — From time to time, long-term incentive equity awards are granted to certain key employees to aid in retention, align their interests with long-term shareholder interests and motivate performance. Equity awards are
generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock.
Other Compensation Benefits.
In addition to base compensation and discretionary incentive compensation, portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:
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Incentive Savings Plans
— BlackRock, Inc. has created a variety of incentive savings plans in which BlackRock, Inc. employees are eligible to participate, including a 401(k) plan, the BlackRock Retirement Savings Plan (“RSP”), and the BlackRock Employee
Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”). The employer contribution components of the RSP include a company match equal to 50% of the first 8% of eligible pay contributed to the plan capped at $5,000 per year, and a company retirement contribution
equal to 3-5% of eligible compensation up to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) limit ($260,000 for 2014). The RSP offers a range of investment options, including registered investment companies and collective investment funds
managed by the firm. BlackRock, Inc. contributions follow the investment direction set by participants for their own contributions or, absent participant investment direction, are invested into an index target date fund that corresponds to, or is
closest to, the year in which the participant attains age 65. The ESPP allows for investment in BlackRock, Inc. common stock at a 5% discount on the fair market value of the stock on the purchase date. Annual participation in the ESPP is limited to
the purchase of 1,000 shares of common stock or a dollar value of $25,000 based on its fair market value on the Purchase Date. Matthew Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage are each eligible to participate in these plans.
As of August 31, 2014, the Portfolio Managers beneficially
owned shares of the Funds, for which they are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management, in the amounts reflected in the following tables:
| Matthew Goff | |||||||||||||||
| 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 Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
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| Diane Hsiung | |||||||||||||||
| 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 Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| Jennifer Hsui | |||||||||||||||
| 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 Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
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| Jennifer Hsui | |||||||||||||||
| 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 MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| Greg Savage | |||||||||||||||
| 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 Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | X | ||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
Codes of Ethics. The
Company, BFA and the Distributor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of 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 Funds. The codes of ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.
Anti-Money Laundering Requirements. The Funds are subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the “Patriot Act”). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other
illicit activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, a Fund may request information from Authorized Participants to enable it to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its Authorized Participants. This information
will be used to verify the identity of Authorized Participants or, in some cases, the status of financial professionals; it will be used only for compliance with the requirements of the Patriot Act.
The Funds reserve the right to reject purchase orders from
persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. Each Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in a Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the
Funds' policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.
Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Funds under the Master Services Agreement and related Service Schedule (the
“Service Module”). State Street’s principal address is 1 Iron Street, Boston, MA 02210. Pursuant to the Service Module for Fund Administration and Accounting Services with the Company, State Street provides necessary
administrative, legal, tax and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Company and each Fund. In addition, State Street makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to
provide such services. Pursuant to the Service Module for Custodial Services with the Company, State Street maintains, in separate accounts, cash, securities and other assets of the Company and each Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records and
provides other services. State Street is required, upon the order of the Company, to deliver securities held by State Street and to make payments for securities purchased by the Company for each Fund. State Street is authorized to appoint certain
foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. Pursuant to the Service Module for Transfer Agency Services with the Company, State Street acts as a transfer agent for each Fund’s authorized and
issued shares of beneficial interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Company. As compensation for these services, State Street receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid
monthly by BFA from its management fee.
The
following table sets forth the administration, custodian and transfer agency expenses of each Fund paid by BFA to State Street for the fiscal years noted:
| Fund | Fund
Inception Date |
Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2013 |
Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2012 | ||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 10/18/12 | $1,465,620 | $ 412,062 | N/A | ||||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | 10/18/11 | 127,080 | 87,071 | $ 38,593 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | 07/10/00 | 919,967 | 1,386,926 | 2,201,629 | ||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | 11/12/07 | 176,744 | 238,562 | 327,518 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | 11/12/07 | 760,304 | 1,086,999 | 1,218,196 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | 06/18/13 | 105,161 | 15,246 | N/A | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | 02/08/12 | 14,813 | 36,171 | 22,673 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | 02/08/12 | 10,330 | 5,362 | 9,079 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | 01/18/12 | 52,125 | 14,924 | 15,028 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | 02/08/12 | 12,548 | 5,974 | 10,666 |
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Table of Contents
| Fund | Fund
Inception Date |
Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2013 |
Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2012 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 04/07/03 | 12,892,794 | 13,283,559 | 11,972,729 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | 02/08/12 | 30,760 | 26,034 | 26,886 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | 10/18/11 | 1,127,202 | 737,475 | 91,139 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | 08/16/11 | 55,099 | 45,384 | 50,003 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | 02/08/12 | 50,200 | 30,528 | 26,686 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | 09/12/12 | 2,645,084 | 425,841 | N/A | ||||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | 01/31/12 | 27,334 | 12,441 | 11,700 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | 01/31/12 | 11,668 | 6,093 | 12,779 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | 01/31/12 | 53,841 | 42,352 | 14,747 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | 03/12/96 | 224,810 | 250,626 | 354,845 | ||||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | 05/09/00 | 915,327 | 696,983 | 656,330 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 06/20/00 | 696,950 | 674,661 | 721,934 |
Subsidiary Administrator. International Financial Services Limited (“IFS”) serves as each Subsidiary's Mauritius administrator. Pursuant to an agreement with IFS, each Subsidiary pays a fee for administrative, legal, tax and
accounting services to IFS, for certain shareholder services and for providing office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services to each Subsidiary.
Distributor. The
Distributor's principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Funds through the Distributor or its agent only in Creation Units, as described in the applicable Prospectus and below
in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
section of this SAI. Fund shares in amounts less than Creation Units are generally not distributed by the Distributor or its agent. The Distributor or its agent will arrange for the delivery of the applicable
Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it or its agents and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it or its agents. The Distributor is a broker-dealer
registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
The Distribution Agreement for each 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 following (i) the vote of a majority of the Independent Directors, or (ii) the 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 Units of Fund shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as described below), DTC participants and/or investor services organizations.
BFA or its affiliates 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.
The Distributor has served as the Funds' distributor since
April 1, 2012. Prior to that date, SEI Investments Distribution Co. (“SEI”), located at One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456, served as the distributor to the Funds. The following table sets forth the compensation paid by BFA to SEI
for certain services, not primarily intended to result in the sale of Fund shares, provided to each Fund during the fiscal years noted:
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Table of Contents
| Fund | Fund
Inception Date |
Distributor
Compensation Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 20141 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 20131 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From April 1, 2012 to August 31, 20121 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From September 1, 2011 to March 31, 20122 | ||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 10/18/12 | $6,438 | $ 7,166 | N/A | N/A | ||||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | 10/18/11 | 6,438 | 7,721 | $3,318 | $ 5,369 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | 07/10/00 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 6,270 | ||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | 11/12/07 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 6,270 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | 11/12/07 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 6,270 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | 06/18/13 | 6,438 | 2,094 | N/A | N/A | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | 02/08/12 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 1,712 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | 02/08/12 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 1,712 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | 01/18/12 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 2,621 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | 02/08/12 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 1,712 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 04/07/03 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 6,270 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | 02/08/12 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 1,712 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | 10/18/11 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 5,369 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | 08/16/11 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 6,270 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | 02/08/12 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 1,712 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | 09/12/12 | 6,438 | 7,721 | N/A | N/A | ||||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | 01/31/12 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 1,712 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | 01/31/12 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 1,712 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | 01/31/12 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 1,712 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | 03/12/96 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 6,270 | ||||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | 05/09/00 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 6,270 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 06/20/00 | 6,438 | 7,721 | 3,318 | 6,270 |
| 1 | BRIL serves as the distributor to the Funds effective April 1, 2012. These fees reflected payments made to SEI, acting as an agent of the Distributor. |
| 2 | SEI served as the distributor to the Funds through March 31, 2012. |
Payments by BFA and its Affiliates. BFA and/or its affiliates (“BFA Entities”) pay certain broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities
related to the Funds, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products in general. BFA Entities make these payments from their own assets and not from the assets of the Funds. Although a portion of BFA Entities’ revenue comes directly or
indirectly in part from fees paid by the Funds and other iShares funds, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, the Funds or other iShares funds. BFA Entities make payments for
Intermediaries’ participation in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Funds, or for other activities,
such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems (“Education Costs”). BFA Entities also make payments to
Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Funds or materials relating to exchange-traded products in general (“Publishing Costs”). In addition, BFA Entities make payments to Intermediaries that
make shares of the Funds and certain other iShares funds available to their clients, develop new products that feature iShares or otherwise promote the Funds and other iShares funds. BFA Entities may also reimburse expenses or make payments from
their own assets to Intermediaries or other persons in consideration of services or other activities that the BFA Entities believe may benefit the iShares business or facilitate investment in iShares funds. Payments of the type described above are
sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments.
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Table of Contents
Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the
Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about which investment
options it will recommend or make available to its clients or what services to provide for various products based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments may create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its
clients and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Funds and other iShares funds over other investments. The same conflicts of interest and financial incentives exist with respect to your salesperson or other
investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
As of March 1, 2013, BFA Entities have contractual
arrangements to make payments (in addition to payments for Education Costs or Publishing Costs) to one Intermediary, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (“FBS”). Pursuant to this special, long-term and significant arrangement (the
“Marketing Program”), FBS and certain affiliates (collectively “Fidelity”) have agreed, among other things, to actively promote iShares funds to customers and investment professionals and in advertising campaigns as the
preferred exchange-traded product, to offer certain iShares funds in certain Fidelity platforms and investment programs, in some cases at a reduced commission rate or commission free, and to provide marketing data to BFA Entities. BFA Entities have
agreed to facilitate the Marketing Program by, among other things, making certain payments to FBS for marketing and implementing certain brokerage and investment programs. Upon termination of the arrangement, the BFA Entities will make additional
payments to FBS based upon a number of criteria, including the overall success of the Marketing Program and the level of services provided by FBS during the wind-down period.
Any additions, modifications, or deletions to Intermediaries
listed above that have occurred since the date noted above are not included in the list. Further, BFA Entities make Education Costs and Publishing Costs payments to other Intermediaries that are not listed above. BFA Entities may determine to make
such payments based on any number of metrics. For example, BFA Entities may make payments at year-end or other intervals in a fixed amount, an amount based upon an Intermediary’s services at defined levels or an amount based on the
Intermediary’s net sales of one or more iShares funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed-upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. As of the date of this SAI, BFA anticipates
that the payments paid by BFA Entities in connection with the Funds, iShares funds and exchange-traded products in general will be immaterial to BFA Entities in the aggregate for the next year. Please contact your
salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by the BFA Entities to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to
encourage customers to buy shares of iShares funds.
The Funds may participate in certain market maker incentive
programs of a national securities exchange in which an affiliate of the Funds would pay a fee to the exchange used for the purpose of incentivizing one or more market makers in the securities of a Fund to enhance the liquidity and quality of the
secondary market of securities of a Fund. The fee would then be credited by the exchange to one or more market makers that meet or exceed liquidity and market quality standards with respect to the securities of a Fund. Each market maker incentive
program is subject to approval from the SEC. Any such fee payments made to an exchange will be made by an affiliate of a Fund solely for the benefit of a Fund and will not be paid from any Fund assets.
Determination of Net Asset Value
Valuation of Shares. The NAV
for each Fund is generally calculated as of the close of regular trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (currently 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each business day the NYSE is open. Valuation of securities held by a Fund is
as follows:
Equity Investments. Equity securities traded on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), separate trading boards of a securities
exchange or through a market system that provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (each, an “Exchange”) are valued using information obtained via independent pricing services, generally the Exchange closing price, or if
an Exchange closing price is not available, the last traded price on that Exchange prior to the time as of which a Fund’s assets or liabilities are valued. However, under certain circumstances, other means of determining current market value
may be used. If an equity security is traded on more than one Exchange, the current market value of the security where it is primarily traded generally will be used. In the event that there are no sales involving an equity security held by a Fund on
a day on which a Fund values such security, the prior day’s price will be used, unless, in accordance with valuation procedures
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Table of Contents
approved by the Board (the “Valuation Procedures”), BlackRock
determines in good faith that such prior day’s price no longer reflects the fair value of the security, in which case such asset would be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below).
Fixed Income Investments. In
accordance with the Valuation Procedures, fixed income securities for which market quotations are readily available are generally valued using such securities’ most recent bid prices provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market
makers, or independent third-party pricing services, each of which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market transactions for the same or similar assets to derive values. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used
with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value. Loan participation notes are generally valued at the mean of the last available
bid prices from one or more brokers or dealers as obtained from independent third-party pricing services. Certain fixed income investments, including asset-backed and mortgage-related securities, may be valued based on valuation models that consider
the estimated cash flows of each tranche of the entity, establish a benchmark yield and develop an estimated tranche specific spread to the benchmark yield based on the unique attributes of the tranche. Fixed income securities for which market
quotations are not readily available may be valued by third-party pricing services that make a valuation determination by securing transaction data (e.g., recent representative bids), credit quality information, perceived market movements, news, and other relevant information and by other methods, which may include consideration of yields or prices of securities of
comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; and general market conditions.
Options, Futures, Swaps and Other Derivatives. Exchange-traded equity options for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask prices as quoted on the Exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded. In
the event that there is no mean price available for an exchange traded equity option held by a Fund on a day on which a Fund values such option, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the value of
such option. If no such bid or ask price is available on a day on which a Fund values such option, the prior day’s price will be used, unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such prior day’s price no longer reflects the fair
value of the option in which case such option will be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below). Over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives may be valued using a mathematical model which may incorporate a number of market data factors.
Financial futures contracts and options thereon, which are traded on exchanges, are valued at their settle price as of the close of such exchanges. Swap agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon quotations from market
makers or by a pricing service in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
Underlying Funds. Shares of
underlying exchange-traded funds will be valued at their most recent closing price on an Exchange. Shares of underlying money market funds will be valued at their net asset value.
General Valuation Information.
In determining the market value of portfolio investments, a Fund may employ independent third-party pricing services, which may use, without limitation, a matrix or formula method that takes into consideration
market indexes, matrices, yield curves and other specific adjustments. This may result in the securities being valued at a price different from the price that would have been determined had the matrix or formula method not been used. All cash,
receivables and current payables are carried on a Fund’s books at their face value.
Prices obtained from independent third-party pricing services,
broker-dealers or market makers to value a Fund’s securities and other assets and liabilities are based on information available at the time a Fund values its assets and liabilities. In the event that a pricing service quotation is revised or
updated subsequent to the day on which a Fund valued such security or other asset or liability, the revised pricing service quotation generally will be applied prospectively. Such determination will be made considering pertinent facts and
circumstances surrounding the revision.
Certain types of
securities, including many fixed income securities, trade infrequently and there may be no current market transactions or recent representative bids for such securities. To the extent that prices for such securities are not reflective of current
market transactions or recent representative bids, a Fund will value such securities in good faith in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
In the event that application of the methods of valuation
discussed above result in a price for a security which is deemed not to be representative of the fair market value of such security, the security will be valued by, under the direction of or in accordance with a method specified by the Board as
reflecting fair value. All other assets and liabilities (including securities for which market quotations are not readily available) held by a Fund (including restricted securities) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board
or by BlackRock (its delegate) pursuant to the Valuation Procedures. Any assets and
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liabilities which are denominated in a foreign currency are converted into
U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers.
Certain of the securities acquired by a Fund may be traded on
foreign exchanges or OTC markets on days on which a Fund’s net asset value is not calculated. In such cases, the net asset value of a Fund’s shares may be significantly affected on days when investors can neither purchase nor redeem
shares of a Fund.
Use of fair value prices and certain
current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Fund’s NAV and the prices used in the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between a Fund’s performance and the
performance of the Underlying Index.
Fair Value. When market quotations are not readily available or are believed in good faith by BlackRock to be unreliable, a Fund’s investments are valued at fair value (“Fair Value Assets”). Fair Value Assets are
valued by BlackRock in accordance with the Valuation Procedures. BlackRock may reasonably conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if, among other things, a security or other asset or liability does not have a price
source due to its lack of trading, if BlackRock believes in good faith that a market quotation from a broker-dealer or other source is unreliable (e.g., where it varies significantly from a recent trade, or no longer reflects the fair value of the security or other asset or liability subsequent to the most recent market quotation), where the security or other asset or
liability is only thinly traded or due to the occurrence of a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. For this purpose, a “significant event” is deemed to occur if BlackRock determines, in its reasonable
business judgment, that an event has occurred after the close of trading for an asset or liability but prior to or at the time of pricing a Fund’s assets or liabilities, and that the event is likely to cause a material change to the closing
market price of the assets or liabilities held by a Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets
(e.g., ADRs, GDRs or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued. On any day the NYSE is open and a
foreign market or the primary exchange on which a foreign asset or liability is traded is closed, such asset or liability will be valued using the prior day’s price, provided that BlackRock is not aware of any significant event or other
information that would cause such price to no longer reflect the fair value of the asset or liability, in which case such asset or liability would be treated as a Fair Value Asset.
BlackRock, with input from the BlackRock Investment Strategy
Group, will submit its recommendations regarding the valuation and/or valuation methodologies for Fair Value Assets to BlackRock’s Valuation Committee. The BlackRock Valuation Committee may accept, modify or reject any recommendations. In
addition, a Fund’s accounting agent periodically endeavors to confirm the prices it receives from all third-party pricing services, index providers and broker-dealers, and, with the assistance of BlackRock, to regularly evaluate the values
assigned to the securities and other assets and liabilities held by a Fund. The pricing of all Fair Value Assets is subsequently reported to and, where appropriate, ratified by the Board.
When determining the price for a Fair Value Asset, the
BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) will seek to determine the price that a Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on
which the assets or liabilities are being valued, and does not seek to determine the price that a Fund might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to
maturity. Fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values
determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third party valuation models.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. When determining fair value of an asset, one or more of a variety of fair valuation methodologies may be used (depending on certain factors, including the asset type). For example, the asset may be priced on the basis of
the original cost of the investment or, alternatively, using proprietary or third-party models (including models that rely upon direct portfolio management pricing inputs and which reflect the significance attributed to the various factors and
assumptions being considered). Prices of actual, executed or historical transactions in the relevant asset and/or liability (or related or comparable assets and/or liabilities) or, where appropriate, an appraisal by a third party experienced in the
valuation of similar assets and/or liabilities, may also be used as a basis for establishing the fair value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or
liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining a Fund’s net asset value. As a result, a Fund’s sale or redemption of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding
or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.
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Each Fund’s annual audited financial statements, which
are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”), follow the requirements for valuation set forth in Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards
Codification Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), which defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value under US GAAP and expands financial statement disclosure requirements relating
to fair value measurements. Generally, ASC 820 and other accounting rules applicable to funds and various assets in which they invest are evolving. Such changes may adversely affect a Fund. For example, the evolution of rules governing the
determination of the fair market value of assets or liabilities to the extent such rules become more stringent would tend to increase the cost and/or reduce the availability of third-party determinations of fair market value. This may in turn
increase the costs associated with selling assets or affect their liquidity due to a Fund’s inability to obtain a third-party determination of fair market value.
Brokerage Transactions
Subject to policies established by the Board, BFA is primarily
responsible for the execution of a Fund’s portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage. BFA does not execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but seeks to obtain the best net results for the Funds, taking into
account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. While
BFA generally seeks reasonable trade execution costs, a Fund does not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available, and payment of the lowest commission or spread is not necessarily consistent with obtaining the best price and execution
in particular transactions. Subject to applicable legal requirements, BFA may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to BFA and its clients, including a Fund. In return for such services, BFA may cause a Fund to
pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if BFA determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.
In selecting brokers or dealers to execute portfolio
transactions, BFA seeks to obtain the best price and most favorable execution for a Fund and may take into account a variety of factors including: (i) the size, nature and character of the security or instrument being traded and the markets in which
it is purchased or sold; (ii) the desired timing of the transaction; (iii) BFA’s knowledge of the expected commission rates and spreads currently available; (iv) the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular security or
instrument, including any anticipated execution difficulties; (v) the full range of brokerage services provided; (vi) the broker’s or dealer’s capital; (vii) the quality of research and research services provided; (viii) the
reasonableness of the commission, dealer spread or its equivalent for the specific transaction; and (ix) BFA’s knowledge of any actual or apparent operational problems of a broker or dealer. 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, or other circumstances.
Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act (“Section 28(e)”)
permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the same transaction
in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer. This includes commissions paid on riskless principal transactions under certain conditions.
From time to time, a Fund may purchase new issues of
securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the broker may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide BFA with research services. FINRA has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of
arrangements under certain circumstances. Generally, the broker will provide research “credits” in these situations at a rate that is higher than that available for typical secondary market transactions. These arrangements may not fall
within the safe harbor of Section 28(e).
The Funds
anticipate that brokerage transactions involving foreign securities generally will be conducted primarily on the principal stock exchanges of the applicable country. Foreign equity securities may be held by the Funds in the form of depositary
receipts, or other securities convertible into foreign equity securities. Depositary receipts may be listed on stock exchanges, or traded in OTC markets in the United States or Europe, as the case may be. American Depositary Receipts, like other
securities traded in the United States, will be subject to negotiated commission rates.
OTC issues, including most fixed income securities such as
corporate debt and U.S. Government securities, are normally traded on a “net” basis without a stated commission, through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers. The Funds will primarily engage in transactions with these
dealers or deal directly with the issuer unless a better price or
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execution could be obtained by using a broker. Prices paid to a dealer with
respect to both foreign and domestic securities will generally include a “spread,” which is the difference between the prices at which the dealer is willing to purchase and sell the specific security at the time, and includes the
dealer’s normal profit.
Under the 1940 Act,
persons affiliated with a Fund and persons who are affiliated with such affiliated persons are prohibited from dealing with the Fund as principal in the purchase and sale of securities unless a permissive order allowing such transactions is obtained
from the SEC. Since transactions in the OTC market usually involve transactions with the dealers acting as principal for their own accounts, the Funds will not deal with affiliated persons, including PNC and its affiliates, in connection with such
transactions. The Funds will not purchase securities during the existence of any underwriting or selling group relating to such securities of which BFA, PNC, BRIL or any affiliated person (as defined in the 1940 Act) thereof is a member except
pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board in accordance with Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act.
Purchases of money market instruments by the Funds are made
from dealers, underwriters and issuers. The Funds do not currently expect to incur any brokerage commission expense on such transactions because money market instruments are generally traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as
principal for their own accounts without a stated commission. The price of the security, however, usually includes a profit to the dealer.
BFA may, from time to time, effect trades on behalf of and for
the account of the Funds with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with BFA, in conformity with Rule 17e-1 under 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.
Securities purchased in underwritten offerings include a fixed
amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s concession or discount. When securities are purchased or sold directly from or to an issuer, no commissions or discounts are paid.
Investment decisions for the Funds and for other investment
accounts managed by BFA and its affiliates are made independently of each other in light of differing conditions. A variety of factors will be considered in making investment allocations. These factors include: (i) investment objectives or
strategies for particular accounts, including sector, industry, country or region and capitalization weightings; (ii) tax considerations of an account; (iii) risk or investment concentration parameters for an account; (iv) supply or demand for a
security at a given price level; (v) size of available investment; (vi) cash availability and liquidity requirements for accounts; (vii) regulatory restrictions; (viii) minimum investment size of an account; (ix) relative size of account; and (x)
such other factors as may be approved by BlackRock’s general counsel. Moreover, investments may not be allocated to one client account over another based on any of the following considerations: (i) to favor one client account at the expense of
another; (ii) to generate higher fees paid by one client account over another or to produce greater performance compensation to BlackRock; (iii) to develop or enhance a relationship with a client or prospective client; (iv) to compensate a client
for past services or benefits rendered to BlackRock or to induce future services or benefits to be rendered to BlackRock; or (v) to manage or equalize investment performance among different client accounts. BFA and its affiliates may deal, trade and
invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Funds may invest.
Initial public offerings of securities may be over-subscribed
and subsequently trade at a premium in the secondary market. When BFA is given an opportunity to invest in such an initial offering or “new” or “hot” issue, the supply of securities available for client accounts is often less
than the amount of securities the accounts would otherwise take. In order to allocate these investments fairly and equitably among client accounts over time, each portfolio manager or a member of his or her respective investment team will indicate
to BFA’s trading desk their level of interest in a particular offering with respect to eligible clients’ accounts for which that team is responsible. Initial public offerings of U.S. equity securities will be identified as eligible for
particular client accounts that are managed by portfolio teams who have indicated interest in the offering based on market capitalization of the issuer of the security and the investment mandate of the client account and in the case of international
equity securities, the country where the offering is taking place and the investment mandate of the client account. Generally, shares received during the initial public offering will be allocated among participating client accounts within each
investment mandate on a pro rata basis. This pro rata allocation may result in a Fund receiving less of a particular security than if pro-ration had not occurred. All allocations of securities will be subject, where relevant, to share minimums
established for accounts and compliance constraints. In situations where supply is too limited to be allocated among all accounts for which the investment is eligible, portfolio managers may rotate such investment opportunities among one or
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more accounts so long as the rotation system provides for fair access for all
client accounts over time. Other allocation methodologies that are considered by BFA to be fair and equitable to clients may be used as well.
Because different accounts may have differing investment
objectives and policies, BFA may buy and sell the same securities at the same time for different clients based on the particular investment objective, guidelines and strategies of those accounts. For example, BFA may decide that it may be entirely
appropriate for a growth fund to sell a security at the same time a value fund is buying that security. To the extent that transactions on behalf of more than one client of BFA or its affiliates during the same period may increase the demand for
securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price. For example, sales of a security by BlackRock on behalf of one or more of its clients may decrease the market price of such security,
adversely impacting other BlackRock clients that still hold the security. If purchases or sales of securities arise for consideration at or about the same time that would involve the Funds or other clients or funds for which BFA or an affiliate act
as investment manager, transactions in such securities will be made, insofar as feasible, for the respective funds and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all.
In certain instances, BFA may find it efficient for purposes
of seeking to obtain best execution, to aggregate or “bunch” certain contemporaneous purchases or sale orders of its advisory accounts and advisory accounts of affiliates. In general, all contemporaneous trades for client accounts under
management by the same portfolio manager or investment team will be bunched in a single order if the trader believes the bunched trade would provide each client with an opportunity to achieve a more favorable execution at a potentially lower
execution cost. The costs associated with a bunched order will be shared pro rata among the clients in the bunched order. Generally, if an order for a particular portfolio manager or management team is filled at several different prices through
multiple trades, all accounts participating in the order will receive the average price (except in the case of certain international markets where average pricing is not permitted). While in some cases this practice could have a detrimental effect
upon the price or value of the security as far as the Funds are concerned, in other cases it could be beneficial to the Funds. Transactions effected by BFA or its affiliates on behalf of more than one of its clients during the same period may
increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, causing an adverse effect on price. The trader will give the bunched order to the broker-dealer that the trader has identified as being able to provide the
best execution of the order. Orders for purchase or sale of securities will be placed within a reasonable amount of time of the order receipt and bunched orders will be kept bunched only long enough to execute the order.
The table below sets forth the brokerage commissions paid by
each Fund for the fiscal years noted. Any differences in brokerage commissions paid by a Fund from year to year are due to increases or decreases in that Fund’s assets over those periods:
| Fund | Fund
Inception Date |
Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2013 |
Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2012 | ||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 10/18/12 | $ 1,734,760 | $ 1,043,502 | N/A | ||||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | 10/18/11 | 348,651 | 71,080 | $ 21,707 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | 07/10/00 | 848,728 | 1,433,628 | 745,661 | ||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | 11/12/07 | 60,924 | 91,262 | 454,612 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | 11/12/07 | 507,866 | 326,522 | 469,532 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | 06/18/13 | 19,263 | 15,658 | N/A | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | 02/08/12 | 31,590 | 120,182 | 5,255 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | 02/08/12 | 1,039 | 173 | 1,969 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | 01/18/12 | 2,634 | 604 | 830 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | 02/08/12 | 180 | 166 | 1,313 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 04/07/03 | 10,188,164 | 9,938,587 | 6,520,213 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | 02/08/12 | 1,008 | 1,815 | 2,115 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | 10/18/11 | 874,319 | 1,036,060 | 137,666 |
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| Fund | Fund
Inception Date |
Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2013 |
Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2012 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | 08/16/11 | 8,901 | 11,056 | 24,118 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | 02/08/12 | 6,507 | 3,856 | 2,140 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | 09/12/12 | 4,805,891 | 1,839,738 | N/A | ||||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | 01/31/12 | 3,180 | 1,459 | 565 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | 01/31/12 | 351 | 94 | 272 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | 01/31/12 | 24,100 | 25,493 | 8,990 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | 03/12/96 | 169,350 | 234,799 | 286,073 | ||||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | 05/09/00 | 727,654 | 643,784 | 924,271 | ||||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 06/20/00 | 362,060 | 563,909 | 819,930 |
None of the Funds paid any
brokerage commissions to BlackRock, an affiliate of BFA, or a subsidiary of BTC, during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The Funds’ purchase and sale orders for securities may
be combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that BFA or its Affiliates manage or advise and for which they have brokerage placement authority. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Funds and one or more
other accounts managed or advised by BFA or its Affiliates are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the Funds and the other accounts in a manner deemed equitable to all by BFA and its Affiliates.
In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as the Funds are 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 Funds. BFA and its Affiliates may deal, trade and invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Funds may invest. BFA and its Affiliates may, from time to time, effect trades
on behalf of and for the account of the Funds with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with BFA, 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 Funds will not deal with affiliates in principal transactions unless permitted by applicable SEC rules or regulations, or by SEC
exemptive order.
Portfolio turnover may vary from
year to year as well as within a year. High turnover rates may result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses.
The table below sets forth the portfolio turnover rates of
each Fund for the fiscal years noted:
| Fund | Fiscal
Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Fiscal
Year Ended August 31, 2013 | ||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 8% | 15% | ||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | 24% | 13% | ||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | 54% | 56% | ||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | 10% | 10% | ||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | 91% | 34% | ||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | 34% | 2% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | 33% | 174% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | 10% | 10% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | 18% | 8% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | 15% | 7% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 22% | 24% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | 26% | 64% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | 34% | 23% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | 20% | 21% |
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| Fund | Fiscal
Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Fiscal
Year Ended August 31, 2013 | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | 25% | 47% | ||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | 61% | 18% | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | 14% | 6% | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | 8% | 6% | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | 18% | 11% | ||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | 16% | 17% | ||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | 13% | 13% | ||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 11% | 21% |
Creation or redemption
transactions, to the extent consisting of cash, may require a Fund to contemporaneously transact with broker-dealers for purchases of Deposit Securities (as defined below under Fund Deposit) or sales of Fund
Securities (as defined below under Redemption of Creation Units), including any foreign exchange, as applicable. Such transactions with a particular broker-dealer may be conditioned upon the
broker-dealer’s agreement to transact at guaranteed price levels in order to reduce transaction costs the Funds would otherwise incur as a consequence of settling creation or redemption baskets in cash rather than in-kind.
Following each Fund's receipt of an order to purchase or
redeem creation or redemption baskets, to the extent such purchases or redemptions consist of a cash portion, the Fund may enter an order with a broker or dealer to purchase or sell the Deposit Securities or Fund Securities, as applicable. The terms
of such order may, depending on the timing of the transaction and certain other factors, require the broker or dealer to guarantee that a Fund will achieve execution of its order at a price at least as favorable to the Fund as the Fund’s
valuation of the Deposit Securities/Fund Securities used for purposes of calculating the NAV applied to the creation or redemption transaction giving rise to the order (the “Execution Performance Guarantee”). Such orders may be placed
with the purchasing or redeeming Authorized Participant in its capacity as a broker-dealer or with its affiliated broker-dealer. The amount payable to each Fund in respect of any Execution Performance Guarantee will depend on the results achieved by
the executing firm and will vary depending on market activity, timing and a variety of other factors.
To ensure that an Execution Performance Guarantee will be
honored on orders arising from creation transactions executed by an Authorized Participant or its affiliate as broker-dealer, an Authorized Participant is required to deposit an amount with each Fund (the “Execution Performance
Deposit”). If the broker-dealer executing the order achieves executions in market transactions at a price equal to or more favorable than a Fund’s valuation of the Deposit Securities, the Fund receives the benefit of the favorable
executions and returns to the Authorized Participant the Execution Performance Deposit. If, however, the broker-dealer executing the order is unable to achieve executions in market transactions at a price at least equal to a Fund’s valuation
of the securities, the Fund retains the portion of the Execution Performance Deposit equal to the full amount of the execution shortfall (including any taxes, brokerage commissions, foreign exchange or other costs) and may require the Authorized
Participant to deposit any additional amount required to cover the full amount of the actual Execution Performance Guarantee.
To ensure that an Execution Performance Guarantee will be
honored for brokerage orders arising from redemption transactions executed by an Authorized Participant or its affiliate as broker-dealer, an Authorized Participant agrees to pay the shortfall amount (the “Execution Performance Offset”).
If the broker-dealer executing the order achieves executions in market transactions at a price equal to or more favorable than a Fund’s valuation of the Fund Securities, the Fund receives the benefit of the favorable executions and the
Authorized Participant is not called upon to honor the Execution Performance Offset. If, however, the broker-dealer is unable to achieve executions in market transactions at a price at least equal to a Fund’s valuation of the securities, the
Fund will be entitled to the portion of the Execution Performance Offset equal to the full amount of the execution shortfall (including any taxes, brokerage commissions, foreign exchange or other costs).
The circumstances under which the Execution Performance
Guarantee will be used and the expected amount, if any, of any Execution Performance Deposit or Execution Performance Offset for a Fund will be disclosed in the procedures handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time based
on the actual experience of the Fund.
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Additional Information Concerning the Company
Capital Stock. The
Company currently is comprised of 60 series referred to as funds. Each series issues shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share. The Company has authorized and issued the following funds as separate series of capital stock: iShares
Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF,
iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Latin America Bond ETF, iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI
Australia ETF, iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Canada ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging
Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Horizon ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF, iShares MSCI EMU ETF,
iShares MSCI France ETF, iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, iShares MSCI Germany ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining
Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI Mexico
Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, iShares MSCI
Sweden ETF, iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Turkey ETF, iShares MSCI USA ETF and iShares MSCI World ETF. The Company has authorized for issuance, but is not currently
offering for sale to the public, nine additional series of shares of common stock. The Board may designate additional series of common stock and classify shares of a particular series into one or more classes of that series. The Amended and Restated
Articles of Incorporation confers upon the Board the power to establish the number of shares which constitute a Creation Unit or by resolution, restrict the redemption right to Creation Units.
Each share issued by a fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of that fund. The Company is currently authorized to issue 33.85 billion shares of common stock. The following number of shares is currently authorized for each of the funds: iShares
Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, 500 million shares;
iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF,
500 million shares; iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Latin America Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Australia ETF, 627.8
million shares; iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, 100 million shares; iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, 136.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Canada ETF, 340.2
million shares; iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, 500 million
shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 2
billion shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Horizon ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI EMU ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI France ETF, 340.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI
Germany ETF, 382.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Metals
& Mining Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, 375 million shares; iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, 295.4
million shares; iShares MSCI Japan ETF, 2.1246 billion shares; iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF, 255 million shares; iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, 255
million shares; iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI South Africa
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ETF, 400 million shares; iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, 200 million
shares; iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, 127.8 million shares; iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, 63.6 million shares; iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, 318.625 million shares; iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, 900 million shares; iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF,
200 million shares; iShares MSCI Turkey ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI USA ETF, 500 million shares; and iShares MSCI World ETF, 500 million shares. Fractional shares will not be issued. 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 fund, and in the net distributable assets of such fund on liquidation.
Shareholders are entitled to require the Company to redeem Creation Units of their shares. The Articles of Incorporation confer upon the Board the power, by resolution, to alter the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that
shares of common stock of the Company may be individually redeemable.
Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a
stockholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and the Maryland General Corporation Law. Stockholders have no cumulative voting rights with respect to their shares. Shares of all
funds vote together as a single class except that, if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund or, if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on such matter.
Under Maryland law, the Company is not required to hold an
annual meeting of stockholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Company is not to hold an annual meeting of stockholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. Under Maryland law, Directors of the Company may be
removed by vote of the stockholders.
Following the
creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of shares of a 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. A fund
cannot predict the length of time for which one or more stockholders may remain a control person of the fund.
Stockholders may make inquiries by writing to iShares, Inc.,
c/o BlackRock Investments, LLC, 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
Absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or
its staff, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the shares of a 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 or its staff, officers and directors of a fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of a 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 Company or a Fund. The Company or a Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board, or the affirmative vote of a supermajority of the shareholders of the Company or such Fund entitled to vote on termination. Although the
shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the organizational documents provide that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit. In the event of a termination
of the Company or a Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Units or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Company may make redemptions
in-kind, for cash or for a combination of cash or securities.
DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Funds. Shares of each 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 NYSE Amex Equities and FINRA. 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
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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. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such
securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications
to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Company and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Company upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Company a listing of the shares of each
Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Company shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Company 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 Company 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.
Share distributions shall be
made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Company. 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 each 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 Company 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 Company at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Company and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the
Company shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
General. The Company
issues and sells shares of each Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor or its agent, without a sales load, at a price based on each Fund's NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined
below), of an order received by the Distributor or its agent in proper form. On days when the applicable Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal, a Fund may require orders to be placed earlier in the day. The following table sets forth the
number of shares of a Fund that constitute a Creation Unit for such Fund and the value of such Creation Unit as of September 30, 2014:
| Fund | Shares
Per Creation Unit |
Value
Per Creation Unit (U.S.$) | ||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 200,000 | $10,010,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | 100,000 | 6,667,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | 50,000 | 2,175,500.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | 50,000 | 1,867,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | 50,000 | 2,126,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | 50,000 | 1,248,500.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | 50,000 | 2,924,500.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | 50,000 | 2,747,500.00 |
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| Fund | Shares
Per Creation Unit |
Value
Per Creation Unit (U.S.$) | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | 100,000 | 4,840,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | 50,000 | 1,785,500.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 450,000 | 18,783,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | 50,000 | 2,762,500.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | 100,000 | 5,980,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | 50,000 | 2,451,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | 50,000 | 2,312,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | 50,000 | 1,916,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | 50,000 | 1,327,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | 100,000 | 2,574,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | 50,000 | 915,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | 75,000 | 1,155,750.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | 50,000 | 3,050,000.00 | ||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 200,000 | 3,058,000.00 |
In its discretion, BFA reserves the
right to increase or decrease the number of a Fund’s shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of any Fund, and to make a corresponding change
in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.
A “Business Day” with respect to each 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, each Listing Exchange observes the following holidays, as observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents'
Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Fund Deposit. The
consideration for purchase of Creation Units of a Fund (except for the iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF and iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF (each, a “Cash
Fund” and collectively, the “Cash Funds”), generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) (i.e., the Deposit Securities) and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the
“Fund Deposit,” which, when combined with the Fund's portfolio securities, is designed to generate performance that has a collective investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index. The Fund Deposit represents the minimum
initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of any Fund.
The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference
between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities, and serves to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the
Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing a Creation Unit.
Each Cash Fund’s current policy is to accept cash in
substitution for the Deposit Securities it might otherwise accept as in-kind consideration for the purchase of Creation Units. A Cash Fund may, at times, elect to receive Deposit Securities (i.e., the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of
securities) and a Cash Component as consideration for the purchase of Creation Units. If a Cash Fund elects to accept Deposit Securities, a purchaser's delivery of the Deposit Securities together with the Cash Component will constitute the
“Fund Deposit,” which will represent the consideration for a Creation Unit of the Fund. The iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Colombia
Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary Sector Fund, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF, iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers
ETF, iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF and iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF (each, a “Partial Cash Fund” and collectively, the “Partial Cash
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Funds”) generally offer Creation Units partially for cash. Please see
the Cash Purchase Method section below and the following discussion summarizing the Deposit Security method for further information on purchasing Creation Units of the Funds.
BFA makes available through the NSCC on each Business Day
prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange, the list of names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information as of the
end of the previous Business Day for each Fund). Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to purchases of Creation Units of shares of a given Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made
available.
The identity and number of shares of the
Deposit Securities change pursuant to changes in the composition of a Fund's portfolio and as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by BFA with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The
composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the relevant Underlying Index.
The Funds reserve the right to permit or require the
substitution of 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 DTC. The Funds also
reserve the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which (i) the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted
under applicable securities or other local laws or (ii) 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 applicable
securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations. As noted above, Creation Units of the Cash Funds currently are available only for cash purchases.
Cash Purchase Method.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified (Creation
Units of the Cash Funds are generally offered solely for cash, while Creation Units of all other Funds in this SAI are generally offered partially for cash), they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the
case of a partial or full cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an
in-kind purchaser. The Authorized Participant will also be required to pay certain transaction fees and charges for cash purchases, as described below, and, if transacting as broker with each Fund, may be required to cover certain brokerage, tax,
foreign exchange, execution and market impact costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the Brokerage Transactions section of
this SAI.
Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a DTC Participant that has entered into an authorized participant agreement with the Distributor (an “Authorized Participant”). Such Authorized
Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of such authorized participant agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available in
advance of each purchase of shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the net asset value of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fees
described below. An Authorized Participant, acting on behalf of an investor, may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who
are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an authorized participant agreement and
that orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor. The
Company does not expect to enter into an authorized participant agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current Authorized Participants may be obtained from the Distributor. The Distributor has adopted guidelines
regarding Authorized Participants’ transactions in Creation Units that are made available to all Authorized Participants. These guidelines set forth the processes and standards for Authorized Participants to transact with the Distributor and
its agents in connection with creation and redemption transactions.
Purchase Orders. Unless
otherwise described below, to initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit to the Distributor or its agent an irrevocable order to purchase shares of a Fund, in proper form, generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern
time on any Business Day to receive that day’s NAV. The Distributor or its agent will notify BFA and the
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custodian of such order. The custodian will then provide such information to
any appropriate sub-custodian. Procedures and requirements governing the delivery of the Fund Deposit are set forth in the procedures handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time. Investors, other than Authorized
Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a creation request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request. Those placing orders to
purchase Creation Units through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor or its agent by the Cutoff Time (as defined below) on such Business Day.
The Authorized Participant must also make available on or
before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Funds, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Funds to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together
with the applicable purchase transaction fees. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit. Those placing orders should ascertain the applicable deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations
department of the broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the Cutoff Time of the Funds. Investors should be aware that an Authorized Participant may
require orders for purchases of shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual Authorized Participant.
The Authorized Participant is responsible for any and all
expenses and costs incurred by a Fund, including any applicable cash amounts, in connection with any purchase order.
Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable order to purchase shares of a Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Creation Orders must be
transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor or its agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the authorized 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 its agent or an Authorized Participant. Orders to create shares of a Fund that are submitted on the Business Day immediately
preceding a holiday or a day (other than a weekend) when the equity markets in the relevant non-U.S. market are closed may not be accepted. Each Fund's deadline specified above for the submission of purchase orders is referred to as that Fund's
“Cutoff Time.” The Distributor or its agent, in their discretion, may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or through an Authorized Participant at any time (including on days on which the Listing Exchange is not open for
business) via communication through the facilities of the Distributor's or its agent's proprietary website maintained for this purpose. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Company, will be processed based on the NAV next
determined after such acceptance in accordance with a Fund's Cutoff Times as provided in the authorized participant agreement and disclosed in this SAI.
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the Authorized Participant (either on its own or another investor's behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Funds
are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Funds will accept the order, subject to each Fund's right (and the right of the Distributor and BFA) to reject any order until acceptance, as set forth
below.
Once a Fund has accepted an order, upon
the next determination of the net asset value of the shares, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such net asset value. The Distributor or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to
the Authorized Participant that placed the order.
Each
Fund reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor or its agent 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 do not conform to the identity and number of shares specified, 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, in the discretion of the Fund or BFA, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or
(vii) circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Distributor or its agent and BFA make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Distributor or its agent shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Funds, State Street, the sub-custodian and the Distributor or its agent 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 failure to give such notification.
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In addition, the Company may exercise its right to reject any
creation order for shares of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF on any Business Day that is a
holiday in the Indian market, but not a holiday observed in the U.S. equity market, and certain other holidays during the settlement cycle for Fund shares, in order to protect Fund shareholders from any dilutive costs that may be associated with the
purchase of Deposit Securities in connection with creation orders on such days.
Issuance of a Creation Unit.
Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the applicable Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to
the custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor or its agent and BFA shall be notified of such delivery
and the applicable Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Typically, Creation Units are issued on a “T+3 basis” (i.e., three Business Days after trade date). For the iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF and iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, Creation Units typically are issued on a “T+2 basis” (i.e., two Business Days after trade date). However, as discussed in the Regular Holidays section of this SAI, each Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+2 or T+3, as applicable, in order to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, to account for different
treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (i.e., the last day the holder of a security can sell the
security and still receive dividends payable on the security) and in certain other circumstances.
To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's
agreement with the Distributor, each Fund will issue Creation Units to such Authorized Participant, notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the
Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value at least equal to 105% and up to 115%,
which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Funds' then-effective procedures. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Funds is cash in U.S. dollars.
Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the contractual settlement date. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any,
on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. Information concerning the Funds' current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor or its agent. The authorized
participant agreement will permit the Funds to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Funds of purchasing such securities and the cash
collateral.
In certain cases, Authorized Participants
may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Funds reserve the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the Authorized Participants that the creation and redemption
transactions are for separate beneficial owners. 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 each Fund and the Fund's determination shall be final and binding.
Costs Associated with Creation Transactions. A standard creation transaction fee is imposed to offset the transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee is charged on
each Creation Unit created by an Authorized Participant on the day of the transaction. The standard creation transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased, but may be
reduced by each Fund if transfer and processing expenses associated with the creation are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase consists of a cash portion, the Authorized Participant may also be required to pay an additional
transaction charge (up to the maximum amount shown below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to the creation transaction. Authorized Participants will also bear the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Funds. Investors
who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
The following table sets forth each Fund's standard creation
transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
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| Fund | Standard
Creation Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | ||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $ 15,000 | 5.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | 4,200 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | 2,400 | 7.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | 5,900 | 7.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | 3,000 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | 3,600 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | 15,000 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | 3,500 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | 5,500 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | 2,500 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 7,700 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | 14,500 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | 6,100 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | 15,000 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | 15,000 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | 6,800 | 5.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | 5,100 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | 6,100 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | 8,400 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | 5,000 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | 4,000 | 3.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 4,500 | 3.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit. |
If a
purchase consists of a cash portion and each Fund places a brokerage transaction to purchase portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be
required, in its capacity as broker-dealer with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the Brokerage Transactions section of this SAI.
Redemption of Creation Units.
Shares of a Fund may be redeemed by Authorized Participants only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor or its agent and only on
a Business Day. The Funds will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the secondary market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors
should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a Creation Unit that could be redeemed by an Authorized Participant. Beneficial owners also may sell shares in the
secondary market.
Each Cash Fund currently
redeems Creation Units solely for cash; however, each Cash Fund reserves the right to distribute securities in-kind as payment for Creation Units being redeemed. Each Partial Cash Fund generally redeems Creation Units partially for cash. Please see
the Cash Redemption Method section below and the following discussion summarizing the in-kind method for further information on redeeming Creation Units of the Funds.
With respect to each Fund, BFA makes available through the
NSCC, prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange on each Business Day, the designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) that will be applicable (subject to possible
amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”), and an amount of cash (the “Cash Amount,” as described below). Such Fund Securities and the
corresponding Cash Amount (each subject to possible amendment or correction) are applicable, in order to effect redemptions of Creation Units of a Fund until such time as the next announced composition of the Fund Securities and Cash Amount is made
available. Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. Procedures and requirements governing redemption transactions are set forth in the handbook for
Authorized Participants and may change from time to time.
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Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for a Fund,
the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities, plus the Cash Amount, which is an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after the receipt of a
redemption request in proper form, and the value of Fund Securities, less a redemption transaction fee (as described below).
The Company may, in its sole discretion, substitute a
“cash in lieu” amount to replace any Fund Security. The Company also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which: (i) the delivery of a Fund
Security to the Authorized Participant would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws; or (ii) the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Fund Security by the Authorized
Participant becoming restricted under applicable securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations. The amount of cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the substituted security listed as a Fund Security. In the
event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than 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 Cash Funds generally
redeem Creation Units solely for cash. The Partial Cash Funds generally redeem Creation Units partially for cash.
Cash Redemption Method.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified (Creation Units of the Cash Funds are generally
redeemed solely for cash and Creation Units of the Partial Cash Funds are generally redeemed partially for cash), they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions thereof. In the case of partial or full cash redemption,
the Authorized Participant receives the cash equivalent of the Fund Securities it would otherwise receive through an in-kind redemption, plus the same Cash Amount to be paid to an in-kind redeemer. The Authorized Participant will also be required to
pay certain transaction fees and charges for cash redemptions, as described below, and, if transacting as broker with each Fund, may be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution and market impact costs through an
Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the Brokerage Transactions section of this SAI.
Costs Associated with Redemption Transactions. A redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the relevant Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee is charged on each Creation Unit
redeemed by an Authorized Participant on the day of the transaction. The standard redemption transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being redeemed, but may be reduced by each
Fund if transfer and processing expenses associated with the redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a redemption consists of a cash portion, the Authorized Participant may also be required to pay an additional transaction
charge (up to the maximum amount shown below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to the redemption transaction. Authorized Participants will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from a Fund to their account on
their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to dispose of Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
The following table sets forth each Fund's standard redemption
transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
| Fund | Standard
Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | ||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $ 15,000 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | 4,200 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | 2,400 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | 5,900 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | 3,000 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF | 3,600 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | 15,000 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | 3,500 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | 5,500 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | 2,500 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 7,700 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | 14,500 | 2.0% |
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| Fund | Standard
Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | 6,100 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | 15,000 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | 15,000 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | 6,800 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | 5,100 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | 6,100 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | 8,400 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | 5,000 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | 4,000 | 2.0% | ||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 4,500 | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a redemption consists of a cash portion and each Fund
places a brokerage transaction to sell portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer with respect
to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the Brokerage Transactions section of this
SAI.
Placement of Redemption Orders. Redemption requests for Creation Units of the Funds must be submitted to the Distributor or its agent by or through an Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable request to redeem
shares of a Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an
Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request.
The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for
redemption in the form required by the Funds to the Distributor or its agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the authorized participant agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an authorized
participant agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an authorized participant agreement. At any time, only a limited number of
broker-dealers will have an authorized participant agreement in effect. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem
Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the shares to the Funds' transfer agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to
effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.
A redemption request is considered to be in “proper
form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Funds' transfer agent the Creation Unit redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Listing Exchange closing time on any
Business Day; (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the applicable Fund is received by the Distributor or its agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above; and (iii)
all other procedures set forth in the authorized participant agreement are properly followed. If the transfer agent does not receive the investor's shares through DTC's facilities by 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Business Day next following the
day that the redemption request is received, the redemption request shall be rejected. Investors should be aware that the deadline for such transfers of shares through the DTC system may be significantly earlier than the close of business on the
Listing Exchange. Those making redemption requests should ascertain the deadline applicable to transfers of shares through the DTC system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effecting the transfer of the
shares.
Upon receiving a redemption request, the
Distributor or its agent shall notify the applicable Fund and the Fund's transfer agent of such redemption request. The tender of an investor's shares for redemption and the distribution of the securities and/or cash included in the redemption
payment made in respect of Creation Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant Authorized Participant to the Beneficial Owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC
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Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may be, or by such
other means specified by the Authorized Participant submitting the redemption request.
A redeeming Beneficial Owner or Authorized Participant acting
on behalf of such Beneficial Owner must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the portfolio securities are customarily traded, to which account
such portfolio securities will be delivered.
Deliveries
of redemption proceeds by each Fund typically will be made within three Business Days (i.e., “T+3”). For the iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF and iShares MSCI
Taiwan ETF, deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within two Business Days (i.e., “T+2”). For the iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF and iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, deliveries
of redemption proceeds generally will be made within four Business Days (i.e., “T+4”). However, as discussed in the Regular Holidays section, each Fund
reserves the right to settle redemption transactions and deliver redemption proceeds on another basis to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and
dividend ex-dates (i.e., the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold) and in certain other circumstances. The Regular Holidays section hereto identifies the instances, if any, where more than seven days would be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Pursuant to an order of the SEC, the Company will make delivery of
redemption proceeds within the number of days stated in the Regular Holidays section to be the maximum number of days necessary to deliver redemption proceeds.
If neither the redeeming Beneficial Owner nor the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of such redeeming Beneficial Owner has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of Fund Securities in the applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible
to effect deliveries of Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, a Fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In such
case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the net asset value of its shares based on the NAV of the relevant Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and
additional charges specified above to offset the Fund's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal
and state securities laws and each Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund cannot lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or
cannot do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit cash
redemptions of Creation Units (except that, as noted above, Creation Units of the Partial Cash Funds generally will be redeemed partially for cash and Creation Units of the Cash Funds generally will be redeemed for cash), in the event that cash
redemptions are permitted or required by the Company, proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming shares as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven calendar days thereafter, except for the instances listed in
the Regular Holidays section in which more than seven calendar days would be needed).
To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's
agreement with the Distributor or its agent, in the event an Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to a Fund, at or prior to 10:00 a.m.,
Eastern time on the Listing Exchange business day after the date of submission of such redemption request, the Distributor or its agent will accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the
missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash, in U.S. dollars in immediately available funds, having a value at least equal to 105%
and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing shares. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the day after the date of submission of such
redemption request and shall be held by State Street and marked-to-market daily. The fees of State Street and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized
Participant. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. The authorized participant
agreement permits the Funds to acquire shares of the Funds at any time and subjects the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the aggregate of the cost to the Funds of purchasing such shares, plus the value of the Cash
Amount, and the value of the cash collateral.
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Because the portfolio securities of a Fund may trade on
exchange(s) on days that the Listing Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for such Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of such Fund, or purchase or sell shares of such Fund on the Listing Exchange on days when
the NAV of such a Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of
payment postponed with respect to any Fund: (i) for any period during which the applicable Listing Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the applicable Listing Exchange 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's portfolio securities or determination of its net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such
other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Taxation on
Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated
by taking the market value of the Creation Units purchased over the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the IRS may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon
the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units is not currently deductible. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisors.
Current U.S. federal income tax laws dictate that capital gain
or loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were
held for one year or less, if the Creation Units are held as capital assets.
Regular Holidays. For
every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable non-U.S. 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 non-U.S. market due to emergencies may also prevent the Company from delivering securities within the normal settlement period.
The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for
transferring portfolio securities to redeeming investors, coupled with non-U.S. market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days, in certain circumstances. The holidays applicable to each 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 each 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.
In calendar year 2015 (the only year for which holidays are
known at the time of filing this SAI), the dates of regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets in which a Fund invests are as follows (please note these holiday schedules are subject to potential changes in the relevant securities
markets):
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2015
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Redemptions. The longest
redemption cycle for a Fund is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries whose stocks comprise the Fund. In calendar year 2015 (the only year for which holidays are known at the time of this SAI filing), the dates of regular
holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case redemption cycles* for a Fund as follows:
| 2015 | ||||||
| Country | Trade
Date |
Settlement
Date |
Number
of Days to Settle | |||
| Australia | 12/21/15 | 12/29/15 | 8 | |||
| 12/22/15 | 12/30/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/23/15 | 01/04/16 | 12 | ||||
| China | 02/13/15 | 02/25/15 | 12 | |||
| 02/16/15 | 02/26/15 | 10 | ||||
| 02/17/15 | 02/27/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/28/15 | 10/08/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/29/15 | 10/09/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/30/15 | 10/12/15 | 12 | ||||
| Indonesia | 07/13/15 | 07/22/15 | 9 | |||
| 07/14/15 | 07/23/15 | 9 | ||||
| 07/15/15 | 07/24/15 | 9 | ||||
| Ireland | 12/22/15 | 12/30/15 | 8 | |||
| 12/23/15 | 12/31/15 | 8 | ||||
| Japan | 04/28/15 | 05/07/15 | 9 | |||
| 04/30/15 | 05/08/15 | 8 | ||||
| 05/01/15 | 05/11/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/16/15 | 09/24/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/17/15 | 09/25/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/18/15 | 09/28/15 | 11 | ||||
| The Philippines | 12/23/15 | 01/04/16 | 12 | |||
| 12/28/15 | 01/05/16 | 8 | ||||
| 12/29/15 | 01/06/16 | 8 | ||||
| Russia | 12/24/15 | 01/11/16 | 18 | |||
| 12/28/15 | 01/15/16 | 15 | ||||
| 12/29/15 | 01/18/15 | 18 | ||||
| South Africa | 03/27/15 | 04/07/15 | 11 | |||
| 03/30/15 | 04/08/15 | 9 | ||||
| 03/31/15 | 04/09/15 | 9 | ||||
| 04/01/15 | 04/10/15 | 9 | ||||
| 04/02/15 | 04/13/15 | 11 | ||||
| 04/20/15 | 04/28/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/21/15 | 04/29/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/22/15 | 04/30/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/23/15 | 05/01/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/23/15 | 05/04/15 | 11 | ||||
| 04/24/15 | 05/05/15 | 11 | ||||
| 04/28/15 | 05/06/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/29/15 | 05/07/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/30/15 | 05/08/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/09/15 | 06/17/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/10/15 | 06/18/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/11/15 | 06/19/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/12/15 | 06/22/15 | 10 | ||||
| 06/15/15 | 06/23/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/03/15 | 08/11/15 | 8 | ||||
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| 2015 | ||||||
| Country | Trade
Date |
Settlement
Date |
Number
of Days to Settle | |||
| 08/04/15 | 08/12/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/05/15 | 08/13/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/06/15 | 08/14/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/07/15 | 08/17/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/17/15 | 09/25/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/18/15 | 09/28/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/21/15 | 09/29/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/22/15 | 09/30/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/23/15 | 10/01/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/09/15 | 12/17/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/10/15 | 12/18/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/11/15 | 12/21/15 | 10 | ||||
| 12/14/15 | 12/22/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/15/15 | 12/23/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/18/15 | 12/28/15 | 10 | ||||
| 12/21/15 | 12/29/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/22/15 | 12/30/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/23/15 | 12/31/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/24/15 | 01/04/16 | 11 | ||||
| 12/28/15 | 01/05/16 | 8 | ||||
| 12/29/15 | 01/06/16 | 8 | ||||
| 12/30/15 | 01/07/16 | 8 | ||||
| 12/31/15 | 01/08/16 | 8 | ||||
| Spain | 03/30/15 | 04/07/15 | 8 | |||
| 03/31/15 | 04/08/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/01/15 | 04/09/15 | 8 | ||||
| Taiwan | 02/12/15 | 02/24/15 | 12 | |||
| 02/13/15 | 02/25/15 | 12 | ||||
| Thailand | 04/08/15 | 04/16/15 | 8 | |||
| 04/09/15 | 04/17/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/10/15 | 04/20/15 | 10 | ||||
| * | These worst-case redemption cycles are based on information regarding regular holidays, which may be out of date. Based on changes in holidays, longer (worse) redemption cycles are possible. |
Taxes
The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal
income tax considerations regarding the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of a Fund. This summary does not address all of the potential U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be applicable to a Fund or to all categories of
investors, some of which may be subject to special tax rules. Current and prospective shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of investing in a
Fund. The summary is based on the laws in effect on the date of this SAI and existing judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.
Regulated Investment Company Qualifications. Each Fund intends to continue to qualify for treatment as a separate RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, each Fund must annually distribute at least 90% of its
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 each 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 non-U.S. currencies, other income (including, but not limited to, gains from
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options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business
of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships (i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or
tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive 90% of their income from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of each Fund's taxable year,
(a) at least 50% of the market value of each 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 each Fund's
total assets may be invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, of two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the Fund and that are engaged in the
same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly-traded partnerships.
A Fund may be able to cure a failure to derive 90% of its
income from the sources specified above or a failure to diversify its holdings in the manner described above by paying a tax and/or by disposing of certain assets. If, in any taxable year, a Fund fails one of these tests and does not timely
cure the failure, that Fund will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders will not be deductible by that Fund in computing its taxable income.
Although, in general, the passive loss rules of the Internal
Revenue Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships. A Fund's investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly-traded partnerships, may
result in the Fund being subject to state, local, or non-U.S. income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.
Taxation of RICs. As a
RIC, a 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, provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. To satisfy the
minimum distribution requirement, a Fund must distribute to its shareholders at least the sum of (i) 90% of its “investment company taxable income” (i.e., income other than its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), plus or minus certain adjustments, and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year. A Fund will be
subject to income tax at regular corporate rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its shareholders. If a Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC or fails to meet the distribution requirement, 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 be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income and distributions to corporate shareholders generally should be eligible for the
dividends received deduction. Although each Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and its capital gains for each taxable year, each Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation to the extent any such
income or gains are not distributed. If a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a RIC. If a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than
two taxable years, the Fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets (i.e., the excess of the
aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been liquidated) if it qualifies as a RIC in a subsequent year.
Excise Tax. A 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 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the 12 months
ended October 31 of such year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by a Fund that is subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been distributed by year-end. In addition, the minimum
amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any underdistribution or overdistribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. Each 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.
Net Capital Loss Carryforwards. Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year, until they have been reduced to zero or until their respective expiration dates, whichever occurs
first. Capital loss carryforwards from taxable years beginning after 2010 are not subject to expiration, and short-term and long-term capital loss carryforwards from such taxable years may only be applied against net realized short-term and
long-term capital gains, respectively.
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In the event that a Fund were to experience an ownership
change as defined under the Internal Revenue Code, the loss carryforwards and other favorable tax attributes of a Fund, if any, may be subject to limitation.
The following Funds had tax basis net capital loss
carryforwards as of August 31, 2014, the tax year-end for the Funds listed:
| Fund | Non-Expiring 1 | Expiring
2015 |
Expiring
2016 |
Expiring
2017 |
Expiring
2018 |
Expiring
2019 |
Total | |||||||
| iShares
Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF |
$ 6,567,880 | — | — | — | — | — | $ 6,567,880 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF | 5,163,254 | — | — | — | — | — | 5,163,254 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF | 989,412,231 | — | — | — | $ 198,226,310 | — | 1,187,638,541 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | 141,120,103 | — | — | $ 1,540,740 | 11,268,086 | $ 7,760,558 | 161,689,487 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF | 65,990,195 | — | — | 1,886,881 | 11,712,090 | 976,991 | 80,566,157 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF | 9,289,694 | — | — | — | — | — | 9,289,694 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF | 811,736 | — | — | — | — | — | 811,736 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF | 138,849 | — | — | — | — | — | 138,849 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF | 996,570 | — | — | — | — | — | 996,570 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | 3,444,042,588 | $ 29,973,301 | $ 13,844,901 | 228,196,854 | 1,201,366,175 | 873,167,649 | 5,790,591,468 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF | 627,663 | — | — | — | — | — | 627,663 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF | 15,978,688 | — | — | — | — | — | 15,978,688 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF | 8,080,278 | — | — | — | — | — | 8,080,278 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF | 511,452 | — | — | — | — | — | 511,452 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF | 17,007 | — | — | — | — | — | 17,007 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF | 38,653 | — | — | — | — | — | 38,653 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | 1,369,119 | — | — | — | — | — | 1,369,119 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF | 13,366,759 | — | — | 60,990,953 | 226,591,665 | 78,503,704 | 379,453,081 | |||||||
| iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 48,030,508 | 64,999,586 | 16,734,578 | 343,375,145 | 363,052,013 | 19,669,958 | 855,861,788 |
| 1 | Must be utilized prior to losses subject to expiration. |
Taxation
of U.S. Shareholders. Dividends and other distributions by a Fund are generally treated under the Internal Revenue Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made.
However, any dividend or distribution declared by a Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a
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specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each
shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year and to have been paid by the Fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.
Each Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders
substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if a Fund retains for investment an amount
equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (at a maximum rate of 35%) on the amount retained. In that
event, the Fund will designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their proportionate
shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the 35% tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent
their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their shares by an amount equal to 65% of the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the
shareholder’s income. Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid by the Fund upon filing
appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.
Distributions of net realized long-term capital gains, if any,
that a Fund reports as capital gains dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. All other dividends of a Fund (including dividends from
short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits (“regular dividends”) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income, subject to the discussion of qualified dividend income below. Married couples filing
jointly with income over approximately $450,000 and unmarried individuals with income over approximately $400,000, amounts adjusted annually for inflation, are subject to a 20% tax on any income in excess of those amounts that is long-term capital
gain or qualified dividend income, and generally all other long-term capital gain is taxed at 15% (0% at certain income levels). In addition, the top marginal ordinary income tax rate is 39.6% for income in excess of the above thresholds.
If an individual receives a regular dividend qualifying for
the long-term capital gains rates and such dividend constitutes an “extraordinary dividend,” and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then
the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An “extraordinary dividend” on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the
taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period, or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock,
aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.
Distributions in excess of a 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 shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the shareholder holds shares of the
Fund as capital assets). Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of
capital. 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. Dividends paid by a Fund that are attributable to dividends received by a Fund from domestic corporations may qualify for the U.S.
federal dividends received deduction for corporations.
A
3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on net investment income, including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain from investments, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing
jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Investors
considering buying shares just prior to a dividend or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of shares purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such dividend or distribution may
nevertheless be taxable to them. If a Fund is the holder of record of any security on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such security, 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 security became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (i.e., the date on which a buyer of the security would not be entitled to receive the declared, but
unpaid, dividends); or (b) the date the Fund acquired
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such security. Accordingly, in order to satisfy its income distribution
requirements, a 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.
In certain situations, a Fund may, for a taxable year, defer
all or a portion of its net capital loss realized after October and its late-year ordinary loss (defined as the excess of a Fund’s post-October foreign currency and “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) losses
and other post-December ordinary losses over post-October foreign currency and PFIC gains and other post-December ordinary income) until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer
the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.
Sales of Shares. Upon
the sale or exchange of shares of a Fund, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder’s basis in shares of the Fund. A redemption of shares by a 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 or
capital gains distributions, or by an option on substantially identical shares 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 Fund shares 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. The Medicare contribution tax described above will apply to the sale of Fund shares.
If a shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring shares of
a Fund, disposes of those shares within 90 days and then, on or before January 31 of the following calendar year, 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 shareholders from immediately deducting the sales charge by shifting their investments within a family of mutual funds.
Back-Up Withholding. In
certain cases, a Fund will be required to withhold at a 28% rate and remit to the U.S. Treasury such amounts withheld from any distributions paid to a shareholder who: (i) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (ii) is
subject to back-up withholding by the IRS; (iii) has failed to certify to a Fund that such shareholder is not subject to back-up withholding; or (iv) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). Back-up
withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability.
Sections 351 and 362.
The Company, on behalf of each 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 Sections 351 and 362 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 a
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 Company will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Company determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to a Fund or its
shareholders. The Company also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Taxation of Certain Derivatives. A Fund’s transactions in zero coupon securities, non-U.S. currencies, forward contracts, options and futures contracts (including options and futures contracts on non-U.S. currencies), to the extent
permitted, will be subject to special provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (including provisions relating to “hedging transactions” and “straddles”) that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses
realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer Fund
losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require a Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out at
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the
end of each year) and (b) may cause a Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. Each Fund
will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any zero coupon security, non-U.S. currency, forward contract, option, futures contract or hedged
investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC.
A Fund’s investments in so-called “Section 1256
contracts,” such as regulated futures contracts, most non-U.S. currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most security indexes, are subject to special tax rules. All Section 1256 contracts held by a Fund at the
end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund’s income as if each position had been sold for its fair market value at the end of the
taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in Section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets and were not part of a
“hedging transaction” nor part of a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss,
regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund.
As a result of entering into swap contracts, a Fund may make
or receive periodic net payments. A 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). With respect to certain types of swaps, a Fund
may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss.
Qualified Dividend Income.
Distributions by a Fund of investment company taxable income (including any short-term capital gains), whether received in cash or shares, will be taxable either as ordinary income or as qualified dividend
income, which is eligible to be taxed at long-term capital gain rates to the extent a Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities it holds and a Fund reports the distribution as qualified dividend income. Qualified dividend income is,
in general, dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations (but generally not from U.S. REITs) and certain non-U.S. corporations (e.g., non-U.S.
corporations that are not “passive foreign investment companies” and which are 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 (where the dividends are paid with respect to such stock)). Under current IRS guidance, the United States has appropriate comprehensive income tax treaties with the following
countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (but not with Hong Kong, which is treated as a separate jurisdiction for U.S. tax purposes), Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Russia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela. Substitute payments received by a Fund for
securities lent out by a Fund will not be qualified dividend income.
A dividend from a Fund 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 61 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 or a Fund fails to satisfy those holding period requirements with respect to the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the shareholder (or, in the case of certain preferred stocks, the holding
requirement of 91 days during the 181-day period beginning on the date that is 90 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend); (ii) a Fund or 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.
Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT or another RIC may be treated as qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are attributable to qualified dividend income received by such REIT or other RIC. It is expected that
dividends received by a Fund from a REIT and distributed to a shareholder generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income. Distributions by a Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income.
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Corporate Dividends Received Deduction. Dividends paid by a Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations may qualify for the U.S. federal dividends received deduction for corporations. A 46-day minimum holding
period during the 90-day period that begins 45 days prior to ex-dividend date (or 91-day minimum holding period during the 180 period beginning 90 days prior to ex-dividend date for certain preference dividends) during which risk of loss may not be
diminished is required for the applicable shares, at both the Fund and shareholder level, for a dividend to be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Restrictions may apply if indebtedness, including a short sale, is attributable to the
investment.
Issues Related to India and Mauritius
Taxes. The following discussion does not address the effect on investors, including residents of India and citizens of India (whether or not residing in India or other countries, including the United States),
of holding shares of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI
Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF. Investors should consult their own tax
advisors as to these issues based upon their own personal situations.
Indian tax matters discussed herein are based on the
provisions of the IT Act, the provisions of the DTAA and other laws currently in force as of the date of this SAI. All such laws and the DTAA are subject to prospective and retrospective legislative amendment, administrative rulings and judicial
review.
Each of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets
ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF invests in India through its Subsidiary. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each Subsidiary has
elected to be treated as an entity disregarded from its owner. Thus, for U.S. federal tax purposes, any income or loss realized by a Subsidiary will be treated as realized by the applicable fund. Therefore, any investment made by each Fund into a
Subsidiary and any distributions received by the Fund from a Subsidiary are disregarded for U.S. federal tax purposes. Furthermore, there is no tax on each Fund's investment in a Subsidiary or on distributions made from a Subsidiary to the
Fund.
No investor in the iShares Core MSCI Emerging
Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging
Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF will be subject to taxation in India, unless such investor is a resident of India or, if a
non-resident, has an Indian source income or income received (whether accrued or otherwise) in India. The taxation of a Subsidiary and a Fund in India is governed by the provisions of the ITA, read with the provisions of the DTAA. As per Section
90(2) of the ITA, the provisions of the ITA would apply to the extent they are more beneficial than the provisions of the DTAA. In order to claim the beneficial provisions of the DTAA, a Subsidiary must be a tax resident of Mauritius.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes in India in its Circular
789, issued on April 13, 2000, concluded that a valid residence certificate issued by the Mauritius authorities demonstrated Mauritian residency for purposes of establishing eligibility to qualify for benefits under the DTAA. The Circular was
subject to judicial challenge in India by those asserting that the standards for establishing Mauritian residency for purposes of obtaining such a certificate were insufficient to establish residency for purposes of the DTAA. The Circular was
successfully overturned in certain lower Indian courts but was eventually upheld by the highest applicable court, the Supreme Court of India, on October 7, 2003, accordingly each Subsidiary should be eligible for benefits under the DTAA. However,
recently issued rulings suggest that a number of factors are being considered by the Indian tax administration when assessing whether a foreign entity is eligible for the benefit of the provisions of a tax treaty, including, among others, the place
of management of the foreign resident company and the level of substance in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated. In addition, both the Indian tax administration and Indian courts seem to be very aggressive towards structures involving
offshore funds investing directly or indirectly in India, in particular from Mauritius.
Each Subsidiary has been incorporated in Mauritius and has
obtained a TRC from the Mauritius authorities that establishes its residency in Mauritius under the DTAA. The TRC must be renewed annually. Each of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia
ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer
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Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF expects its Subsidiary to maintain its
Mauritius tax residency, but it cannot be assured that the Mauritius authorities will successfully renew its TRC annually or that it will continue to be eligible to the DTAA benefits, particularly in light of the new requirements that may be
introduced if the DTAA is re-negotiated.
Further, FA 13
provides that an investor is required to submit the TRC as issued in the country of residence and provide other documents and information as prescribed by the Government to claim benefits under the DTAA.
Each Subsidiary holds a Category 1 Global Business License
issued by the Financial Services Commission of Mauritius. Each Subsidiary is subject to tax in Mauritius on its net income at the rate of 15%. However, a system of foreign tax credits which allows a tax credit against Mauritian taxes for foreign tax
on a Mauritian entity’s foreign source income effectively reduces the Mauritius income tax rate to a maximum of 3% because the system presumes, in the absence of evidence, that the foreign tax paid is equal to 80% of the Mauritian tax.
Further, a Subsidiary is not subject to capital gains tax in Mauritius nor is it subject to tax in Mauritius on any gains from the sale of securities. Any dividends paid by a Subsidiary to each of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares
MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF will also be exempt from tax in Mauritius.
Each Subsidiary will attempt to abide by the requirements of
the DTAA, to maintain its residency in Mauritius, and to ensure that management and control of the Subsidiary remain in Mauritius. It is uncertain whether the terms of this treaty will be renegotiated or subject to a different interpretation in the
future. Any change in the provisions of the DTAA or in its applicability to a Subsidiary could result in a Subsidiary and indirectly each of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares
MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF being subject to Indian income taxes, withholding taxes, and other taxes, as well as being subject to administrative or judicial assertion of such tax liabilities by the
tax authorities of India. This could significantly reduce the return of a Fund on its investments and the return received by Fund shareholders. Further, it is possible even with renegotiation of the DTAA that the Indian tax authorities may seek to
take the position that a Fund is not entitled to the benefits of the DTAA.
Each Subsidiary is expected to have income in the form of
capital gains, income from dividends and income from interest. The Indian tax consequences for a Subsidiary on account of the application of the DTAA, read with the provisions of the ITA, would be as follows (the rates are inclusive of the highest
applicable surcharges):
| • | Capital gains resulting from the sale of Indian securities (including depositary receipts issued by Indian companies) will not be subject to tax in India, provided the Subsidiary does not have Permanent Establishments (“PE”) in India; |
| • | Dividends on shares received from an Indian company on which dividend distribution tax has been paid are exempt from tax in the hands of the shareholders. However, the Indian company distributing dividends is subject to a dividend distribution tax at the rate of 20% (approx.) (effective starting October 1, 2014); and |
| • | Interest paid to a Subsidiary in respect of the debt obligations of Indian issuers will be subject to Indian income tax. The tax rate, in the case of rupee-denominated debt obligations, is 43.26%. However if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, interest income earned from June 1, 2013 to May 31, 2015 on rupee-denominated bonds of Indian companies and Government securities, will be subject to tax at the rate of 5.41%, provided that the rate of interest does not exceed the prescribed rates. In the case of foreign currency-denominated debt obligations, the tax rate is 21.63%. For approved foreign currency loans advanced from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41% and for approved foreign currency long-term bonds issued from October 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017, the tax rate on interest is 5.41%. However, if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, the interest from securities will be subject to tax at the rate of 21.63%. |
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In the event that the benefits of the DTAA are not available
to the Subsidiary, or if the Subsidiary is held to have PE in India, taxation of interest and dividend income of the Subsidiary would be the same as described above. The taxation of capital gains would be as follows:
| • | Long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than twelve months) listed on a recognized stock exchange would not be taxable in India provided Securities Transaction Tax (“STT”) has been paid on the same (as discussed below); |
| • | Short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of twelve months or less) from the sale of Indian shares listed on a recognized stock exchange will be taxed at the rate of 16.223% provided STT has been paid on the same; |
| • | Long-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 36 months) arising to the Subsidiary from the sale of unlisted securities will be taxed at the rate of 10.815% (without indexation) and short-term capital gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 36 months or less) will be taxed at the rate of 43.26%;* |
| • | Capital gains realized on sale of listed equity shares not executed on a recognized stock exchange in India would be taxed at the rate of 21.63% for long-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of more than 12 months) and at 43.26% in the case of short-term gains (being gains on sale of shares held for a period of 12 months or less);* and |
| • | Capital gains arising from the transfer of depositary receipts outside India between non-resident investors will not be subject to tax in India. |
| * | However, if the Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, the rates will be 10.816% and 32.45%, respectively. |
In a ruling issued by the Authority for Advance Rulings
(“AAR”) in India, gains earned by a private equity fund based in Mauritius were held to be “business income.” In view of the amendment by the Finance Act 2014, in case a Subsidiary is a SEBI registered sub-account, the gains
arising from transfer of securities would be characterized as “capital gains” and not business income. It is possible that the Indian tax authorities may take a similar view in the case of each Subsidiary. In that event, such gains will
not be taxable in India so long as the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF/Subsidiaries do not have a PE
in India. In the event that the Funds/Subsidiaries are held to have a PE in India, gains attributable to the PE would be taxable in India at the rate of 43.26%.
Indian Minimum Alternative Tax
In the event that the benefits of the DTAA are not available
to a Subsidiary, or if a Subsidiary is held to have PE in India, the Subsidiary may be subject to a Minimum Alternate Tax (“MAT”). In the event that a company’s tax liability is less than 18.5% of its book profits, then instead of
paying income tax at rates provided otherwise under the ITA, the foreign company will pay MAT on the adjusted book profits at the rate of 20.008%.
In certain recent rulings issued by the AAR, it was held that
MAT is applicable to foreign companies, irrespective of the existence of a permanent establishment in India. In the said cases, it was held that the capital gains earned by the Mauritius assessee-company from sale of shares of an Indian company
would be entitled to the benefits under the DTAA. However, in relation to applicability of MAT, it was held that the MAT provisions would apply to the Mauritius company. Due to this decision, it is unclear whether MAT would be applicable to the
Subsidiary even though the benefits of the DTAA are available to the Subsidiary.
Consequent to the aforesaid adverse ruling by the AAR, the
assessees have filed Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court of India, the leave for which has been granted by order dated May 7, 2013. Accordingly, a conclusive view can be formed on this issue post the decision of the Supreme Court of
India.
Indian Securities Transaction Tax
All transactions entered on a recognized stock exchange in
India will be subject to STT levied on the transaction value. In the case of the purchase/sale of listed equity shares which is settled by way of actual delivery or transfer of the equity share, no
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STT
will be levied on the buyer and will be levied at the rate of 0.001% on the seller and at the rate of 0.2% on the sale of unlisted shares in an initial public offering. For sale of equity shares settled otherwise than by way actual delivery or
transfer of the equity share, STT will be levied at the rate of 0.025% on the seller of the equity share. A seller of derivatives would be subjected to an STT of 0.01%. The STT can be set off against business income tax calculated as per provisions
of ITA.
The foregoing is based upon current
interpretation and practice and is subject to future changes in the tax laws of India or Mauritius and in the DTAA. Any change in the DTAA's application could have a material adverse effect on the returns of each of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging
Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging
Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF. Further, it is possible that the Indian tax authorities may seek to take the position that a
Fund is not entitled to the benefits of the DTAA.
Indirect Transfers
The current legislation imposes Indian tax and withholding
obligations with respect to the transfer of shares in an overseas company that derives its value substantially from assets situated in India (“indirect transfers”). Because each of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI
BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI
Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF invest in Indian securities through the Subsidiaries, this legislation by its terms subjects shareholder redemptions of
Fund shares and sales of Fund investments to Indian tax and withholding obligations, both prospectively as well as retroactively. However, the CBDT issued a letter on May 29, 2012 clarifying the reopening of completed assessments as a result of the
retroactive amendments introduced by the Finance Act. Under this letter, CBDT has directed Indian tax authorities to not reopen any assessment proceedings that were completed before April 1, 2012 and where no notice for reassessment has been issued
prior to that date. The CBDT also clarified that any assessment or any other order which stands validated due to the amendments in the Finance Act would be enforced. Given this clarification issued by the CBDT, the Funds do not expect that
shareholders or the Funds will become subject to tax or to withholding obligations with respect to completed assessments.
General Anti-Avoidance Rules.
The GAAR introduced in the Income Tax Act, 1961 (“IT
Act”) provides the Indian tax authorities a mechanism to deny any tax benefits in a transaction or any other arrangement that is believed to not have any commercial substance or purpose other than to obtain tax benefit(s) under a treaty. The
provisions of GAAR will be applicable to arrangements (including a step in or a part thereof) entered into by a taxpayer, which may be declared as an ‘impermissible avoidance arrangement’.
GAAR will be effective from the financial year beginning from
April 1, 2015 onwards (assessment year 2016-17).
The
CBDT has notified the GAAR rules on September 23, 2013, for the application of GAAR. As per these rules, GAAR shall not apply where:
| • | any arrangement where the aggregate tax benefit to all the parties of the arrangement in the relevant financial year does not exceed INR 30 Million; |
| • | FIIs that choose not to take any benefit under any tax treaty entered with India and has invested in listed or unlisted securities with prior permission of the competent authority in accordance with the applicable regulations; |
| • | non-resident investor in an FII who has invested in an FII, directly or indirectly, by way of an offshore derivative instrument or otherwise; or |
| • | any income derived from the transfer of investments made prior to August 30, 2010. |
If the Funds' use of the Subsidiaries were considered to be
such an impermissible avoidance arrangement, the Fund would become subject directly to taxation in India. GAAR is expected to come into force from April 2015. The burden of proof in enforcing the rule will reside with the Indian government, not the
taxpayer, and India’s current double tax treaty arrangements will remain in force. However, GAAR may prevent the Funds from realizing the planned tax benefits of the Subsidiaries, irrespective of existing beneficial treaty provisions and may
lead to the imposition of tax liabilities and withholding obligations, which may lead the Fund to modify or disassemble its Subsidiaries structure.
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Provisions of indirect transfers and GAAR could change the
manner in which the Subsidiaries are currently taxed in India and could adversely impact the returns to each of the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap
ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF/Subsidiaries and their respective shareholders. The Funds will continue to monitor developments in India with respect to these matters. Investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers with
respect to their own tax situations and the tax consequences of an investment in each of the Funds.
Excess Inclusion Income.
Under current law, the Funds serve to block unrelated business taxable income from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize unrelated
business taxable income by virtue of its investment in a Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Section 514(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. Certain types of
income received by a Fund from REITs, real estate mortgage investment conduits, taxable mortgage pools or other investments may cause the Fund to report some or all of its distributions as “excess inclusion income.” To Fund shareholders,
such excess inclusion income may (i) constitute taxable income, as unrelated business taxable income for those shareholders who would otherwise be tax-exempt such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k) accounts, Keogh plans, pension plans and
certain charitable entities; (ii) not be offset by otherwise allowable deductions for tax purposes; (iii) not be eligible for reduced U.S. withholding for non-U.S. shareholders even from tax treaty countries; and (iv) cause the Fund to be subject to
tax if certain “disqualified organizations,” as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, are Fund shareholders. If a charitable remainder annuity trust or a charitable remainder unitrust (each as defined in Section 664 of the Internal
Revenue Code) has unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) for a taxable year, a 100% excise tax on the UBTI is imposed on the trust.
Non-U.S. Investments.
Under Section 988 of the Internal Revenue Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time a Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated
in a non-U.S. currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses) realized on debt instruments will be treated as Section 988
gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gains or losses on non-U.S. currency, non-U.S. currency forward contracts and
certain non-U.S. currency options or futures contracts denominated in non-U.S. currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or loss unless
the Fund were to elect otherwise.
Each Fund may
be subject to non-U.S. income taxes withheld at the source. Each Fund, if permitted to do so, may elect to “pass through” to its investors the amount of non-U.S. income taxes paid by the Fund provided that the Fund held the security on
the dividend settlement date and for at least 15 additional days immediately before and/or thereafter, with the result that each investor with respect to shares of the Fund held for a minimum 16-day holding period at the time of deemed distribution
will (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s non-U.S. income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating U.S. taxable income,
but only for investors who itemize their deductions on their personal tax returns) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal income tax) the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s non-U.S. income
taxes. A non-U.S. person invested in the Fund in a year that the Fund elects to “pass through” its non-U.S. taxes may be treated as receiving additional dividend income subject to U.S. withholding tax. A non-U.S. tax credit may not
exceed the investor’s U.S. federal income tax otherwise payable with respect to the investor’s non-U.S. source income. For this purpose, shareholders must treat as non-U.S. source gross income (i) their proportionate shares of non-U.S.
taxes paid by the Fund and (ii) the portion of any dividend paid by the Fund that represents income derived from non-U.S. sources; the Fund’s gain from the sale of securities will generally be treated as U.S.-source income. Certain limitations
will be imposed to the extent to which the non-U.S. tax credit may be claimed. If your Fund shares are loaned pursuant to securities lending arrangements, you may lose the ability to use any non-U.S. tax credits passed through by a Fund or to treat
Fund dividends (paid while the shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividends. Regarding a short sale with respect to shares of a Fund, substitute payments made to the lender of such shares may not be deductible under certain circumstances.
Consult your financial intermediary or tax advisor.
With
respect to Brazil, a 6% Imposto sobre Operacões Financeiras (IOF) tax, with the rate subject to change, applies to certain foreign exchange inflows into Brazil. Also, a 1.5% IOF tax applies to the creation of new American or Global Depositary
Receipt issuances with respect to Brazilian equities and a 0.38% IOF tax applies to the cancellation of American or
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Global Depositary Receipts if the underlying equities are then issued in the
Brazil (local) markets. If incurred by the Fund, an IOF tax would not be creditable against U.S. income tax liability.
Passive Foreign Investment Companies. If a Fund purchases shares in PFICs, it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is distributed
as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.
If a Fund were to invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the PFIC
as a “qualified electing fund” under the Internal Revenue Code, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the Fund might be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the qualified
electing fund, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts would be subject to the 90% and excise tax distribution requirements described above. In order to make this election, the Fund would be required to obtain certain annual
information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain.
Alternatively, a Fund may make a mark-to-market election that
would result in the Fund being treated as if it had sold and repurchased its PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the Fund would report any such gains as ordinary income and would deduct any such losses as ordinary losses to the extent
of previously recognized gains. The election must be made separately for each PFIC owned by the Fund and, once made, would be effective for all subsequent taxable years, unless revoked with the consent of the IRS. By making the election, the Fund
could potentially ameliorate the adverse tax consequences with respect to its ownership of shares in a PFIC, but in any particular year may be required to recognize income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds from
dispositions of PFIC stock. The Fund may have to distribute this “phantom” income and gain to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax.
A Fund will make the appropriate tax elections, if possible,
and take any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate the effects of these rules.
Reporting. If a
shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to a 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 guidance, shareholders of a RIC 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.
Other Taxes. Dividends,
distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and non-U.S. taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.
Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders. Dividends paid by a 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. Dividends paid by a Fund from net tax-exempt income or long-term capital gains are generally not subject to such withholding tax. 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, IRS
Form W-8BEN-E or other applicable form may be subject to back-up withholding at the appropriate rate.
For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2014,
properly-reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. 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 report
all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains
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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, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or substitute Form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports 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.
For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2014,
distributions that the Fund reports as “short-term capital gain dividends” or “long-term capital gain dividends” will not be treated as such to a recipient foreign shareholder if the distribution is attributable to gain
received from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property or an interest in a U.S. real property holding corporation and the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property exceeded certain levels. Instead, if the foreign shareholder
has not owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of distribution, such distributions will be subject to 30% withholding by the Fund and will be treated as ordinary dividends
to the foreign shareholder; if the foreign shareholder owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of the distribution, such distribution will be treated as real property gain
subject to 35% withholding tax and could subject the foreign shareholder to U.S. filing requirements. Additionally, if the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property were to exceed certain levels, a foreign shareholder realizing
gains upon redemption from the Fund on or before December 31, 2013 could be subject to the 35% withholding tax and U.S. filing requirements unless more than 50% of the Fund’s shares were owned by U.S. persons at such time or unless the foreign
person had not held more than 5% of the Fund’s outstanding shares throughout either such person’s holding period for the redeemed shares or, if shorter, the previous five years.
The rules laid out in the previous paragraph, other than the
withholding rules, will apply notwithstanding the Fund’s participation in a wash sale transaction or its payment of a substitute dividend.
Provided that 50% or more of the value of a Fund’s stock
is held by U.S. shareholders, distributions of U.S. real property interests (including securities in a U.S. real property holding corporation, unless such corporation is regularly traded on an established securities market and the Fund has held 5%
or less of the outstanding shares of the corporation during the five-year period ending on the date of distribution) occurring on or before December 31, 2013, in redemption of a foreign shareholder’s shares of the Fund will cause the Fund to
recognize gain. If the Fund is required to recognize gain, the amount of gain recognized will equal to the fair market value of such interests over the Fund’s adjusted bases to the extent of the greatest foreign ownership percentage of the
Fund during the five-year period ending on the date of redemption.
Legislation has been proposed to extend the above expiration
dates, but no assurance can be provided that such legislation will be enacted.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders; and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect
U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct
and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained; agree to withhold tax on certain payments
made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event an intergovernmental agreement
and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or
provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Shares of a Fund held by a non-U.S. shareholder at death will
be considered situated within the United States and subject to the U.S. estate tax.
The foregoing discussion is a summary of certain material U.S.
federal income tax considerations only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in such shares, including consequences under
state, local and non-U.S. tax laws. Finally, the foregoing discussion
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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.
Financial
Statements
Each Fund's audited Financial Statements,
including the Financial Highlights, appearing in the applicable Annual Report to Shareholders and the report therein of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, are hereby incorporated by reference in this SAI.
The applicable Annual Report to Shareholders, which contains the referenced audited financial statements, is available upon request and without charge.
Miscellaneous Information
Counsel. Willkie Farr
& Gallagher LLP, located at 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, is counsel to the Company.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, located at Three Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111, serves as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Funds' financial statements, and may
perform other services.
Shareholder Communications
to the Board. The Board has established a process for shareholders to communicate with the Board. Shareholders may contact the Board by mail. Correspondence should be addressed to iShares Board of Directors,
c/o BlackRock Fund Advisors, iShares Fund Administration, 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Shareholder communications to the Board should include the following information: (i) the name and address of the shareholder; (ii) the number of
shares owned by the shareholder; (iii) the Fund(s) of which the shareholder owns shares; and (iv) if these shares are owned indirectly through a broker, financial intermediary or other record owner, the name of the broker, financial intermediary or
other record owner. All correspondence received as set forth above shall be reviewed by the Secretary of the Company and reported to the Board.
Regulation Under the Alternative Investment Fund Managers
Directive. The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”) imposes detailed and prescriptive obligations on fund managers established in the EU (“EU Operative Provisions”).
These do not currently apply to managers established outside of the EU, such as BFA. Rather, non-EU managers are only required to comply with certain disclosure, reporting and transparency obligations of AIFMD (“AIFMD Disclosure
Provisions”) if such managers market a fund to EU investors.
Where the AIFMD Disclosure Provisions relate to EU Operative
Provisions that do not apply to BFA, no meaningful disclosure can be made. These EU Operative Provisions include prescriptive rules on: measuring and capping leverage in line with known European standards; the treatment of investors; the use of
“depositaries”; and coverage for professional liability risks.
AIFMD imposes certain conditions on the marketing of funds,
such as the Funds, to EU investors. AIFMD requires that an ‘alternative investment fund manager’ (“AIFM”) be identified to meet such conditions where such marketing is sought. For these purposes BFA, as the legal entity
responsible for performing the portfolio and risk management of the Funds, shall be the AIFM.
AIFMD requires disclosure on an ongoing basis of certain
information relating to the use of special arrangements, leverage, rights of reuse of collateral, guarantees granted under leverage arrangements and the use of gates, side pockets and similar liquidity management tools. Given that the Funds do not
use any special arrangements or allow for collateral reuse, it is not intended that such disclosures will need to be made by the Funds. Each Fund will, however, to the extent relevant and appropriate, disclose in its annual report information on the
Fund's leverage, risk profile and risk management systems employed by BFA. Each Fund will also disclose material changes, if any, to the liquidity management systems and procedures employed in respect of the Fund.
BFA intends to market the following Funds to EU investors in
the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and Luxembourg:
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iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF
iShares MSCI BRIC ETF
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF
iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF
iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF
iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF
iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF
iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF
iShares MSCI BRIC ETF
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF
iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF
iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF
iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF
iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF
Investors’ Rights. Each Fund relies on the services of the investment adviser and other service providers, including the distributor, administrator, custodian and transfer agent. Further information about the duties and roles of
these service providers is set out in this SAI. Investors who acquire shares of a Fund are not parties to the relevant agreement with these service providers and do not have express contractual rights against the Fund or its service providers,
except certain institutional investors that are Authorized Participants may have certain express contractual rights with respect to the Distributor under the terms of the relevant authorized participant agreement. Investors may have certain legal
rights under federal or state law against a Fund or its service providers. In the event that an investor considers that it may have a claim against a Fund, or against any service provider in connection with its investment in the Fund, such investor
should consult its own legal advisor.
By
contract, Authorized Participants irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or U.S. federal court sitting in New York City over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to the authorized participant
agreement. Jurisdiction over other claims, whether by investors or Authorized Participants, will turn on the facts of the particular case and the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceeding is brought.
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IS-SAI-08ie-0615
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iShares®, Inc.
Statement of Additional Information
Dated December 30, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
(as revised June 22, 2015)
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”)
is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the following fund of iShares, Inc. (the “Company”):
| Fund | Ticker | Stock Exchange | ||
| iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (the “Fund”) | HEEM | NYSE Arca |
The Fund invests its assets in
individual securities, including shares of other iShares funds that, in turn, invest in equities and/or short-term instruments based on an index (each, an “Underlying Fund” and collectively, the “Underlying Funds”), as well
as in currency hedging instruments. BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA” or the “Investment Adviser”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc., serves as investment adviser to the Fund and also serves as investment
adviser to each of the Underlying Funds.
The Prospectus
for the Fund is dated December 30, 2014, as amended and supplemented from time to time. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus for the Fund
may be obtained without charge by writing to the Company’s distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor”), 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or visiting www.iShares.com. The Fund's Prospectus is incorporated by reference into this SAI.
References to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the “Investment Company Act” or the “1940 Act”), or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”), SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.
iShares® is a registered trademark of BFA and its affiliates.
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General Description of the Company and the Fund
The Company currently consists of more than 55 investment
series or portfolios. The Company was organized as a Maryland corporation on September 1, 1994 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Company is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940
Act. The offering of the Company's shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). This SAI relates solely to the Fund.
The Fund is managed by BFA, an indirect wholly-owned
subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc., and generally seeks to track the investment results of the specific benchmark index identified in the Fund's Prospectus (the “Underlying Index”).
The Fund offers and issues shares at their net asset value per
share (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (“Creation Unit”), generally in exchange for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted)
included in its Underlying Index (the “Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”). Shares of the Fund are listed and trade on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca” or
the “Listing Exchange”), a national securities exchange. Shares of the Fund are traded in the secondary market and elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above or below the Fund's NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Units,
and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a Cash Component. Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares, generally 50,000 or multiples thereof.
The Company reserves the right to permit or require that
creations and redemptions of shares are effected fully or partially in cash. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities, subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain with the Company a cash deposit equal
to at least 105% and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change from time to time, of the market value of the omitted Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI.
Transaction fees and other costs associated with creations or redemptions that include a cash portion may be higher than the transaction fees and other costs associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, conditions and fees will be
limited in accordance with the requirements of SEC rules and regulations 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 Shareholder Information section of the Fund's Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of
the Prospectus.
Shares of the Fund are listed for
trading, and trade throughout the day, on the Listing Exchange and other secondary markets. Shares of the Fund may also be listed on certain non-U.S. exchanges. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange necessary to
maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met. The 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 Fund shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days, (ii) the value of the Underlying Index on which the Fund is based is no longer calculated or available, (iii) the
“indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”) of the Fund is no longer calculated or available, or (iv) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes further
dealings on the Listing Exchange inadvisable. The Listing Exchange will also remove shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you
buy or sell shares through a broker, you will incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker.
In order to provide additional information regarding the
indicative value of shares of the Fund, the Listing Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association, or through other widely disseminated means, an updated IOPV
for the Fund as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Company is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IOPVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of
the IOPVs.
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An IOPV has a securities component and a cash component. The
securities values included in an IOPV are the values of the Deposit Securities for the Fund. While the IOPV reflects the current value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, it does not
necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the Fund may include securities that are not a part of the current Deposit Securities.
Therefore, the Fund’s IOPV disseminated during the Listing Exchange trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the Fund’s NAV, which is calculated only once a day.
The cash component included in an IOPV consists of estimated
accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses, as well as the value of the applicable currency hedge.
The Company 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 or an investor's equity interest
in the Fund.
Investment Strategies and Risks
Currently, the Fund achieves its investment objective by
investing a substantial portion of its assets in one Underlying Fund, the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF. The Fund may also invest in securities that comprise the Underlying Index and through transactions that provide substantially similar
exposure to securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund also will seek to track the currency hedging transactions embedded in the Underlying Index by entering into currency forward contracts. The Fund operates as an index fund and will not be
actively managed. Adverse performance of a security or currency hedging transaction in the Fund’s portfolio will ordinarily not result in the elimination of the security or currency hedging transaction from the Fund’s portfolio.
The Fund engages in representative sampling, which is
investing in a sample of securities selected by BFA to have a collective investment profile similar to that of the securities or other instruments comprising 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 Underlying Index. A fund that uses representative sampling
generally does not hold all of the securities that are in its underlying index.
Although the Fund does not seek leveraged returns, certain
instruments used by the Fund may have a leveraging effect as described below.
The Fund generally will invest at least 90% of its assets in
the component securities (including indirect investments through the Underlying Fund) and other instruments of the Underlying Index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of
the Underlying Index (i.e., depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index) and may invest up to 10% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash
equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Components of the Underlying
Index include equity securities and foreign currency forward contracts (both deliverable and non-deliverable) designed to hedge against non-U.S. currency fluctuations. The notional exposure to foreign currency forward contracts (deliverable and
non-deliverable) generally will be a short position that hedges the currency risk of the equity portfolio.
The Underlying Index sells forward the total value of the
non-U.S. dollar denominated securities included in the Underlying Index at a one-month forward rate to effectively create a “hedge” against fluctuations in the relative value of the component currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar.
The hedge is reset on a monthly basis. The Underlying Index is designed to have higher returns than an equivalent unhedged investment when the component currencies are weakening relative to the U.S. dollar. Conversely, the Underlying Index is
designed to have lower returns than an equivalent unhedged investment when the component currencies are rising relative to the U.S. dollar.
In order to replicate the “hedging” component of
the Underlying Index, the Fund intends to enter into foreign currency forward contracts designed to offset the Fund’s exposure to the component currencies. A foreign currency forward contract is an over-the-counter (“OTC”) contract
between two parties, each of which is an eligible contract participant, as defined in the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) to buy or sell a specified amount of a specific currency in the future at an agreed upon exchange rate. The Fund's
exposure to foreign currency forward contracts is based on the aggregate exposure of the Fund to
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the
component currencies. While this approach is designed to minimize the impact of currency fluctuations on Fund returns, it does not necessarily eliminate the Fund’s exposure to the component currencies. The return of the foreign currency
forward contracts may not perfectly offset the actual fluctuations between the component currencies and the U.S. dollar.
The Fund may also use non-deliverable forward
(“NDF”) contracts to execute its hedging transactions. NDFs are cash-settled, short-term forward contracts that may be thinly traded or are denominated in non-convertible foreign currencies, where the profit or loss at the time of
settlement date is calculated by taking the difference between the agreed upon exchange rate and the spot rate at the time of settlement, for an agreed upon notional amount of funds. NDFs generally have a fixing date and a settlement date. The
fixing date is the valuation date at which the difference between the prevailing market exchange rate and the agreed upon exchange rate is calculated. The settlement date is the date by which the payment of the difference is due to the party
receiving payment. NDFs are commonly quoted for time periods ranging from one month to up to two years, and are normally quoted and settled in U.S. dollars. They are often used to gain exposure to and/or hedge exposure to foreign currencies that are
not internationally traded.
Foreign currency forward
contracts and NDFs are subject to regulation under The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”) in the U.S. and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions.
Physically-settled forwards between eligible contract participants, such as the Fund, are generally subject to lighter regulation in the U.S. than NDFs and cash-settled foreign currency forward contracts. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, NDFs are regulated
as swaps and are subject to rules requiring central clearing and mandatory trading on an exchange or facility that is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). NDFs traded in the over-the-counter market are subject
to margin requirements that are expected to be finalized over the next year or two. Implementation of the regulations regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of NDFs are likely to increase the cost to the Fund of hedging currency risk
and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund.
As a result of regulatory requirements under the 1940 Act, the
Fund is required to maintain an amount of liquid assets, accrued on a daily basis, having an aggregate value at least equal to the value of the Fund’s obligations under the foreign currency forward contract or NDF. To the extent that foreign
currency forward contracts are settled on a physical basis, the Fund will generally be required to maintain an amount of liquid assets equal to the notional value of the contract. In connection with NDFs and cash-settled foreign currency forward
contracts, on the other hand, which are performed on a net basis, with the Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of a specified exchange rate, the Fund will generally maintain liquid assets, accrued daily, equal to the accrued excess, if any,
of the Fund’s obligations over those of its counterparty under the contract. Accordingly, reliance by the Fund on physically-settled foreign currency forward contracts may adversely impact investors by requiring the Fund to set aside a greater
amount of liquid assets than would generally be required if the Fund were relying on cash-settled foreign currency forward contracts or NDFs.
Set forth below is more detailed information regarding types
of instruments in which the Fund or the Underlying Fund may invest, strategies BFA may employ in pursuit of the Fund's or the Underlying Fund's investment objective and related risks.
Borrowing. The Fund may
borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. Under normal market conditions, any borrowing by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net
assets; however, the Fund generally does not intend to borrow money.
The purchase of securities while borrowings are outstanding
may have the effect of leveraging the Fund. The incurrence of leverage increases the Fund’s exposure to risk, and borrowed funds are subject to interest costs that will reduce net income. Purchasing securities while borrowings are outstanding
creates special risks, such as the potential for greater volatility in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the yield on the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the interest expenses from borrowings may exceed the income generated by the
Fund’s portfolio and, therefore, the amount available (if any) for distribution to shareholders as dividends may be reduced. BFA may determine to maintain outstanding borrowings if it expects that the benefits to the Fund’s shareholders
will outweigh the current reduced return.
Certain types
of borrowings by the Fund may result in the Fund being subject to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage, portfolio composition requirements and other matters. It is not anticipated that observance of such covenants would impede
BFA from managing the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies. However, a breach of any such covenants not cured within the specified cure period may result in acceleration of outstanding
indebtedness and require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
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Currency Transactions.
The Fund expects to engage in currency transactions for the purpose of hedging against declines in the value of the Fund's assets that are denominated in a non-U.S. currency. The Fund may also enter into physically-settled non-U.S.
currency forwards, non-U.S. currency futures and spot currency transactions to facilitate local securities settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with its distributions to shareholders. As described above, reliance on
physically-settled foreign currency may require the Fund to set aside a greater amount of liquid assets than would generally be required if the fund were relying on cash-settled foreign currency forward contracts or NDFs. This would also generally
be true if the Fund were to use other types of physically-settled currency contracts to track the Underlying Index, facilitate local securities settlements or protect against currency exposure.
Foreign exchange transactions may involve a significant degree
of risk and the markets in which foreign exchange transactions are effected are sometimes highly volatile, highly specialized and highly technical. Significant changes, including changes in liquidity and prices, can occur in such markets within very
short periods of time, often within minutes. Foreign exchange trading risks include, but are not limited to, exchange rate risk, counterparty risk, maturity gap, interest rate risk, and potential interference by foreign governments through
regulation of local exchange markets, foreign investment or particular transactions in non-U.S. currency. If BFA utilizes foreign exchange transactions at an inappropriate time or judges market conditions, trends or correlations incorrectly, foreign
exchange transactions may not serve their intended purpose of improving the correlation of the Fund's return with the performance of its Underlying Index and may lower the Fund’s return. The Fund could experience losses if the value of its
currency forwards and other currency transaction positions were poorly correlated with its other investments or if it could not close out its positions because of an illiquid market. In addition, the Fund could incur transaction costs, including
trading commissions, in connection with certain non-U.S. currency transactions and costs related to investment opportunities due to the fact it will be required to set aside liquid assets equal to its obligations under its currency forwards in
order to satisfy applicable requirements under the 1940 Act.
Derivatives. The Fund
may use instruments referred to as derivative securities. Derivatives are financial instruments the value of which is derived from another security, a commodity (such as gold or oil), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the
S&P 500 Index or the prime lending rate). Derivatives allow the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk to which the Fund is exposed more quickly and efficiently than transactions in other types of instruments. The Fund may use
derivatives for hedging purposes. The Fund may also use derivatives for speculative purposes to seek to enhance returns. The use of a derivative is speculative if the Fund is primarily seeking to achieve gains, rather than offset the risk of other
positions. When the Fund invests in a derivative for speculative purposes, the Fund will be fully exposed to the risks of loss of that derivative, which may sometimes be greater than the derivative’s cost. Unless otherwise permitted, the Fund
may not use any derivatives to gain exposure to an asset or class of assets that it would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.
Diversification Status.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” A non-diversified fund is a fund that 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 (or securities of issuers in particular industries) may dominate the underlying index of such a fund 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.
The Fund intends to maintain the required level of
diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for purposes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and to relieve
the Fund of any liability for U.S. federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders, provided that the Fund satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the
Internal Revenue Code may limit the investment flexibility of the Fund and may make it less likely that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
Futures, Options on Futures and Securities Options. Futures contracts and options on futures may be used by the Fund to simulate investment in its Underlying Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Fund may enter into futures contracts and
options that are traded on a U.S. or non-U.S. futures exchange. The Fund will not use futures or options on futures for speculative purposes. The Fund intends to use futures and options in accordance with Rule 4.5 of the CEA. BFA, with respect to
certain funds, has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that BFA, in respect of the Fund, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator
under the CEA. See the Regulation Regarding Derivatives section of this SAI for more information.
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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 securities indexes when BFA anticipates purchasing the underlying securities and believes prices will rise before the purchase will be made. To the extent required by law,
liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
Securities options may be used by the Fund to obtain access to
securities in the Underlying Index or to dispose of securities in the Underlying Index at favorable prices, to invest cash in a securities index that offers similar exposure to that provided by the Underlying Index or otherwise to achieve the
Fund’s objective of tracking the Underlying Index. 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 an exercise 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. The Fund may
purchase or sell securities options on a U.S. or non-U.S. securities exchange or on the over-the-counter market through a transaction with a dealer. Options on a securities index are typically settled on a net basis based on the appreciation or
depreciation of the index level over the strike price. Options on single name securities may be cash- or physically-settled, depending upon the market in which they are traded. Options may be exercised only on certain dates or on a daily basis.
Investments in futures contracts and other investments that contain leverage may require the Fund to maintain liquid assets. Generally, the Fund maintains an amount of liquid assets equal to its obligations relative to the position involved,
adjusted daily on a marked-to-market basis. With respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to “cash-settle,” the Fund maintains liquid assets in an amount at least equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market
obligation (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability, if any), rather than the contracts’ notional value (i.e., the value of the underlying asset). By
maintaining assets equal to its net obligation under cash-settled futures contracts, the Fund may employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund set aside assets equal to the futures contracts’ full notional value. The Fund bases its
asset maintenance policies on methods permitted by the SEC staff and may modify these policies in the future to comply with any changes in the guidance articulated from time to time by the SEC or its staff.
Hedging. Hedging is a
strategy in which a derivative is used to offset the risks associated with other Fund holdings. Losses on the other investment may be substantially reduced by gains on a derivative that reacts in an opposite manner to market movements. While hedging
can reduce losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. Hedging also involves
correlation risk, i.e., the risk that changes in the value of the derivative will not match those of the holdings being hedged as expected by the
Fund, in which case any losses on the holdings being hedged may not be reduced or may be increased. In connection with its trading in foreign currency forward contracts, the Fund will contract with a foreign or domestic bank, or foreign or domestic
securities dealer, to make or take future delivery of a specified amount of a particular currency. There are no limitations on daily price moves in such foreign currency forward contracts, and banks and dealers are not required to continue to make
markets in such contracts. There have been periods during which certain banks or dealers have refused to quote prices for such foreign currency forward contracts or have quoted prices with an unusually wide spread between the price at which the bank
or dealer is prepared to buy and that at which it is prepared to sell. Governmental imposition of credit controls might limit any such foreign currency forward contract trading. With respect to its trading of foreign currency forward contracts, if
any, the Fund will be subject to the risk of bank or dealer failure and the inability of, or refusal by, a bank or dealer to perform with respect to such contracts. Any such default would deprive the Fund of any potential profit or force the Fund to
cover its commitments for resale at the then market price and could result in a loss to the Fund. The cost to the Fund of engaging in foreign currency forward contracts varies with such factors as the currencies involved, the length of the contract
period and the market conditions then prevailing. The inability to close options and futures positions also could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to hedge effectively its portfolio. There is also a risk of loss by the Fund of
margin deposits or collateral in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open position in an option, a futures contract or a related option.
Illiquid Securities. The
Fund and the Underlying Fund each may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment). Illiquid securities may include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on
resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets, as determined in accordance with SEC
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staff guidance. The liquidity of a security relates to the ability to readily
dispose of the security and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the security, which may be lower than the price that would be obtained for a comparable, more liquid security. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount to comparable, more
liquid securities and may impair the Fund’s ability to dispose of securities in a timely fashion at their expected price.
Investments in Underlying Funds and other Investment Companies. To implement its strategy, the Fund may invest some or all of its assets in the Underlying Fund. The Underlying Fund generally invests directly in portfolio securities. The Fund may also invest in other investment
companies, including exchange-traded funds (commonly referred to as “ETFs”) that are not iShares ETFs, to the extent permitted by law.
Lending Portfolio Securities.
The Fund and Underlying Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain borrowers determined to be creditworthy by BFA, including borrowers affiliated with BFA. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an amount at least equal to
the current market value of the securities loaned. No securities loan shall be made on behalf of the Fund or the Underlying Fund if, as a result, the aggregate value of all securities loans of the Fund or the Underlying Fund exceeds one-third of the
value of the Fund's or the Underlying Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). The Fund or the Underlying Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned. The Fund or the Underlying
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 may be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash collateral. The Fund or the Underlying 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 or the Underlying 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 the lending fund or through one or more joint accounts or money market funds, including those affiliated with BFA; such investments are subject to investment risk.
The Fund conducts its securities lending pursuant to an
exemptive order from the SEC permitting it to lend portfolio securities to borrowers affiliated with the Fund and to retain an affiliate of the Fund as lending agent. To the extent that the Fund or the Underlying Fund engages in securities lending,
BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”) acts as securities lending agent for the Fund or the Underlying Fund, subject to the overall supervision of BFA. BTC administers the lending program in accordance with guidelines
approved by the Company's Board of Directors (the “Board” or the “Directors”).
The Fund retains a portion of the securities lending income
and remits the remaining portion to BTC as compensation for its services as securities lending agent. Securities lending income is equal to the total of income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral (and excludes collateral investment fees
as defined below), and any fees or other payments to and from borrowers of securities. As securities lending agent, BTC bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending. The Fund is responsible for fees in connection with the
investment of cash collateral received for securities on loan in a money market fund managed by BFA; however, BTC has agreed to reduce the amount of securities lending income it receives in order to effectively limit the collateral investment fees
the Fund bears to an annual rate of 0.04% until December 31, 2014 and 0.05% thereafter (the “collateral investment fees”). Such money market fund shares will not be subject to a sales load, redemption fee, distribution fee or service
fee.
Pursuant to the current securities lending
agreement:
(i) Fund-of-Funds, such as the Fund, retain
75% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees); and (ii) this amount can never be less than 65% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
Under the securities lending program, the Fund is categorized
into a specific asset class. The determination of the Fund’s asset class category (fixed income, domestic equity, international equity or fund-of-funds), each of which may be subject to a different fee arrangement, is based on a methodology
agreed to by the Company and BTC.
In addition,
commencing the business day following the date that the aggregate securities lending income (which includes for this purpose, collateral investment fees) earned across the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (as defined under “Management—Directors and Officers”) in a calendar year exceeds the aggregate securities lending income earned across
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the
Exchange-Traded Fund Complex in calendar year 2013 (the “Hurdle Date”), the Fund-of-Funds, pursuant to the securities lending agreement, will receive for the remainder of that calendar year securities lending income as follows:
(i) 80% of securities lending income (which excludes
collateral investment fees); and (ii) this amount can never be less than 65% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
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 or the Underlying Fund has agreed to pay a borrower), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risk. If a securities lending counterparty were to default, the Fund
or the Underlying Fund would be subject to the risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. In the event a borrower does not return the Fund’s or
the Underlying Fund's securities as agreed, the Fund or the Underlying Fund may experience losses if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do 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. This event could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund or the Underlying Fund. The Fund or the Underlying Fund could lose money if its short-term
investment of the collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Substitute payments for dividends received by the Fund or the Underlying Fund for securities loaned out by the Fund or the Underlying Fund will not be considered qualified
dividend income. BTC will take into account the tax effects on shareholders caused by this difference in connection with the Fund’s securities lending program. Substitute payments received on tax-exempt securities loaned out will not be
tax-exempt income.
Non-U.S. Securities. The Fund, either directly or through its investments in the Underlying Fund, intends to purchase publicly-traded common stocks of non-U.S. issuers. To the extent the Fund invests in stocks of non-U.S. issuers, the
Fund's investment in such stocks may be in the form of American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) (collectively, “Depositary
Receipts”). Depositary Receipts are receipts, typically issued by a bank or trust issuer, which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a non-U.S. issuer. For ADRs, the depository is typically a U.S. financial institution and the
underlying securities are issued by a non-U.S. issuer. For other forms of Depositary Receipts, the depository may be a non-U.S. or a U.S. entity, and the underlying securities may be issued by a non-U.S. or a U.S. issuer. Depositary Receipts are not
necessarily denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. Generally, ADRs, issued in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, issued in bearer form, are designed for use in European
securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world.
The Fund will not invest in any unlisted Depositary Receipt or
any Depositary Receipt that BFA deems illiquid at the time of purchase or for which pricing information is not readily available. In general, Depositary Receipts must be sponsored, but the Fund may invest in unsponsored Depositary Receipts under
certain limited circumstances. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States. Therefore, there may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may be no
correlation between available information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts.
Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves
special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes
in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental
regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product (“GDP”), rate of inflation, capital reinvestment,
resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions.
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
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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 potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to the
agreed upon price per share, also known as the “strike price,” less the premium received from writing the put.
The Fund may purchase and write put and call options on
futures contracts that are traded on an 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 instrument or 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 the 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.
Regulation Regarding Derivatives. The CFTC subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if a fund that is advised by the investment adviser either (i) invests, directly or indirectly, more than a prescribed level
of its liquidation value in CFTC-regulated futures, options and swaps (“CFTC Derivatives”), or (ii) markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. The CFTC also subjects advisers to registered investment
companies to regulation by the CFTC if the registered investment company invests in one or more commodity pools. NDFs and cash-settled currency forwards as well as futures, options on futures, currency options and swaps entered into by the Fund will
be treated as CFTC Derivatives for these purposes, whereas physically-settled foreign currency forward contracts generally will not be treated as CFTC Derivatives. To the extent the Fund uses CFTC Derivatives, it intends to do so below such
prescribed levels and will not market itself as a “commodity pool” or a vehicle for trading such instruments.
BFA has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term
“commodity pool operator” under the CEA pursuant to Rule 4.5 under the CEA with respect to the Fund. BFA is not, therefore, subject to registration or regulation as a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA with respect to
the Fund.
Repurchase Agreements. A repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires the security and the
seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans
by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities will not be considered to be owned by the Fund but only to
constitute collateral for the seller’s obligation to pay the repurchase price, and, in the event of a default by the seller, the Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or losses in connection with the disposition of the
collateral.
In any repurchase transaction, the
collateral for a repurchase agreement may include: (i) cash items; (ii) obligations issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities; or (iii) obligations that, at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into, are determined
to (A) have exceptionally strong capacity to meet their financial obligations and (B) are sufficiently liquid such that they can be sold at approximately their carrying value in the ordinary course of business within seven days.
Repurchase agreements pose certain risks for the Fund, should
it decide to utilize them. Such risks are not unique to the Fund, but are inherent in repurchase agreements. The Fund seeks to minimize such risks, but because of the inherent legal uncertainties involved in repurchase agreements, such risks cannot
be eliminated. Lower quality collateral and collateral with longer maturities may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with shorter maturities. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to
default, lower quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterparty’s repurchase obligation, the Fund
would retain the status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty (i.e., the position the Fund would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies, other unsecured debt securities
of the defaulting counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, the Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.
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Reverse Repurchase Agreements.
Reverse repurchase agreements 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. 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 advantageous only if the Fund has an opportunity to earn a rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions that is greater 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 BFA believes it will be
advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s assets. The Fund’s exposure to reverse repurchase agreements will be covered by liquid assets having a
value equal to or greater than such commitments. The use of reverse repurchase agreements is a form of leverage because the proceeds derived from reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities.
Securities of Investment Companies. The Fund and the Underlying Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) to the extent allowed by law. Pursuant to the 1940 Act, the Fund’s or the Underlying
Fund's investment in registered investment companies is generally 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 or the Underlying Fund's total
assets with respect to any one investment company; and (iii) 10% of the Fund’s or the Underlying Fund's total assets with respect to investment companies in the aggregate. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, the Fund and the Underlying
Fund intend from time to time to invest their assets in the securities of investment companies, including, but not limited to, money market funds, including those advised by or otherwise affiliated with BFA, in excess of the general limits discussed
above. Other investment companies in which the Fund and the Underlying Fund may invest can be expected to incur fees and expenses for operations, such as investment advisory and administration fees, which would be in addition to those incurred by
the Fund and the Underlying Fund. Pursuant to guidance issued by the SEC staff, fees and expenses of money market funds used for cash collateral received in connection with loans of securities are not treated as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses,
which reflect the Fund’s pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies (as disclosed in the
Prospectus, as applicable).
Short-Term Instruments
and Temporary Investments. The Fund and the Underlying Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market
instruments are generally short-term investments that may include but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds (including those advised by BFA or otherwise affiliated with BFA); (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S.
government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’ acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S.
banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody's® Investors Service,
Inc., “F-1” by Fitch Ratings, Inc., or “A-1” by Standard & Poor's® Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies
(Standard & Poor's Ratings Services), or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by BFA; (v) 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 satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and
(vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of BFA, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks which may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be
purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial
banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.
Swap Agreements. Swap
agreements are cash-settled 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 performed on a net basis, with 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 liquid assets having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess will be
maintained by the Fund.
The use of interest rate,
index and currency swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. These transactions do not involve the delivery of securities or
other underlying assets.
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Tracking Stocks. A
tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and is designed to “track” the performance of such business unit or division. The tracking
stock may pay dividends to shareholders independent of the parent company. The parent company, rather than the business unit or division, generally is the issuer of tracking stock. However, holders of the tracking stock may not have the same rights
as holders of the company’s common stock.
Future Developments. The
Board may, in the future, authorize the Fund or the Underlying Fund to invest in securities contracts and investments, other than those listed in this SAI and in the Prospectus, provided they are consistent with the Fund's or the Underlying Fund's
investment objective and do not violate any of its investment restrictions or policies.
General Considerations and Risks
A discussion of some of the principal risks associated with an
investment in the Fund is contained in the Prospectus. Because the Fund expects to obtain its exposure to the securities in the Underlying Index substantially through its investment in the Underlying Fund, shareholders should be aware that the risks
of investment in particular types of securities, economic sectors and geographic locations discussed below may be borne by the Fund through its investment in the Underlying Fund. Through its investment in the Underlying Fund, the Fund will also bear
the risks described below associated with the Underlying Fund’s use of portfolio management techniques, such as borrowing arrangements and use of derivatives, in addition to the risks associated with those activities if the Fund engages in
them directly.
An investment in the Fund should be made
with an understanding that the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities, including its investment in the Underlying Fund, may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio securities, the
value of stocks in general, and other factors that affect the market.
Borrowing Risk.
Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may
reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Cyber Security Risk.
With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional
events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or
malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access,
such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber security failures
by or breaches of the systems of the Fund’s adviser, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, index providers, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), market makers, Authorized
Participants (as defined in the Portfolio Holdings Information section of this SAI) or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial
losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational
damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund has established business continuity plans in the
event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber
security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund, issuers in which the Fund invests, market makers or Authorized Participants. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
Operational Risk. BFA
and the Fund's other service providers may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Fund. While service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, their methods
of operational risk management may differ from the Fund's in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. BFA, through its monitoring and oversight of service providers, seeks to ensure
that service providers take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors. However, it is not possible for BFA or the other Fund service providers to identify all of the operational risks
that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.
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Risk of Derivatives. A
derivative is a financial contract, the value of which depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, a commodity (such as gold or silver), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the S&P 500® or the prime lending rate). 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. Derivatives are also subject to
counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations.
Risk of Equity Securities.
An investment in the Fund should 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 stock
markets 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). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to 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 common stocks incur more risks than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders generally
have rights to receive payments from stock issuers that are inferior to the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity
(the value of which, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior to maturity), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither
a fixed principal amount nor a maturity.
Although
most of the securities in the Underlying Index are listed on a national securities exchange, the principal trading market for some of the securities may be in the over-the-counter market. The existence of a liquid trading market for certain
securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the
value of the Fund’s shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
Risk of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. 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.
Futures contracts, by definition, project price levels in the future and not current levels of valuation; therefore, market circumstances may result in a discrepancy between the price of the stock index future and the movement in the Fund's
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 futures 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.
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 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 BFA as to anticipated trends, which predictions could
prove to be incorrect.
Because the futures market
generally 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
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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.
Risk of Investing in Non-U.S. Equity Securities. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in portfolios of equity securities traded on non-U.S. exchanges. These risks include market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and
political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. Investing in securities issued by issuers domiciled in countries other than the domicile of the investor and denominated in currencies other than an
investor’s local currency entails certain considerations and risks not typically encountered by the investor in making investments in its home country and in that country’s currency. These considerations include favorable or unfavorable
changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates, exchange control regulations and the costs that may be incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies. Investing in the Fund also involves certain risks and considerations not
typically associated with investing in a fund whose portfolio contains exclusively securities of U.S. issuers. These risks include generally less liquid and less efficient securities markets; generally greater price volatility; less publicly
available information about issuers; the imposition of withholding or other taxes; the imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of funds or other assets of the Fund; higher transaction and custody costs; delays and risks attendant in
settlement procedures; difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; lower liquidity and significantly smaller market capitalization; different accounting and disclosure standards; lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; more
substantial government interference with the economy; higher rates of inflation; greater social, economic, and political uncertainty; the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets; and the risk of war.
The United States and the European Union (the
“EU”), along with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial
sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and
liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund or an Underlying Fund
to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities.
The
sanctions against certain Russian issuers include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund or an Underlying Fund issued prior to the date
of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund or an Underlying Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the
affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or unlawful for the Fund or an Underlying Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”),
or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund or an Underlying Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a
cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund or an Underlying Fund’s transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
or an Underlying Fund’s Underlying Index, the Fund or an Underlying Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the
investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of (or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant
percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund or an Underlying Fund may not be able to effectively implement a representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s
performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking
counter measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund or an Underlying Fund. In the event of
such a freeze of any fund assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund or an Underlying Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also
result in the Fund or an Underlying Fund receiving substantially lower prices for its securities.
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These sanctions may also lead to changes in the Fund’s
Underlying Index. The Fund’s index provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In such an event, it is expected that the
Fund or an Underlying Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that may
result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that
represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Risk of Swap Agreements.
The risk of loss with respect to swaps generally is limited to the net amount of payments that the 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 is contractually entitled to receive).
Risk of Investing in Mid-Capitalization Companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund's share price may be more volatile than
those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business
or economic developments, and the stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it more difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than
large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Risk of Investing in Africa.
Investments in securities of issuers in certain African countries involve heightened risks including, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or
military involvement in governmental decision-making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest and, in certain countries, genocidal warfare.
Certain countries in Africa generally have less developed
capital markets than traditional emerging market countries, and, consequently, the risks of investing in foreign securities are magnified in such countries. Because securities markets of countries in Africa are generally underdeveloped and are less
correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries, securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume,
illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations and uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets. Moreover, trading on African securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Market volatility may also be heightened by the actions of a
small number of investors. Brokerage firms in certain countries in Africa may be fewer in number and less established than brokerage firms in more developed markets. Since the Fund and the Underlying Fund may need to effect securities transactions
through these brokerage firms, the Fund and the Underlying Fund are subject to the risk that these brokerage firms will not be able to fulfill their obligations to the Fund and the Underlying Fund (i.e.,
counterparty risk). This risk is magnified to the extent that the Fund and the Underlying Fund effect securities transactions through a single brokerage firm or a small number of brokerage firms.
Certain governments in African countries restrict or control
to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment by foreign
investors and may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer, and may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes
available for purchase by domestic investors of the countries and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. A delay in obtaining a government approval or a license would delay investments in a particular country, and, as a result, the Fund or
the Underlying Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities while approval is pending. The government of a particular country may also withdraw or decline to renew a license that enables the Fund or the Underlying Fund to invest in such
country. These factors make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries, and any one of these factors could cause a decline in the
value of the Fund’s investments. Issuers located or operating in countries in Africa are not subject to the same rules and regulations as issuers located or operating in more developed countries. Therefore, there may be less financial and
other information publicly available with regard to issuers located or
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operating in countries in Africa and such issuers are not subject to the
uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards applicable to issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
In addition, governments of certain countries in Africa in
which the Fund or the Underlying Fund may invest may levy withholding or other taxes on income such as dividends, interest and realized capital gains. Although in certain countries in Africa a portion of these taxes are recoverable, the
non-recovered portion of foreign withholding taxes will reduce the income received from investments in such countries.
Investment in countries in Africa may be subject to a greater
degree of risk associated with governmental approval in connection with the repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors. In addition, there is the risk that if an African country’s
balance of payments declines, such African country may impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances. Consequently, the Fund or the Underlying Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, required governmental
approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Fund or the Underlying Fund of any restrictions on investments. Additionally, investments in countries in Africa may require the Fund or the Underlying Fund to adopt special
procedures, seek local government approvals or take other actions, each of which may involve additional costs to the Fund.
Securities laws in many countries in Africa are relatively new
and unsettled and, consequently, there is a risk of rapid and unpredictable change in laws regarding foreign investment, securities regulation, title to securities and shareholder rights. Accordingly, foreign investors may be adversely affected by
new or amended laws and regulations. In addition, there may be no single centralized securities exchange on which securities are traded in certain countries in Africa and the systems of corporate governance to which issuers located in countries in
Africa are subject may be less advanced than those systems to which issuers located in more developed countries are subject, and therefore, shareholders of issuers located in such countries may not receive many of the protections available to
shareholders of issuers located in more developed countries. In circumstances where adequate laws and shareholder rights exist, it may not be possible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of the law. In addition, the enforcement of systems of
taxation at federal, regional and local levels in countries in Africa may be inconsistent and subject to sudden change.
Certain countries in Africa may be heavily dependent upon
international trade and, consequently, have been and may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries
with which they trade. These countries also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. Certain countries in Africa depend to a significant extent upon exports of primary
commodities such as gold, silver, copper and diamonds. These countries therefore are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices, which may be affected by a variety of factors. In addition, certain issuers located in countries in Africa in which the
Fund or the Underlying Fund invests may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations, and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of
terrorism. As a result, an issuer may sustain damage to its reputation if it is identified as an issuer which operates in, or has dealings with, such countries. The Fund, as an investor in such issuers, will be indirectly subject to those
risks.
The governments of certain countries in Africa
may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in such countries, which could have a negative
impact on private sector companies. There is also the possibility of diplomatic developments that could adversely affect investments in certain countries in Africa. Some countries in Africa may be affected by a greater degree of public corruption
and crime, including organized crime.
In addition,
recent political instability and protests in North Africa and the Middle East have caused significant disruptions to many industries. This instability has demonstrated that political and social unrest can spread quickly through the region, and that
developments in one country can influence the political events in neighboring countries. Some protests have turned violent, and civil war and political reconstruction in certain countries such as Libya poses a risk to investments in the region.
Continued political and social unrest in these regions may negatively affect the value of an investment in the Fund.
Risk of Investing in Asia.
Investments in securities of issuers in certain Asian countries involve risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in other regions. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or
nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in
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governmental decision-making, armed conflict and social instability as a
result of religious, ethnic and/or socio-economic unrest. Certain Asian economies have experienced rapid rates of economic growth and industrialization in recent years, and there is no assurance that these rates of economic growth and
industrialization will be maintained.
Certain Asian
countries have democracies with relatively short histories, which may increase the risk of political instability. These countries have faced political and military unrest, and further unrest could present a risk to their local economies and
securities markets. Indonesia and the Philippines have each experienced violence and terrorism, which has negatively impacted their economies. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between
the two countries present the risk of war; in the recent past, these tensions have escalated. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy and securities market. Increased
political and social unrest in these geographic areas could adversely affect the performance of investments in this region.
Certain governments in this region administer prices on
several basic goods, including fuel and electricity, within their respective countries. Certain governments may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector in their respective countries and may own or control many
companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in this region, which in turn could have a negative impact on private sector companies. There is also the possibility of diplomatic developments
adversely affecting investments in the region.
Corruption and the perceived lack of a rule of law in dealings
with international companies in certain Asian countries may discourage foreign investment and could negatively impact the long-term growth of certain economies in this region. In addition, certain countries in the region are experiencing high
unemployment and corruption, and have fragile banking sectors.
Some economies in this region are dependent on a range of
commodities, including oil, natural gas and coal. Accordingly, they are strongly affected by international commodity prices and particularly vulnerable to any weakening in global demand for these products. The market for securities in this region
may also be directly influenced by the flow of international capital, and by the economic and market conditions of neighboring countries. Adverse economic conditions or developments in neighboring countries may increase investors' perception of the
risk of investing in the region as a whole, which may adversely impact the market value of the securities issued by companies in the region.
Risk of Investing in Central and South America. The economies of certain Central and South American countries have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility, inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In
addition, commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of exports for the regions and, as a result, many economies in these regions are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic
events in one country may have a significant adverse effect on other countries of these regions.
The governments of certain countries in Central and South
America may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in such countries, which could have a
negative impact on the securities in which the Fund invests. Diplomatic developments may also adversely affect investments in certain countries in Central and South America. Some countries in Central and South America may be affected by public
corruption and crime, including organized crime.
Certain
countries in Central and South America may be heavily dependent upon international trade and, consequently, have been and may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values
and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. These countries also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. In addition,
certain issuers located in countries in Central and South America in which the Fund invests may have dealings with countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by
the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. An issuer may sustain damage to its reputation if it is identified as an issuer that has dealings with such countries. The Fund may be adversely affected if it invests in such issuers.
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Risk of Investing in Eastern Europe. Investing in the securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe is highly speculative and involves risks not usually associated with investing in the more developed markets of Western Europe.
Political and economic reforms are too recent to establish a definite trend away from centrally planned economies and state-owned industries. In the past, some Eastern European governments have expropriated substantial amounts of private property,
and many claims of the property owners have never been fully settled.
Many Eastern European countries continue to move toward market
economies at different paces with different characteristics. Most Eastern European securities markets suffer from thin trading activity, dubious investor protections, and often a dearth of reliable corporate information. Information and transaction
costs, differential taxes, and sometimes political or transfer risk give a comparative advantage to the domestic investor rather than the foreign investor. In addition, these markets are particularly sensitive to social, political, economic, and
currency events in Russia and may suffer heavy losses as a result of their trading and investment links to the Russian economy and currency. Russia also may attempt to assert its influence in the region through economic or even military measures, as
it did with Georgia in the summer of 2008 and Ukraine in 2014. Eastern European economies may also be particularly susceptible to changes in the international credit markets due to their reliance on bank related inflows of capital. The global
economic crisis has restricted international credit supplies, and several Eastern European economies have faced significant credit and economic crises. Although some Eastern European economies are expanding again, major challenges are still present
as a result of their continued dependence on the Western European zone for credit.
Risk of Investing in the Middle East. Many Middle Eastern countries have little or no democratic tradition, and the political and legal systems in such countries may have an adverse impact on the Fund. Many economies in the Middle East are highly
reliant on income from the sale of oil or trade with countries involved in the sale of oil, and their economies are therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency values. As global demand for oil fluctuates, many Middle
Eastern economies may be significantly impacted.
In addition, many Middle Eastern governments have exercised
and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In certain cases, a Middle Eastern country’s government may own or control many companies, including some of the largest companies in the country.
Accordingly, governmental actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in Middle Eastern countries. This could affect private sector companies and the Fund, as well as the value of securities in the Fund's
portfolio.
Certain Middle Eastern markets are in the
earliest stages of development. As a result, there may be a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and
financial intermediaries. Brokers in Middle Eastern countries typically are fewer in number and less well capitalized than brokers in the United States.
The legal systems in certain Middle Eastern countries also may
have an adverse impact on the Fund. For example, the potential liability of a shareholder in a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation generally is limited to the amount of the shareholder’s investment. However, the notion of
limited liability is less clear in certain Middle Eastern countries. The Fund and the Underlying Fund therefore may be liable in certain Middle Eastern countries for the acts of a corporation in which it invests for an amount greater than their
actual investment in that corporation. Similarly, the rights of investors in Middle Eastern issuers may be more limited than those of shareholders of a U.S. corporation. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain or enforce a legal judgment in a
Middle Eastern country. Some Middle Eastern countries prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on investments in their capital markets, particularly their equity markets, by foreign entities such as the Fund and the Underlying Fund. For
example, certain countries may require governmental approval prior to investment by foreign persons or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular issuer. Certain Middle Eastern countries may also limit the investment by
foreign persons to only a specific class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the issuer available for purchase by nationals.
The manner in which foreign investors may invest in companies
in certain Middle Eastern countries, as well as limitations on those investments, may have an adverse impact on the operations of the Fund. For example, in certain of these countries, the Fund or the Underlying Fund may be required to invest
initially through a local broker or other entity and then have the shares that were purchased re-registered in the name of the Fund or the Underlying Fund. Re-registration in some instances may not be possible on a timely basis. This may result
in a delay during which the Fund may be denied certain of its rights as an investor, including rights as to dividends or to be made aware of certain corporate actions. There also may be instances
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where the Fund or the Underlying Fund places a purchase order but is
subsequently informed, at the time of re-registration, that the permissible allocation of the investment to foreign investors has been filled.
Substantial limitations may exist in certain Middle Eastern
countries with respect to the Fund’s or the Underlying Fund's ability to repatriate investment income or capital gains. The Fund and the Underlying Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental
approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Fund and the Underlying Fund of any restrictions on investment.
Certain Middle Eastern countries may be heavily dependent upon
international trade and, consequently, have been and may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries
with which they trade. These countries also have been and may continue to be adversely impacted by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. In addition, certain issuers located in Middle Eastern countries in which the Fund invests
may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations, and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As a result, an issuer
may sustain damage to its reputation if it is identified as an issuer which operates in, or has dealings with, such countries. The Fund, as an investor in such issuers, will be indirectly subject to those risks.
Certain Middle Eastern countries have strained relations with
other Middle Eastern countries due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or defense concerns, which may adversely affect the economies of these Middle Eastern countries. Certain Middle Eastern countries experience significant unemployment,
as well as widespread underemployment. Recently, many Middle Eastern countries have experienced political, economic and social unrest as protestors have called for widespread reform. These protests may adversely affect the economies of these Middle
Eastern countries.
Risk of Investing in North America. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in trade regulations and/or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region, and on some or all
of the North American countries in which the Fund invests.
The United States is Mexico's largest trading and investment
partner. The Mexican economy is significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) in 1994 among Canada, the United States and Mexico, total
merchandise trade between the three countries has increased. To further this relationship, the three NAFTA countries entered into the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in March 2005, which may further affect Mexico's dependency on
the U.S. economy. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as the value of certain securities.
U.S. Economic Trading Partners Risk. The United States is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of, or foreign investor in, the country or countries in which the Fund invests. As a result, economic conditions of such
countries may be particularly affected by changes in the U.S. economy. The U.S. economy has recently experienced very difficult conditions and volatility, as well as significant adverse trends. While government intervention and recent legislation
has been enacted to improve the U.S. economy, the recovery has been fragile and modest. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade and financial regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a
material adverse effect on a country’s economic conditions and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sector. Companies engaged in the design, production or distribution of products or services for the consumer discretionary sector (including, without limitation, television and radio broadcasting, manufacturing,
publishing, recording and musical instruments, motion pictures, photography, amusement and theme parks, gaming casinos, sporting goods and sports arenas, camping and recreational equipment, toys and games, apparel, travel-related services,
automobiles, hotels and motels, and fast food and other restaurants) are subject to the risk that their products or services may become obsolete quickly. The success of these companies can depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer
spending. During periods of an expanding economy, the consumer discretionary sector may outperform the consumer staples sector, but may underperform when economic conditions worsen. Moreover, the consumer discretionary sector can be significantly
affected by several factors, including, without limitation, the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, changing consumer preferences, demographics, marketing campaigns, cyclical revenue generation, consumer confidence,
commodity price volatility, labor relations, interest rates, import and export controls, intense competition, technological developments and government regulation.
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Risk of Investing in the Consumer Staples Sector. Companies in the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the
consumer staples sector may also be affected by changes in global economic, environmental and political events, economic conditions, the depletion of resources, and government regulation. For instance, government regulations may affect the
permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. In addition, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by the adoption of proposed legislation
and/or by litigation. Companies in the consumer staples sector also may be subject to risks pertaining to the supply of, demand for and prices of raw materials. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including,
without limitation, changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies, and seasonal and weather conditions. Companies in the consumer staples
sector may be subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market countries may be subject to greater risks than investments in developed countries. These risks include: (i) less social, political, and economic stability; (ii) greater illiquidity
and price volatility due to smaller or limited local capital markets for such securities, or low or non-existent trading volumes; (iii) foreign exchanges and broker-dealers may be subject to less scrutiny and regulation by local authorities; (iv)
local governments may decide to seize or confiscate securities held by foreign investors and/or local governments may decide to suspend or limit an issuer's ability to make dividend or interest payments; (v) local governments may limit or entirely
restrict repatriation of invested capital, profits, and dividends; (vi) capital gains may be subject to local taxation, including on a retroactive basis; (vii) issuers facing restrictions on dollar or euro payments imposed by local governments may
attempt to make dividend or interest payments to foreign investors in the local currency; (viii) investors may experience difficulty in enforcing legal claims related to the securities and/or local judges may favor the interests of the issuer over
those of foreign investors; (ix) bankruptcy judgments may only be permitted to be paid in the local currency; (x) limited public information regarding the issuer may result in greater difficulty in determining market valuations of the securities,
and (xi) lack of financial reporting on a regular basis, substandard disclosure and differences in accounting standards may make it difficult to ascertain the financial health of an issuer.
Emerging market securities markets are typically marked by a
high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of ownership of such securities by a limited number of investors. In addition,
brokerage and other costs associated with transactions in emerging markets securities markets can be higher, sometimes significantly, than similar costs incurred in securities markets in developed countries. Although some emerging markets have
become more established and tend to issue securities of higher credit quality, the markets for securities in other emerging countries are in the earliest stages of their development, and these countries issue securities across the credit spectrum.
Even the markets for relatively widely traded securities in emerging countries may not be able to absorb, without price disruptions, a significant increase in trading volume or trades of a size customarily undertaken by institutional investors in
the securities markets of developed countries. The limited size of many of these securities markets can cause prices to be erratic for reasons apart from factors that affect the soundness and competitiveness of the securities issuers. For example,
prices may be unduly influenced by traders who control large positions in these markets. Additionally, market making and arbitrage activities are generally less extensive in such markets, which may contribute to increased volatility and reduced
liquidity of such markets. The limited liquidity of emerging country securities may also affect the Fund's ability to accurately value its portfolio securities or to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time it wishes to do so or in
order to meet redemption requests.
Many emerging market
countries suffer from uncertainty and corruption in their legal frameworks. Legislation may be difficult to interpret and laws may be too new to provide any precedential value. Laws regarding foreign investment and private property may be weak or
non-existent. Sudden changes in governments may result in policies which are less favorable to investors such as policies designed to expropriate or nationalize “sovereign” assets. Certain emerging market countries in the past have
expropriated large amounts of private property, in many cases with little or no compensation, and there can be no assurance that such expropriation will not occur in the future.
Investment in the securities markets of certain emerging
countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions may limit the Fund's investment in certain emerging countries and may increase the expenses of the Fund. Certain emerging countries require governmental approval prior to
investments by foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuer's outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of
the company available for purchase by nationals.
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Many emerging market countries lack the social, political, and
economic stability characteristic of the United States. Political instability among emerging market countries can be common and may be caused by an uneven distribution of wealth, social unrest, labor strikes, civil wars, and religious oppression.
Economic instability in emerging market countries may take the form of: (i) high interest rates; (ii) high levels of inflation, including hyperinflation; (iii) high levels of unemployment or underemployment; (iv) changes in government economic and
tax policies, including confiscatory taxation; and (v) imposition of trade barriers.
The Fund's income and, in some cases, capital gains from
foreign securities will be subject to applicable taxation in certain of the emerging market countries in which it invests, and treaties between the United States and such countries may not be available in some cases to reduce the otherwise
applicable tax rates.
Emerging markets also have
different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain of these emerging markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such
transactions.
In the past, certain governments in
emerging market countries have become overly reliant on the international capital markets and other forms of foreign credit to finance large public spending programs, which in the past have caused huge budget deficits. Often, interest payments have
become too overwhelming for a government to meet, representing a large percentage of total GDP. These foreign obligations have become the subject of political debate and served as fuel for political parties of the opposition, which pressure the
government not to make payments to foreign creditors, but instead to use these funds for, among other things, social programs. Either due to an inability to pay or submission to political pressure, foreign governments have been forced to seek a
restructuring of their loan and/or bond obligations, have declared a temporary suspension of interest payments or have defaulted. These events have adversely affected the values of securities issued by foreign governments and corporations domiciled
in those countries and have negatively affected not only their cost of borrowing, but their ability to borrow in the future as well.
Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. Companies in the energy sector are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, government regulations and policies, energy production and conservation efforts,
technological change, and other factors that a company cannot control. These companies may also lack resources and have limited business lines. The energy sector is cyclical and is highly dependent on commodity prices; prices and supplies of energy
may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to, among other things, national and international political changes, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) policies, changes in relationships among
OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economy of the key energy-consuming countries.
Companies in the energy sector may be adversely affected by
terrorism, natural disasters or other catastrophes. Companies in the energy sector are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims. Disruptions in the oil
industry or shifts in fuel consumption may significantly impact companies in this sector. Significant oil and gas deposits are located in emerging markets countries where corruption and security may raise significant risks, in addition to the other
risks of investing in emerging markets. Additionally, the Middle East, where many companies in the energy sector may operate, has historically and recently experienced widespread social unrest.
Companies in the energy sector may also be adversely affected
by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, negative perception, efforts at energy conservation and world events in the regions in which the companies operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence or labor
unrest). Because a significant portion of revenues of companies in this sector is derived from a relatively small number of customers that are largely composed of governmental entities and utilities, governmental budget constraints may have a
significant impact on the stock prices of companies in this sector. The energy sector is highly regulated. Entities operating in the energy sector are subject to significant regulation of nearly every aspect of their operations by federal, state and
local governmental agencies. Such regulation can change rapidly or over time in both scope and intensity. Stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future which would likely increase compliance costs and may
materially adversely affect the financial performance of companies in the energy sector.
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Risk of Investing in the Financials Sector. Companies in the financials sector include regional and money center banks, securities brokerage firms, asset management companies, savings banks and thrift institutions, specialty finance companies (e.g., credit card, mortgage providers), insurance and insurance brokerage firms, financial conglomerates and foreign banking and financial companies. The global
financial markets have experienced very difficult conditions and volatility as well as significant adverse trends. The conditions in these markets have resulted in a decrease in availability of corporate credit, capital and liquidity and have led
indirectly to the insolvency, closure or acquisition of a number of financial institutions. These conditions have also contributed to consolidation within the financial industry. In addition, the global financial industry has been materially and
adversely affected by a significant decline in the value of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, and by the sovereign debt crisis. The prospects of many financial companies are questionable and continue to evolve as financial companies
revise their outlooks and write down assets that they hold.
Most financial companies are subject to extensive governmental
regulation, which limits their activities and may affect their ability to earn a profit from a given line of business. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector,
including effects not intended by the regulation. Direct governmental intervention in the operations of financial companies and financial markets may materially and adversely affect the companies in which the Fund invests, including legislation in
many countries that may increase government regulation, repatriation and other intervention. The impact of governmental intervention and legislative changes on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. The valuation of financial companies has been and continues to be subject to unprecedented volatility and may be influenced by unpredictable factors, including interest rate risk and sovereign debt default. Certain financial businesses
are subject to intense competitive pressures, including market share and price competition. Financial companies in foreign countries are subject to market specific and general regulatory and interest rate concerns. In particular, government
regulation in certain foreign countries may include taxes and controls on interest rates, credit availability, minimum capital requirements, ban on short sales, prices and currency transfers. In addition, companies in the financials sector may be
the targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or customer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their business.
The profitability of banks, savings and loan associations and
financial companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change; for instance, when interest rates go up, the value of securities issued by many types of companies in
the financials sector generally goes down. In other words, financial companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including, without limitation, during periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and
increase the cost of capital, and during periods of declining economic conditions, which may cause, among other things, credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers.
In addition, general economic conditions are important to the
operations of these companies, and financial difficulties of borrowers may have an adverse effect on the profitability of financial companies. Financial companies can be highly dependent upon access to capital markets and any impediments to such
access, such as adverse overall economic conditions or a negative perception in the capital markets of a financial company’s financial condition or prospects, could adversely affect its business. Deterioration of credit markets, as experienced
in 2008 and 2009, can have an adverse impact on a broad range of financial markets, causing certain financial companies to incur large losses. In these conditions, companies in the financials sector may experience significant declines in the
valuation of their assets, take actions to raise capital and even cease operations. Some financial companies may also be required to accept or borrow significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government imposed
restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. In addition, there is no guarantee that governments will provide any such relief in the future. These actions may cause the securities of many companies in the financials sector
to decline in value.
Risk of Investing in the Healthcare
Sector. Companies in the healthcare sector are often issuers whose profitability may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising or
falling costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are
heavily dependent on patent protection and the actual or perceived safety and efficiency of their products.
Patents have a limited duration and, upon expiration, other
companies may market substantially similar “generic” products that are typically sold at a lower price than the patented product, causing the original developer of the product to lose market share and/or reduce the price charged for the
product, resulting in lower profits for the original developer. As a result, the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
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In addition, because the products and services of many
companies in the healthcare sector affect the health and well-being of many individuals, these companies are especially susceptible to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to
competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and
costly, resulting in increased development costs, delayed cost recovery and loss of competitive advantage to the extent that rival companies have developed competing products or procedures, adversely affecting the company’s revenues and
profitability. In other words, delays in the regulatory approval process may diminish the opportunity for a company to profit from a new product or to bring a new product to market, which could have a material adverse effect on a company’s
business. Healthcare companies may also be strongly affected by scientific biotechnology or technological developments and their products may quickly become obsolete. Also, many healthcare companies offer products and services that are subject to
governmental regulation and may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies or laws. Legislation introduced or considered by certain governments on any individual healthcare company or on the healthcare sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. These laws and proposals span a wide range of topics, including cost control, national health insurance, incentives for compensation in the provision of healthcare services, tax incentives and penalties related to healthcare insurance
premiums, and promotion of prepaid healthcare plans. No one can predict what proposals will be enacted or what potentially adverse effect they may have on healthcare-related or biotechnology-related companies.
Additionally, the expansion of facilities by
healthcare-related providers is subject to “determinations of need” by certain government authorities. This process not only increases the time and costs involved in these expansions, but also makes expansion plans uncertain, limiting
the revenue and profitability growth potential of healthcare-related facilities operators and negatively affecting the prices of their securities. Moreover, in recent years both local and national governmental budgets have come under pressure to
reduce spending and control healthcare costs, which could both adversely affect regulatory processes and public funding available for healthcare products, services and facilities.
Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be affected by supply and demand both for their specific products or services and for industrials sector products in general. The products
of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events and economic conditions affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. For example, commodity price declines and unit volume reductions resulting from an over-supply
of materials used in the industrials sector can adversely affect the sector. Furthermore, companies in the industrials sector may be subject to liability for environmental damage, product liability claims, depletion of resources, and mandated
expenditures for safety and pollution control.
Risk
of Investing in the Information Technology Sector. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like
other technology companies, information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological
developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller,
less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect
the profitability of these companies. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the information technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or
consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses. These risks are heightened for information technology companies in foreign markets.
Risk of Investing in the Materials Sector. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical progress, labor relations and
government regulations, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control, among other factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials
may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. These risks are heightened for companies in the materials sector located in foreign markets.
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Risk of Investing in the Telecommunications Sector. The telecommunications sector of a country’s economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory
approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be
arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sector may experience distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using
new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the telecommunications
sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
Risk of Investing in the Utilities Sector. The utilities sector may be adversely affected by changing commodity prices, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, increased tariffs, changes in tax laws, interest rate fluctuations and
changes in the cost of providing specific utility services. The utilities industry is also subject to potential terrorist attacks, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, as well as regulatory and operational burdens associated with the
operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict a company’s access
to new markets, thereby diminishing the company’s long-term prospects.
There are substantial differences among the regulatory
practices and policies of various jurisdictions, and any regulatory agency may make major shifts in policy from time to time. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will, in the future, grant rate increases. Additionally, existing and
possible future regulatory legislation may make it even more difficult for utilities to obtain adequate relief. Certain of the issuers of securities held in the Fund's portfolio may own or operate nuclear generating facilities. Governmental
authorities may from time to time review existing policies and impose additional requirements governing the licensing, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. Prolonged changes in climate conditions can also have a significant impact on
both the revenues of an electric and gas utility as well as the expenses of a utility, particularly a hydro-based electric utility.
The rates that traditional regulated utility companies may
charge their customers generally are subject to review and limitation by governmental regulatory commissions. Rate changes may occur only after a prolonged approval period or may not occur at all, which could adversely affect utility companies when
costs are rising. The value of regulated utility debt securities (and, to a lesser extent, equity securities) tends to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial
deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions
and their traditional lines of business. As a result, some companies may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable.
Proxy Voting Policy
The Company has adopted proxy voting policies for the Fund
that incorporate and amplify the proxy voting guidelines of BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund. The Company has delegated to BFA 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 BFA’s role in implementing such guidelines.
BFA votes (or refrains from voting) proxies for the Fund in a
manner that BFA, in the exercise of its independent business judgment, concludes is in the best economic interests of the Fund. In some cases, BFA 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 on certain non-U.S. securities that might impose costly or time-consuming in-person voting requirements). With regard to the relationship between securities lending and proxy voting,
BFA’s approach is also driven by the Fund's 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 BFA recalling loaned securities in order to ensure they are voted. Periodically, BFA analyzes the process and benefits of voting proxies for securities on loan, and
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will consider whether any modification of its proxy voting policies or
procedures are necessary in light of any regulatory changes. BFA will normally vote on specific proxy issues in accordance with its proxy voting guidelines. BFA’s proxy voting guidelines provide detailed guidance as to how to vote proxies on
certain important or commonly raised issues. BFA 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. BFA 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), BFA or BFA’s affiliates, or the Distributor or the Distributor’s affiliates. When voting proxies, BFA attempts to encourage issuers 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; |
| • | When a director has committed himself or herself to service on more than four public company boards (but no more than six public company boards in most circumstances), the Fund will consider such director’s individual circumstances in determining whether the director will be able to commit sufficient focus and time to a particular company; |
| • | The Fund generally defers to an issuer’s choice of auditors so long as the corporate auditors represent the interests of shareholders and provide an independent view of the propriety of financial reporting decisions of management; |
| • | The Fund generally favors disclosure of a company’s compensation and benefits policies and opposes excessive compensation, but believes that compensation matters are normally best determined by a company’s board of directors; |
| • | The Fund generally expects to support capital structure requests that it believes enhance the rights of common shareholders and oppose requests that appear to be unreasonably dilutive; |
| • | 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. |
BFA 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), BFA or BFA’s affiliates (if any) or the Distributor or the Distributor’s
affiliates, from having undue influence on BFA’s proxy voting activity. In certain instances, BFA 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 BFA with instructions as to how to vote such proxies. In the latter case, BFA votes the proxy in accordance with the independent fiduciary’s
determination.
Information with respect to how BFA voted
proxies relating to the Fund's portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 is available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) 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 Board 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: (i) is consistent with applicable legal requirements and in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders; (ii) does not put the interests
of BFA, the Distributor or any affiliated person of BFA or the Distributor, above those of Fund shareholders; (iii) 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 discussed below, and certain information may be provided to personnel of BFA and its affiliates who manage funds that invest a significant percentage of their assets in shares of the Fund for the purpose of facilitating risk
management and hedging activities; and (iv) does not provide selective access to portfolio holdings information except pursuant to the procedures outlined below and to the extent appropriate confidentiality
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arrangements limiting the use of such information are in effect. The
“Entities” referred to in sub-section (iii) above are generally limited to National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) members, subscribers to various fee-based subscription services, large institutional investors
(known as “Authorized Participants”) that have been authorized by the Distributor to purchase and redeem large blocks of shares pursuant to legal requirements and market makers and other institutional market participants and entities
that provide information or transactional services.
Each
business day, the Fund's portfolio holdings information is 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 market makers and 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 or evaluating such potential transactions. 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; and (ii) to other personnel of
the Fund's investment adviser, the Distributor and their affiliates, and the administrator, custodian and fund accountant who deal directly with, or assist in, functions related to investment management, distribution, administration, custody,
securities lending and fund accounting, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with federal securities laws and regulations thereunder. In addition, the Fund discloses its fixed income and equity
portfolio holdings daily at www.iShares.com. More information about this disclosure is available at www.iShares.com.
Portfolio holdings information made available in connection
with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Fund in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC. From time to time, information concerning portfolio holdings
other than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Fund, including rating or ranking organizations, in the
ordinary course of business, no earlier than one business day following the date of the information.
The Fund will disclose its complete portfolio holdings
schedule in public filings with the SEC within 70 days of the end of the second and fourth fiscal quarters and within 60 days of the end of the first and third fiscal quarters and will provide that information to shareholders as required by federal
securities laws and regulations thereunder. The Fund may, however, 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 contemporaneously.
The Company's Chief Compliance Officer or his delegate may
authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information pursuant to the above policy and procedures.
The Board reviews the policy and procedures for disclosure of
portfolio holdings information at least annually.
Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Index
A description of the Underlying Index is provided below.
The MSCI Indexes
The MSCI indexes were founded in 1969 by Capital International
S.A. as the first international performance benchmarks constructed to facilitate accurate comparison of world markets. The MSCI single country standard equity indexes have covered the world's developed markets since 1969 and in 1987 MSCI commenced
coverage of emerging markets.
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Local stock exchanges traditionally calculated their own
indexes, which were generally not comparable with one another due to differences in the representation of the local market, mathematical formulas, base dates and methods of adjusting for capital changes. MSCI, however, applies the same calculation
methodology to all markets for all single country standard equity indexes, both developed and emerging.
MSCI's Global Investable Market Indexes (the “MSCI
GIMI”) provide exhaustive coverage and non-overlapping market segmentation by market capitalization size and by style. The MSCI GIMI intends to target approximately 99% coverage of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each market
of large-, mid- and small-cap securities.
| • | MSCI Global Standard Indexes cover all investable large- and mid-cap securities by including approximately 85% of each market's free float-adjusted market capitalization. |
| • | MSCI Global Small Cap Indexes provide coverage to all companies with a market capitalization below that of the companies in the MSCI Global Standard Indexes by including above and beyond the coverage of the MSCI Global Standard Indexes. |
MSCI Global Investable Market
Indexes
Selection Criteria. MSCI's index construction process involves: (i) defining the equity universe; (ii) determining the market investable equity universe for each market; (iii) determining market capitalization size segments for each
market; (iv) applying final size segment investability requirements; and (v) applying index continuity rules for the MSCI Global Standard Index.
Defining the Equity Universe.
MSCI begins with securities listed in countries in the MSCI GIMI. Of these countries, as of June 2, 2014, 23 are classified as developed markets, 23 as emerging markets, and 24 as frontier markets. All listed equity securities and listed securities
that exhibit characteristics of equity securities, except mutual funds, exchange traded funds, equity derivatives, limited partnerships and most investment trusts, are eligible for inclusion in the equity universe. Real estate investment trusts
(“REITs”) in some countries and certain income trusts in Canada are also eligible for inclusion. Each company and its securities (i.e.,
share classes) are classified in only one country.
Determining the Market Investable Equity Universe for Each
Market. The equity universe in any market is derived by applying investability screens to individual companies and securities in the equity universe of that market. Some investability requirements are applied at the
individual security level and some at the overall company level, represented by the aggregation of individual securities of the company. As a result, the inclusion or exclusion of one security does not imply the automatic inclusion or exclusion of
other securities of the same company.
Determining
Market Capitalization Size Segments for Each Market. In each market, MSCI creates an Investable Market Index, Standard Index, Large Cap Index, Mid Cap Index and Small Cap Index. The MSCI Global Standard Index is the
aggregation of the Large Cap Index and Mid Cap Index. The MSCI GIMI is the aggregation of the MSCI Global Standard Index and MSCI Global Small Cap Index. In order to create size components that can be meaningfully aggregated into composites,
individual market size segments balance the following two objectives:
| • | Achieving global size integrity by ensuring that companies of comparable and relevant sizes are included in a given size segment across all markets in a composite index; and |
| • | Achieving consistent market coverage by ensuring that each market's size segment is represented in its proportional weight in the composite universe. |
Applying Final Size Segment Investability Requirements. In order to enhance replicability of the indexes, additional size segment investability requirements are set for the MSCI GIMI and MSCI Global Standard Index. These investability requirements include minimum free
float-adjusted market capitalization, minimum liquidity, minimum foreign limits and minimum length of trading.
Applying Index Continuity Rules for the Standard Index. In order to achieve index continuity as well as provide some basic level of diversification within a market index, notwithstanding the effect of other index construction rules contained herein, a minimum number of five
constituents will be maintained for a developed market Standard Index and a minimum number of three constituents will be maintained for an emerging market Standard Index.
Weighting. All indexes of the
MSCI GIMI are free float weighted, i.e., companies are included in the indexes at the value of their free public float (free float multiplied by
security price).
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Regional Weights. Market
capitalization weighting, combined with a consistent target of approximately 99% of free float-adjusted market capitalization, helps ensure that each country's weight in regional and international indexes approximates its weight in the total
universe of developing and emerging markets. A market is equivalent to a single country except for developed Europe, where all markets are aggregated into a single market for index construction purposes. Individual country indexes of the European
developed markets are derived from the constituents of the MSCI GIMI Europe Index.
Free Float. MSCI defines the
free float of a security as the proportion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by international investors. In practice, limitations on free float available to international investors
include: (i) strategic and other shareholdings not considered part of available free float; and (ii) limits on share ownership for foreigners.
Under MSCI's free float-adjustment methodology, a
constituent's inclusion factor is equal to its estimated free float rounded-up to the closest 5% for constituents with free float equal to or exceeding 15%. For example, a constituent security with a free float of 23.2% will be included in the index
at 25% of its market capitalization. For securities with a free float of less than 15%, the estimated free float is adjusted to the nearest 1%.
Price and Exchange Rates
Prices. The prices used to
calculate all MSCI indexes are the official exchange closing prices or those figures accepted as such. MSCI reserves the right to use an alternative pricing source on any given day.
Exchange Rates. Since July
2000, MSCI uses the WM/Reuters Closing Spot Rates taken at 4:00 p.m. London time. In case WM/Reuters does not provide rates for specific markets on given days (for example, Christmas Day and New Year's Day), the previous business day's rates are
normally used. MSCI independently monitors the exchange rates on all its indexes. MSCI may under exceptional circumstances elect to use alternative sources of exchange rates if the WM/Reuters rates are not available, or if MSCI determines that the
WM/Reuters rates are not reflective of market circumstances for a given currency on a particular day. In such circumstances, an announcement would be sent to clients with the related information. If appropriate, MSCI may conduct a consultation with
the investment community to gather feedback on the most relevant exchange rate.
Changes to the Indexes. The
MSCI GIMI is maintained with the objective of reflecting, on a timely basis, the evolution of the underlying equity markets. In maintaining the MSCI indexes, emphasis is also placed on continuity, replicability and minimizing turnover in the
indexes. Maintaining the MSCI indexes involves many aspects, including (i) additions to, and deletions from, the indexes; (ii) changes in number of shares; and (iii) changes in inclusion factors as a result of updated free float
estimates.
Index maintenance can be described by
three broad categories of changes:
| • | Semi-Annual Index Reviews (“SAIRs”), conducted on a fixed semi-annual timetable that systematically reassess the various dimensions of the equity universe for all markets; |
| • | Quarterly Index Reviews (“QIRs”), aimed at promptly reflecting other significant market events; and |
| • | Ongoing event-related changes, such as mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, bankruptcies, reorganizations and other similar corporate events, which generally are implemented in the indexes as they occur. |
Potential changes in the status of countries (stand-alone,
frontier, emerging and developed) follow their own implementation time tables.
MSCI conducts SAIRs generally as of the close of the last
business day of May and November. During the SAIRs, MSCI updates the investable equity universe and reassesses size segmentation investability requirements. MSCI also conducts QIRs generally as of the close of the last business day of February and
August. During the QIRs, MSCI reflects changes in the index that were not captured at the time of their actual occurrence, but are significant enough to be included before the next SAIR. The results of the SAIR and QIR are generally announced at
least ten business days in advance of implementation.
MSCI
25/50 Indexes
Each of the MSCI 25/50 Indexes (the
“25/50 Indexes”) is a sub-index of either an MSCI Global Standard Index or an MSCI GIMI. Their construction reflects the diversification requirements applicable to RICs pursuant to Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. The 25/50
Indexes are free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted indexes with a capping
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methodology applied to issuer weights so that no single issuer of a component
exceeds 25% of index weight, and all issuers with a weight above 5% do not exceed 50% of the index weight. A software application called the Barra Optimizer is utilized to calculate the capped index weights through an optimization function which is
aimed at minimizing index turnover, tracking error and extreme deviation from the uncapped index.
MSCI Hedged Indexes
Each of the MSCI Hedged Indexes aims to represent the returns
of an MSCI parent equity index with its currency risk hedged back to a single “home country” currency. MSCI provides monthly and daily hedging versions, either fully or partially hedged.
MSCI Emerging Markets 100% Hedged to USD Index
Number of Components:
approximately 835
Index Description. The Underlying Index aims to represent the returns of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index with its currency risk hedged against the U.S. dollar on a monthly basis. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is used as a measure of
performance of the global emerging markets.
Calculation Methodology. The
Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends.
Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. “Net dividends”
means dividends after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.
Additional Information.
“MSCI” and “MSCI Emerging Markets 100% Hedged to USD Index” are servicemarks of MSCI Inc. and have been licensed for use by BFA or its affiliates. The Fund is neither sponsored, endorsed,
sold nor promoted by MSCI Inc., and MSCI Inc. makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
Investment Restrictions
The Fund has adopted its investment objective as a
non-fundamental investment policy. Therefore, the Fund may change its investment objective and its Underlying Index without shareholder approval. The Board has adopted restrictions and policies relating to the investment of the Fund’s
assets and its activities. Certain of the restrictions are fundamental policies of the Fund and may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities (which, for this purpose and under
the Investment Company Act, means the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the shares represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares).
Under these fundamental investment restrictions, the Fund may
not:
| 1. | Concentrate its investments in a particular industry, as that term is used in the Investment Company Act, except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries. |
| 2. | Borrow money, except as permitted under the Investment Company Act. |
| 3. | Issue senior securities to the extent such issuance would violate the Investment Company Act. |
| 4. | Purchase or hold real estate, except the Fund may purchase and hold securities or other instruments that are secured by, or linked to, real estate or interests therein, securities of real estate investment trusts, mortgage-related securities and securities of issuers engaged in the real estate business, and the Fund may purchase and hold real estate as a result of the ownership of securities or other instruments. |
| 5. | Underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the sale of portfolio securities by the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriting or as otherwise permitted by applicable law. |
| 6. | Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts, except as permitted by the Investment Company Act. |
| 7. | Make loans to the extent prohibited by the Investment Company Act. |
Notations Regarding the Fund's Fundamental Investment
Restrictions
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The following notations are not considered to be part of the
Fund’s fundamental investment restrictions and are subject to change without shareholder approval.
With respect to the fundamental policy relating to
concentration set forth in (1) above, the Investment Company Act does not define what constitutes “concentration” in an industry. The SEC staff has taken the position that investment of 25% or more of a fund’s total assets in one
or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same industry or group of industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of concentration could change in the future. The policy in (1) above will be interpreted
to refer to concentration as that term may be interpreted from time to time. The policy also will be interpreted to permit investment without limit in the following: securities of the U.S. government and its agencies or instrumentalities; securities
of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and repurchase agreements collateralized by any such obligations. Accordingly, issuers of the foregoing securities
will not be considered to be members of any industry. There also will be no limit on investment in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction or country. Finance companies will be considered to be in the industries of their parents if their
activities are primarily related to financing the activities of the parents. Each foreign government will be considered to be a member of a separate industry. With respect to the Fund’s industry classifications, the Fund currently utilizes any
one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or rating group indexes, and/or as defined by Fund management. The policy also will be interpreted to give broad authority to the Fund as to how to
classify issuers within or among industries.
With
respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (2) above, the Investment Company Act permits the Fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund’s total assets from banks for any purpose, and to
borrow up to 5% of the Fund’s total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes. (The Fund’s total assets include the amounts being borrowed.) To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the Investment Company Act requires
the Fund to maintain at all times an “asset coverage” of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings. Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the Fund’s total assets (including amounts borrowed), minus liabilities other
than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings. Borrowing money to increase portfolio holdings is known as “leveraging.” Certain trading practices and investments, such as reverse repurchase agreements, may be
considered to be borrowings or involve leverage and thus are subject to the Investment Company Act restrictions. In accordance with SEC staff guidance and interpretations, when the Fund engages in such transactions, the Fund instead of maintaining
asset coverage of at least 300%, may segregate or earmark liquid assets, or enter into an offsetting position, in an amount at least equal to the Fund’s exposure, on a mark-to-market basis, to the transaction (as calculated pursuant to
requirements of the SEC). The policy in (2) above will be interpreted to permit the Fund to engage in trading practices and investments that may be considered to be borrowing or to involve leverage to the extent permitted by the Investment Company
Act and to permit the Fund to segregate or earmark liquid assets or enter into offsetting positions in accordance with the Investment Company Act. Short-term credits necessary for the settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with
respect to securities lending will not be considered to be borrowings under the policy. Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be borrowings are not subject to the policy.
With respect to the fundamental policy relating to
underwriting set forth in (5) above, the Investment Company Act does not prohibit the Fund from engaging in the underwriting business or from underwriting the securities of other issuers; in fact, in the case of diversified funds, the Investment
Company Act permits the Fund to have underwriting commitments of up to 25% of its assets under certain circumstances. Those circumstances currently are that the amount of the Fund’s underwriting commitments, when added to the value of the
Fund’s investments in issuers where the Fund owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of those issuers, cannot exceed the 25% cap. A fund engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities
may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act. Although it is not believed that the application of the 1933 Act provisions described above would cause the Fund to be engaged in the business of underwriting, the policy in (5) above will
be interpreted not to prevent the Fund from engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities, regardless of whether the Fund may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act or is otherwise engaged
in the underwriting business to the extent permitted by applicable law.
With respect to the fundamental policy relating to lending set
forth in (7) above, the Investment Company Act does not prohibit the Fund from making loans (including lending its securities); however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending more than one-third of their total assets
(including lending its securities), except through the purchase of debt obligations or the use of repurchase agreements. In addition, collateral arrangements with respect to options, forward
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currency and futures transactions and other derivative instruments (as
applicable), as well as delays in the settlement of securities transactions, will not be considered loans.
Under its non-fundamental investment restrictions, which may
be changed by the Board without shareholder approval, the Fund may not:
| a. | Provided that such policy will only be in effect if the Fund ceases to invest its assets in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(G) in the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (or a different Underlying Fund): Purchase securities of other investment companies, except to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act. As a matter of policy, however, the Fund will not purchase shares of any registered open-end investment company or registered unit investment trust, in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G) (the “fund of funds” provisions) of the Investment Company Act, at any time the Fund has knowledge that its shares are purchased by another investment company investor in reliance on the provisions of subparagraph (G) of Section 12(d)(1). |
| b. | Make short sales of securities or maintain a short position, except to the extent permitted by the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, as amended from time to time, and applicable law. |
Unless otherwise indicated, all limitations under the
Fund’s fundamental or non-fundamental investment restrictions apply only at the time that a transaction is undertaken. Any change in the percentage of the Fund’s assets invested in certain securities or other instruments resulting from
market fluctuations or other changes in the Fund’s total assets will not require the Fund to dispose of an investment until BFA determines that it is practicable to sell or close out the investment without undue market or tax
consequences.
In addition to the investment restrictions
adopted as fundamental policies set forth above, the Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy not to 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 (calculated at the time of investment).
BFA monitors the liquidity of restricted securities in the
Fund’s portfolio. In reaching liquidity decisions, BFA 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, except that certain percentage limitations will be observed
continuously in accordance with applicable law.
The Fund
has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the Investment Company 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 of the Underlying Index (either directly or through its investment in an Underlying Fund) or in Depositary Receipts representing securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund also has adopted a non-fundamental 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.
The
Fund has adopted a non-fundamental limitation such that, under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund's net assets.
Although the SEC has granted an exemptive order to the Company
permitting registered investment companies and unit investment trusts that enter into a participation agreement with the Company (“Investing Funds”) to invest in iShares Funds beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940
Act subject to certain terms and conditions, the exemptive order is not applicable to the Fund. Accordingly, Investing Funds must adhere to the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act when investing in the Fund.
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Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may
raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the
prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed
a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units 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 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 1933 Act must take into account all of 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(a)(3) of
the 1933 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 1933
Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 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 available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Management
Directors and Officers.
The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Fund, including general supervision of the duties performed by BFA and other service providers. Each Director serves until he or
she resigns, is removed, dies, retires or becomes incapacitated. The President, Chief Compliance Officer, Treasurer and Secretary shall each hold office until their successors are chosen and qualify, and all other officers shall hold office until he
or she resigns or is removed. Directors who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company are referred to as independent directors (“Independent Directors”).
The registered investment companies advised by BFA or its
affiliates (the “BlackRock-advised Funds”) are organized into one complex of closed-end funds, two complexes of open-end funds and one complex of exchange-traded funds (“Exchange-Traded Fund Complex”) (each, a
“BlackRock Fund Complex”). The Fund is included in the BlackRock Fund Complex referred to as the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. Each Director also serves as a Trustee of iShares Trust, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc.
and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust and, as a result, oversees a total of 299 funds within the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. With the exception of Robert S. Kapito and Mark Wiedman, the address of each Director and officer is c/o BlackRock,
Inc., 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. The address of Mr. Kapito and Mr. Wiedman is c/o BlackRock, Inc., Park Avenue Plaza, 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY
10055. The Board has designated Robert H. Silver as its Independent Chairman. Additional information about the Fund's Directors and officers may be found in this SAI, which is available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free
1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737).
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Interested Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
S. Kapito1 (57) |
Director
(since 2009). |
President and Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. and Head of BlackRock, Inc.’s Portfolio Management Group (since its formation in 1998) and BlackRock, Inc.’s predecessor entities (since 1988); Trustee, University of Pennsylvania (since 2009); President of Board of Directors, Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund (since 2002); President of the Board of Directors, Periwinkle Theatre for Youth (since 1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2009); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006). | |||
| Mark
Wiedman2 (44) |
Director (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2007); Global Head of iShares (since 2011); Head of Corporate Strategy, BlackRock, Inc. (2009-2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2013); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2013);Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2013); Director of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (since 2008). |
| 1 | Robert S. Kapito is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. |
| 2 | Mark Wiedman is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. |
Independent Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
H. Silver (59) |
Director
(since 2007); Independent Chairman (since 2012). |
President and Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group, Inc. (since 2006); Director and Vice Chairman of the YMCA of Greater NYC (2001-2011); Broadway Producer (2006-2011); Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. (since 2008); Director and Member of the Audit and Compensation Committee of EPAM Systems, Inc. (2006-2009); President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly Paine Webber Inc.) (2003-2005) and various executive positions with UBS and its affiliates (1988-2005); CPA and Audit Manager of KPMG, LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) (1977-1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2007); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Independent Chairman of iShares Trust, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. and iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2012). |
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Table of Contents
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| John
E. Martinez (53) |
Director
(since 2003); Securities Lending Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.) (since 2005). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2003); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Cecilia
H. Herbert (65) |
Director
(since 2005); Nominating and Governance Committee Chair and Equity Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director (1998-2013) and President (2007-2011) of the Board of Directors, Catholic Charities CYO; Trustee (2002-2011) and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee (2006-2010) of the Thacher School; Member (since 1992) and Chair (1994-2005) of the Investment Committee, Archdiocese of San Francisco; Trustee and Member of the Investment Committee, WNET, the New York public broadcasting/media company (since 2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of Forward Funds (34 portfolios) (since 2009). | |||
| Charles
A. Hurty (71) |
Director
(since 2005); Audit Committee Chair (since 2006). |
Retired; Partner, KPMG LLP (1968-2001). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund (1 portfolio) (since 2002); Director of SkyBridge Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (2 portfolios) (since 2002). | |||
| John
E. Kerrigan (59) |
Director
(since 2005); Fixed Income Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University (since 2002). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Madhav
V. Rajan (50) |
Director
(since 2011); 15(c) Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Head of MBA Program, Stanford University Graduate School of Business (since 2001); Professor of Law (by courtesy), Stanford Law School (since 2005); Visiting Professor, University of Chicago (2007-2008). | Trustee
of iShares Trust (since 2011); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2011); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director, Cavium, Inc. (since 2013). | |||
| Jane
D. Carlin (59) |
Director
(since 2015). |
Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group (2006-2012). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2015); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2015); Director of PHH Corporation (mortgage solutions) (since 2012). |
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Officers
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Manish
Mehta (43) |
President (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Chief Operating Officer for iShares (since 2009); Head of Strategy and Corporate Development, BGI (2005-2009); Chief of Staff to the CEO, BGI (2005-2009). | ||
| Jack
Gee (55) |
Treasurer
and Chief Financial Officer (since 2008). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Senior Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2009); Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2004-2009). | ||
| Eilleen
M. Clavere (62) |
Secretary
(since 2007). |
Director of Global Fund Administration, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Director of Legal Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2006-2009); Legal Counsel and Vice President of Atlas Funds, Atlas Advisers, Inc. and Atlas Securities, Inc. (2005-2006); Counsel at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP (2001-2005). | ||
| Edward
B. Baer (46) |
Vice
President and Chief Legal Officer (since 2012). |
Managing Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (2004-2006). | ||
| Scott
Radell (46) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2012). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BGI (2007-2009); Credit Portfolio Manager, BGI (2005-2007); Credit Research Analyst, BGI (2003-2005). | ||
| Amy
Schioldager (52) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2007). |
Senior Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Global Head of Index Equity, BGI (2008-2009); Global Head of U.S. Indexing, BGI (2006-2008); Head of Domestic Equity Portfolio Management, BGI (2001-2006). |
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Table of Contents
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Ira
P. Shapiro (51) |
Vice
President (since 2007). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Strategic Product Initiatives for iShares (since 2012); Chief Legal Officer, Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (2007-2012); Associate General Counsel, BGI (2004-2009). |
The Board has concluded that, based on each Director’s
experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Directors, each Director should serve as a Director of the Board. Among the attributes common to all Directors are their ability to
review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the Fund's investment adviser, other service providers, counsel and the independent registered public accounting firm, and to exercise
effective business judgment in the performance of their duties as Directors. A Director’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively may have been attained through the Director’s educational background or professional training;
business, consulting, public service or academic positions; experience from service as a Board member of the Fund and the other funds in the Company (and any predecessor funds), other investment funds, public companies, or non-profit entities or
other organizations; and/or other life experiences. Also, set forth below is a brief discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each Director that led the Board to conclude that he or she should serve as a
Director.
Robert Kapito has been a Director of the
Company since 2009. Mr. Kapito has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2009, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and a Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006. In
addition, he has over 20 years of experience as part of BlackRock, Inc. and BlackRock, Inc.’s predecessor entities. Mr. Kapito serves as President and Director of BlackRock, Inc., and is the Chairman of the Operating Committee, a member of the
Office of the Chairman, the Leadership Committee and the Corporate Council. He is responsible for day-to-day oversight of BlackRock, Inc.'s key operating units, including the Account Management and Portfolio Management Groups, Real Estate Group and
BlackRock Solutions®. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2007, Mr. Kapito served as Head of BlackRock, Inc.'s Portfolio Management Group. In that role,
he was responsible for overseeing all portfolio management within BlackRock, Inc., including the Fixed Income, Equity, Liquidity, and Alternative Investment Groups. Mr. Kapito serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of
Pennsylvania. He has also been President of the Board of Directors for the Hope & Heroes Children's Cancer Fund since 2002 and President of the Board of Directors for Periwinkle Theatre for Youth, a national non-profit arts-in-education
organization, since 1983. Mr. Kapito earned a BS degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School in 1983.
Mark Wiedman has been a Director of the Company since 2013.
Mr. Wiedman has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2013, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2013 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2013. Mr. Wiedman is the Global Head and Managing Director of iShares. In
addition, he is a member of BlackRock, Inc.'s Global Executive Committee and Global Operating Committee. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2011, Mr. Wiedman was the head of Corporate Strategy for BlackRock, Inc. Mr. Wiedman joined
BlackRock, Inc. in 2004 to help start the advisory business, which evolved into the Financial Markets Advisory Group in BlackRock Solutions. This group advises financial institutions and governments on managing their capital markets exposures and
businesses. Prior to BlackRock, Inc., he served as senior advisor and chief of staff for the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and also was a management consultant at McKinsey & Co., advising financial
institutions in the United States, Europe, and Japan. He has taught as an adjunct associate professor of law at Fordham University in New York and Renmin University in Beijing. Mr. Wiedman serves on the board of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc., a
publicly-traded U.S. mortgage banking and investment management firm started in 2008, with BlackRock, Inc. as a sponsor. Mr. Wiedman earned an AB degree, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, in social studies from
Harvard College in 1992 and a JD degree from Yale Law School in 1996.
Robert H. Silver has been a Director of the Company since 2007
and Chairman of the Company's Board since 2012. Mr. Silver has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2007, Chairman of iShares Trust's Board since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chairman of iShares MSCI
Russia Capped ETF, Inc.'s Board since 2012, a Trustee of
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iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chairman of iShares U.S. ETF Trust's
Board since 2012. Mr. Silver is President and a Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group Inc., a firm dedicated to advising and investing in emerging business enterprises and to supporting philanthropic activities that benefit under-served urban youth.
Previously, Mr. Silver served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly Paine Webber Inc.), the registered broker dealer comprising the Wealth Management USA business unit of UBS AG, including the
following responsibilities: President of Paine Webber Services, Director of Retail Products and Marketing, Director of Private Client Group Branch Offices, Director of Finance and Controls for Paine Webber, Inc. and Chief Administrative Officer for
Paine Webber Private Client Group. Mr. Silver also served on the Board of Directors of EPAM Systems, Inc., a provider of software engineering outsourcing services in Central and Eastern Europe, served on the Board and Executive Committee of the
Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), chaired the National Securities Clearing Corporations’ Membership and Risk Committee and served as Governor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. In addition, Mr. Silver was a Vice Chairman and a
Member of the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greater New York and chaired its Fund Development Committee from 2001 until 2011 and Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. since 2008. Mr. Silver began his career as a CPA and Audit
Manager at KPMG LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) from 1977 until 1983. Mr. Silver has a BS degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina.
John E. Martinez has been a Director of the Company since 2003
and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Martinez has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2003, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since
2012. Mr. Martinez is a Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.), providing governance oversight and consulting services to this privately held firm that develops products and strategies for homeowners in managing the equity
in their homes. Mr. Martinez previously served as Director of Barclays Global Investors (BGI) UK Holdings, where he provided governance oversight representing BGI’s shareholders (Barclays PLC, BGI management shareholders) through oversight of
BGI’s worldwide activities. Mr. Martinez also previously served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Global Index and Markets Group of BGI, Chairman of Barclays Global Investor Services and Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Markets Group
of BGI. From 2003-2012, he was a Director and Executive Committee Member for Larkin Street Youth Services, providing governance oversight and strategy development to an agency that provides emergency and transitional housing, healthcare, education,
job and life skills training to homeless youth. He now serves on the Larkin Street Honorary Board. Since 2012, Mr. Martinez has served as a Director for Reading Partners, an organization committed to making all children literate through one-on-one
tutoring of students in grades K-4 who are not yet reading at grade level. Mr. Martinez has an AB degree in economics from The University of California, Berkeley and holds an MBA degree in finance and statistics from The University of Chicago Booth
School of Business.
Cecilia H. Herbert has been a
Director of the Company since 2005 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Ms. Herbert has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Nominating and Governance
Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF,
Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. In addition, Ms. Herbert has served on three other mutual fund
boards, currently serving as Trustee of the Forward Funds, since 2009, and previously as Trustee of the Pacific Select Funds from 2004 until 2005 and Trustee of the Montgomery Funds from 1992 until 2003. She was President of the Board of Catholic
Charities CYO, the largest social services agency in the Bay Area, from 2007 until 2011 and member of that board from 1992 until 2013. She was past Chair from 1994 until 2005, and member since 1992, of the Investment Council of the Archdiocese of
San Francisco. She currently serves as Trustee of WNET, New York’s public media station, since 2011. She worked from 1973-1990 at J.P. Morgan/Morgan Guaranty Trust, retiring as Managing Director and Head of the West Coast Office. Ms. Herbert
has been on numerous non-profit boards, chairing investment and finance committees. She holds a double major in economics and communications from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Charles A. Hurty has been a Director of the Company since 2005
and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Company since 2006. Mr. Hurty has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares Trust since 2006, a Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010 and a Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011. In addition, Mr. Hurty serves as Director of the GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund since 2002, Director of the SkyBridge Alternative
Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund
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Portfolios LLC (formerly, Citigroup Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser
Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC) since 2002 and was a Director of the CSFB Alternative Investment Funds from 2005 to December 2009, when the funds were liquidated. Mr. Hurty was formerly a Partner at KPMG, LLP from 1968 to 2001. Mr. Hurty has a BS degree
in accounting from the University of Kansas.
John E.
Kerrigan has been a Director of the Company since 2005 and Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Kerrigan served as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Company from 2010 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan
has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares Trust from 2010 until 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. from 2010 until 2012, a Trustee of
iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011, Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust from 2011 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan serves as Chief
Investment Officer, Santa Clara University since 2002. Mr. Kerrigan was formerly a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch & Co., including the following responsibilities: Global Manager of Institutional Client Division eCommerce, and Global Manager
of Technology Specialists Sales. Mr. Kerrigan is a Trustee, since 2008, of Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton, CA, and Director, since 1999, of The BASIC Fund (Bay Area Scholarships for Inner City Children). Mr. Kerrigan has a BA degree from Boston
College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder.
Madhav V. Rajan has been a Director of the Company since 2011
and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Rajan has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2011, Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2011, Chair
of the 15(c) Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. Mr. Rajan is the Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of
Accounting at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He has taught accounting for over 20 years to undergraduate, MBA and law students, as well as to senior executives. Mr. Rajan serves as the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
and head of the MBA Program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Rajan served as editor of “The Accounting Review” from 2002 to 2008 and is co-author of “Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis,” a
leading cost accounting textbook. Mr. Rajan holds MS, MBA and Ph.D. degrees in accounting from Carnegie Mellon University.
Jane D. Carlin has been a Director of the Company since 2015.
Ms. Carlin has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2015 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2015. Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of
Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group from 2006 to 2012. In addition, Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of the Bank Operational Risk Oversight Department of Credit Suisse Group from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, Ms.
Carlin served as Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of Morgan Stanley Group. Ms. Carlin has over 30 years of experience in the financial sector and has served in a number of legal, regulatory, and risk management positions. Ms. Carlin has
served as an Independent Director on the Board of PHH Corporation since 2012. She previously served as a Director on the Boards of Astoria Financial Corporation and Astoria Bank. Ms. Carlin was appointed by the United States Treasury to the
Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security, where she served as Chairperson from 2010 to 2012 and Vice Chair and Chair of the Cyber Security Committee from 2009 to 2010. Ms. Carlin has
a BA degree in political science from State University of New York at Stony Brook and a JD degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Board –
Leadership Structure and Oversight Responsibilities
Overall responsibility for oversight of the Fund rests with
the Board. The Board has engaged BFA to manage the Fund on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing BFA and other service providers in the operations of the Fund in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, applicable
provisions of state and other laws and the Company’s charter. The Board is currently composed of nine members, seven of whom are Independent Directors. The Board currently conducts regular meetings five times a year. In addition, the Board
frequently holds special in-person or telephonic meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may arise or require action between regular meetings. The Independent Directors meet regularly outside the presence of
management, in executive session or with other service providers to the Company.
The Board has appointed an Independent Director to serve in
the role of Chairman. The Chairman’s role is to preside at all meetings of the Board and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Directors generally between
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meetings. The Chairman may also perform such other functions as may be
delegated by the Board from time to time. The Board has established six standing Committees: a Nominating and Governance Committee, an Audit Committee, a 15(c) Committee, a Securities Lending Committee, an Equity Plus Committee and a Fixed Income
Plus Committee to assist the Board in the oversight and direction of the business and affairs of the Fund, and from time to time may establish ad-hoc committees or informal working groups to review and address the policies and practices of the Fund
with respect to certain specified matters. The Chair of each standing Committee is an Independent Director. The role of the Chair of each Committee is to preside at all meetings of the Committee and to act as a liaison with service providers,
officers, attorneys and other Directors between meetings. Each Committee meets regularly to conduct the oversight functions delegated to the Committee by the Board and reports its finding to the Board. The Board and each standing Committee conduct
annual assessments of their oversight function and structure. The Board has determined that the Board’s leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise independent judgment over management and it allocates areas of
responsibility among committees of Independent Directors and the full Board to enhance effective oversight.
Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Fund is the
responsibility of BFA or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to the supervision of BFA. The Fund is subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance, operational, counterparty and valuation risks,
among others. While there are a number of risk management functions performed by BFA and other service providers, as applicable, it is not possible to eliminate all of the risks applicable to the Fund. The Directors have an oversight role in this
area, satisfying themselves that risk management processes and controls are in place and operating effectively. Risk oversight forms part of the Board’s general oversight of the Fund and is addressed as part of various Board and committee
activities. The Board, directly or through a committee, also reviews reports from, among others, management and the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Fund and
management’s risk functions. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who oversees the implementation and testing of the Company's compliance program, including assessments by independent third parties, and reports to the Board
regarding compliance matters for the Company and its principal service providers. In testing and maintaining the compliance program, the Chief Compliance Officer (and his or her delegates) assesses key compliance risks affecting the Fund, and
addresses them in periodic reports to the Board. The Independent Directors have engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities.
Committees of the Board of Directors. Each Independent Director serves on the Audit Committee. The Chair of the Audit Committee is Charles A. Hurty. The purposes of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board (i) in its oversight of the Company's
accounting and financial reporting principles and policies and related controls and procedures maintained by or on behalf of the Company; (ii) in its oversight of the Company's financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (iii) 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); (iv) in evaluating the independence of the
independent accountants; (v) in complying with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Company's accounting and financial reporting, internal controls, compliance controls and independent audits; and (vi) to assume such other
responsibilities as may be delegated by the Board. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are
Cecilia H. Herbert (Chair), Charles A. Hurty, Madhav V. Rajan and John E. Kerrigan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The Nominating and Governance Committee nominates individuals for Independent Director membership on the Board. The Nominating
and Governance Committee functions include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) reviewing the qualifications of any person properly identified or nominated to serve as an Independent Director; (ii) recommending to the Board and current
Independent Directors the nominee(s) for appointment as an Independent Director by the Board and current Independent Directors and/or for election as Independent Directors by shareholders to fill any vacancy for a position of Independent Director(s)
on the Board; (iii) recommending to the Board and current Independent Directors the size and composition of the Board and Board committees and whether they comply with applicable laws and regulations; (iv) recommending a current Independent Director
to the Board and current Independent Directors to serve as Lead Independent Director; (v) periodic review of the Board's retirement policy; and (vi) recommending an appropriate level of compensation for the Independent Directors for their services
as Directors, members or chairpersons of committees of the Board, Lead Independent Director, Chairperson of the Board and any other positions as the Nominating and Governance Committee considers appropriate. The Nominating and Governance Committee
does not consider Board nominations recommended by shareholders (acting solely in their capacity as a shareholder and not in any other capacity). The Nominating and Governance Committee met five times during the fiscal year ended August 31,
2014.
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Each Independent Director serves on the 15(c) Committee. The
Chair of the 15(c) Committee is Madhav V. Rajan. The principal responsibilities of the 15(c) Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for the annual review and renewal of the Company's advisory and
sub-advisory agreements. These responsibilities include: (i) meeting with BlackRock, Inc. in advance of the Board meeting at which the Company's advisory and sub-advisory agreements are to be considered to discuss generally the process for providing
requested information to the Board and the format in which information will be provided; and (ii) considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to evaluate the
investment advisory and sub-advisory agreements of the Company. The 15(c) Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Securities Lending Committee are John E.
Martinez (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and John E. Kerrigan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Securities Lending Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
the Company's securities lending activities. These responsibilities include: (i) requesting that certain information be provided to the Committee for its review and consideration prior to such information being provided to the Board; (ii)
considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to oversee the Company's securities lending activities and make required findings and approvals; and (iii) providing
a recommendation to the Board regarding the annual approval of the Company's Securities Lending Guidelines and the required findings with respect to, and annual approval of, the Company's agreement with the lending agent. The Securities Lending
Committee met seven times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Equity Plus Committee are Cecilia H.
Herbert (Chair), John E. Martinez and Madhav V. Rajan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Equity Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for equity funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters that should be
brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board as appropriate. The
Equity Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are John E.
Kerrigan (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and Charles A. Hurty, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for fixed income or multi-asset funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters
that should be brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board as
appropriate. The Fixed Income Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
As the Chairman of the Board, Robert H. Silver may participate
in each Committee's meetings.
The following table sets
forth, as of December 31, 2013, the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Director in the Fund and in other registered investment companies overseen by the Director within the same family of investment companies as the
Company. If a fund is not listed below, the Director did not own any securities in that fund as of the date indicated above:
| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| Robert S. Kapito | None | None | None | |||
| Mark Wiedman1 | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| Robert H. Silver | iShares iBonds Sep 2015 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2016 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2017 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2018 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 3000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financial Services ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | Over $100,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| George G.C. Parker | iShares California AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares S&P 100 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| John E. Martinez | iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Emerging Markets Infrastructure ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares TIPS Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares International Select Dividend ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| Charles A. Hurty | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares North American Tech-Multimedia Networking ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financials ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| John E. Kerrigan | iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Short-Term National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Jane D. Carlin2 | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $50,001-$100,000 |
1 Appointed to serve as an Interested Director effective December 31, 2013.
2 Appointed to serve as an Independent Director effective February 3, 2015. The funds held and dollar range of equity securities
beneficially owned by Jane D. Carlin are as of December 31, 2014.
As of December 31, 2013, none of the Independent Directors or
their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities of BFA (the Fund's investment adviser), the Distributor or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with BFA or the Distributor.
Remuneration of Directors.
Each current Independent Director is paid an annual retainer of $300,000 for his or her services as a Board member to the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, together with
out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board's policy on travel and other business expenses relating to attendance at meetings. For the period from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013, each current Independent Director was paid an
annual retainer of $275,000 for his or her services as a Board member to the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, together with out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board’s policy on travel and other business
expenses relating to attendance at meetings. The Independent Chairman of the Boards is paid an additional annual retainer of $50,000.
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The
Chair of the Audit Committees is paid an additional annual retainer of $40,000. The Chair of each of the Nominating and Governance Committees, Equity Plus Committees, Fixed Income Plus Committees, Securities Lending Committees and 15(c) Committees
is paid an additional annual retainer of $15,000. Each Independent Director that serves as a director of subsidiaries of the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex is paid an additional annual retainer of $10,000 (plus an additional $1,765 paid annually to
compensate for taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Director’s service on the boards of certain Mauritius-based subsidiaries). Additionally, any Independent Director who travels to the Republic of Mauritius to attend
board meetings is paid an additional $12,000 (plus an additional $2,117 paid annually to compensate for taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Director’s service on the boards of certain Mauritius-based
subsidiaries).
The table below sets forth the
compensation earned by each Independent Director and Interested Director from the Fund for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014 and the aggregate compensation paid to them by the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex for the calendar year ended December 31,
2013.
| Name of Director | iShares
Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF |
Pension
or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Company Expenses5 |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement5 |
Total
Compensation From the Fund and Fund Complex6 | ||||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||||||
| Robert H. Silver | $0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 325,000 | ||||
| George G.C. Parker2 | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 275,000 | ||||
| John E. Kerrigan | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 315,882 | ||||
| Charles A. Hurty | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 315,000 | ||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 305,000 | ||||
| John E. Martinez | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 290,000 | ||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 301,765 | ||||
| Interested Directors: | ||||||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 0 | ||||
| Mark Wiedman3 | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 0 | ||||
| Michael Latham4 | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 0 |
| 1 | Compensation is not shown for Jane D. Carlin because she was appointed to serve as an Independent Director of the Company effective February 3, 2015. |
| 2 | Served as an Independent Director through December 31, 2014. |
| 3 | Appointed to serve as an Interested Director effective December 31, 2013. |
| 4 | Served as an Interested Director through December 31, 2013. |
| 5 | No Director or officer is entitled to any pension or retirement benefits from the Company. |
| 6 | Includes compensation for service on the Board of Trustees of iShares U.S. ETF Trust and the Boards of Directors of iShares, Inc. and iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. |
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities.
The Directors and officers of the Company collectively owned
less than 1% of the Fund's outstanding shares as of November 28, 2014.
Although the Company does not have information concerning the
beneficial ownership of shares held in the names of Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participants (as defined below), as of November 28, 2014, the name and percentage ownership of each DTC participant that owned of record 5% or more of
the outstanding shares of the Fund were as follows:
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| Name and Address | Percentage
of Ownership | |
| Merrill
Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated 101 Hudson Street 9th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302-3997 |
79.35% | |
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
15.93% |
Potential Conflicts of Interest. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (“PNC”) has a significant economic interest in BlackRock, Inc., the parent of BFA, the Fund's investment adviser. PNC is considered to be an affiliate of
BlackRock, Inc., under the 1940 Act. Certain activities of BFA, BlackRock, Inc. and their affiliates (collectively, “BlackRock”) and PNC and its affiliates (collectively, “PNC” and together with BlackRock,
“Affiliates”), with respect to the Fund and/or other accounts managed by BlackRock or PNC, may give rise to actual or perceived conflicts of interest such as those described below.
BlackRock is one of the world's largest asset management
firms. PNC is a diversified financial services organization spanning the retail, business and corporate markets. BlackRock and PNC are affiliates of one another under the 1940 Act. BlackRock and PNC and their respective affiliates (including, for
these purposes, their directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees), including the entities and personnel who may be involved in the investment activities and business operations of the Fund, are engaged worldwide in
businesses, including equity, fixed-income, cash management and alternative investments. These are considerations of which investors in the Fund should be aware, and which may cause conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its
shareholders. These activities and interests include potential multiple advisory, transactional, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments that may be purchased or sold by the Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates have proprietary interests in,
and may manage or advise with respect to, accounts or funds (including separate accounts and other funds and collective investment vehicles) that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in transactions in the same
types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. One or more Affiliates are also major participants in the global currency, equities, swap and fixed-income markets, in each case both on a proprietary basis and for the accounts of
customers. As such, one or more Affiliates are or may be actively engaged in transactions in the same securities, currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests. Such activities could affect the prices and availability of the securities,
currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests, which could have an adverse impact on the Fund's performance. Such transactions, particularly in respect of most proprietary accounts or customer accounts, will be executed independently of the
Fund's transactions and thus at prices or rates that may be more or less favorable than those obtained by the Fund. When BlackRock and its Affiliates purchase or sell the same assets for their managed accounts, including the Fund, the assets
actually purchased or sold may be allocated among the accounts on a basis determined in their good faith discretion to be equitable. In some cases, this system may adversely affect the amount or price of the assets purchased or sold for the Fund. In
addition, transactions in investments by one or more other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund, particularly, but not
limited to, with respect to small capitalization, emerging market or less liquid strategies. This may occur when investment decisions regarding the Fund are based on research or other information that is also used to support decisions for other
accounts. When BlackRock or its Affiliates implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of another account ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar decisions or strategies for the Fund, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other
factors could result in the Fund receiving less favorable trading results and the costs of implementing such decisions or strategies could be increased or the Fund could otherwise be disadvantaged. BlackRock or its Affiliates may, in certain cases,
elect to implement internal policies and procedures designed to limit such consequences, which may cause the Fund to be unable to engage in certain activities, including purchasing or disposing of securities, when it might otherwise be desirable for
it to do so.
Conflicts may also arise because portfolio
decisions regarding the Fund may benefit other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position by the Fund may impair the price
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of
the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) one or more Affiliates or their other accounts, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security by the Fund may increase the price of the same security held by (and
therefore benefit) one or more Affiliates or their other accounts.
In certain circumstances, BFA, on behalf of the Fund, may seek
to buy from or sell securities to another fund or account advised by BFA or an affiliate. BFA may (but is not required to) effect purchases and sales between BFA clients or clients of affiliates (“cross trades”), including the Fund, if
BFA believes such transactions are appropriate based on each party's investment objectives and guidelines, subject to applicable law and regulation. There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to these transactions
which could limit BFA’s decision to engage in these transactions for the Fund. BFA may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions. On any occasion when the Fund participates in
a cross trade, BFA will comply with procedures adopted pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and applicable SEC guidance.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their clients may pursue or
enforce rights with respect to an issuer in which the Fund has invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Fund. As a result, prices, availability, liquidity and terms of the Fund's investments may be negatively impacted by the
activities of BlackRock or its Affiliates or their clients, and transactions for the Fund may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.
The results of the Fund's investment activities may differ
significantly from the results achieved by BlackRock and its Affiliates for their proprietary accounts or other accounts (including investment companies or collective investment vehicles) managed or advised by them. It is possible that one or more
Affiliate-managed accounts and such other accounts will achieve investment results that are substantially more or less favorable than the results achieved by the Fund. Moreover, it is possible that the Fund will sustain losses during periods in
which one or more Affiliate-managed accounts achieve significant profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible. The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their proprietary accounts and
accounts under their management may also limit the investment opportunities for the Fund in certain emerging and other markets in which limitations are imposed upon the amount of investment, in the aggregate or in individual issuers, by affiliated
foreign investors.
From time to time, the Fund's
activities may also be restricted because of regulatory restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. As a result, there may be periods, for example, when BlackRock,
and/or one or more Affiliates, will not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions in certain securities or instruments with respect to which BlackRock and/or one or more Affiliates are performing services or when position limits have been
reached.
In connection with its management of the Fund,
BlackRock may have access to certain fundamental analysis and proprietary technical models developed by one or more Affiliates. BlackRock will not be under any obligation, however, to effect transactions on behalf of the Fund in accordance with such
analysis and models. In addition, neither BlackRock nor any of its Affiliates will have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts
managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Fund and it is not anticipated that BlackRock will have access to such information for the purpose of managing the Fund. The proprietary activities or portfolio strategies of BlackRock and
its Affiliates, or the activities or strategies used for accounts managed by them or other customer accounts could conflict with the transactions and strategies employed by BlackRock in managing the Fund.
The Fund may be included in investment models developed by BFA
and its affiliates for use by clients and financial advisors. The price, availability and liquidity of the Fund may be impacted by purchases and redemptions of the Fund by model-driven investment portfolios.
In addition, certain principals and certain employees of
BlackRock are also principals or employees of Affiliates. As a result, the performance by these principals and employees of their obligations to such other entities may be a consideration of which investors in the Fund should be aware.
BlackRock may enter into transactions and invest in
securities, instruments and currencies on behalf of the Fund in which customers of BlackRock or its Affiliates, or, to the extent permitted by the SEC, BlackRock or another Affiliate, serves as the counterparty, principal or issuer. In such cases,
such party's interests in the transaction will be adverse to the interests of the Fund, and such party may have no incentive to assure that the Fund obtains the best possible prices or terms in connection
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with the transactions. In addition, the purchase, holding and sale of such
investments by the Fund may enhance the profitability of BlackRock or its Affiliates. One or more Affiliates may also create, write or issue derivatives for their customers, the underlying securities, currencies or instruments of which may be those
in which the Fund invests or which may be based on the performance of the Fund. The Fund may, subject to applicable law, purchase investments that are the subject of an underwriting or other distribution by one or more Affiliates and may also enter
into transactions with other clients of an Affiliate where such other clients have interests adverse to those of the Fund.
At times, these activities may cause departments of BlackRock
or its Affiliates to give advice to clients that may cause these clients to take actions adverse to the interests of the Fund. To the extent affiliated transactions are permitted, the Fund will deal with BlackRock and its Affiliates on an
arms-length basis. BlackRock or its Affiliates may also have an ownership interest in certain trading or information systems used by the Fund. The Fund's use of such trading or information systems may enhance the profitability of BlackRock and its
Affiliates.
One or more Affiliates may act as broker,
dealer, agent, lender or adviser or in other commercial capacities for the Fund. It is anticipated that the commissions, mark-ups, mark-downs, financial advisory fees, underwriting and placement fees, sales fees, financing and commitment fees,
brokerage fees, other fees, compensation or profits, rates, terms and conditions charged by an Affiliate will be in its view commercially reasonable, although each Affiliate, including its sales personnel, will have an interest in obtaining fees and
other amounts that are favorable to the Affiliate and such sales personnel.
Subject to applicable law, the Affiliates (and their personnel
and other distributors) will be entitled to retain fees and other amounts that they receive in connection with their service to the Fund as broker, dealer, agent, lender, adviser or in other commercial capacities and no accounting to the Fund or its
shareholders will be required, and no fees or other compensation payable by the Fund or its shareholders will be reduced by reason of receipt by an Affiliate of any such fees or other amounts.
When an Affiliate acts as broker, dealer, agent, adviser or in
other commercial capacities in relation to the Fund, the Affiliate may take commercial steps in its own interests, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund. The Fund will be required to establish business relationships with its counterparties
based on the Fund's own credit standing. Neither BlackRock nor any of the Affiliates will have any obligation to allow their credit to be used in connection with the Fund's establishment of its business relationships, nor is it expected that the
Fund's counterparties will rely on the credit of BlackRock or any of the Affiliates in evaluating the Fund's creditworthiness.
Lending on behalf of the Fund is done by BTC pursuant to SEC
exemptive relief, enabling BTC to act as securities lending agent to, and receive a share of securities lending revenues from, the Fund. BFA may also receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of the cash collateral from securities lending.
There is a potential conflict of interest in that BTC as a lending agent may have an incentive to increase the amount of securities on loan or to lend riskier assets in order to generate additional revenue for BTC and its affiliates. However,
BTC’s SEC exemptive relief sets forth certain conditions designed to assist in mitigating such conflicts of interest.
Purchases and sales of securities for the Fund may be bunched
or aggregated with orders for other BlackRock client accounts. BlackRock, however, is not required to bunch or aggregate orders if portfolio management decisions for different accounts are made separately, or if it determines that bunching or
aggregating is not practicable or required, or in cases involving client direction.
Prevailing trading activity frequently may make impossible the
receipt of the same price or execution on the entire volume of securities purchased or sold. When this occurs, the various prices may be averaged, and the Fund will be charged or credited with the average price. Thus, the effect of the aggregation
may operate on some occasions to the disadvantage of the Fund. In addition, under certain circumstances, the Fund will not be charged the same commission or commission equivalent rates in connection with a bunched or aggregated order.
BlackRock may select brokers (including, without limitation,
Affiliates) that furnish BlackRock, the Fund, other BlackRock client accounts or other Affiliates or personnel, directly or through correspondent relationships, with research or other appropriate services which provide, in BlackRock's view,
appropriate assistance to BlackRock in the investment decision-making process (including with respect to futures, fixed-price offerings and over-the-counter transactions). Such research or other services may include, to the extent permitted by law,
research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; proxy analysis; trade industry seminars; computer data bases; research-oriented software and other services and products. Research or
other services obtained in this manner may be used in servicing any or all of the Fund and other BlackRock client accounts, including in connection with BlackRock client accounts
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other than those that pay commissions to the broker relating to the research
or other service arrangements. Such products and services may disproportionately benefit other BlackRock client accounts relative to the Fund based on the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund and such other BlackRock client accounts. For
example, research or other services that are paid for through one client's commissions may not be used in managing that client's account. In addition, other BlackRock client accounts may receive the benefit, including disproportionate benefits, of
economies of scale or price discounts in connection with products and services that may be provided to the Fund and to such other BlackRock client accounts. To the extent that BlackRock uses soft dollars, it will not have to pay for those products
and services itself.
BlackRock may receive research that
is bundled with the trade execution, clearing, and/or settlement services provided by a particular broker-dealer. To the extent that BlackRock receives research on this basis, many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist.
For example, the research effectively will be paid by client commissions that also will be used to pay for the execution, clearing, and settlement services provided by the broker-dealer and will not be paid by BlackRock.
BlackRock may endeavor to execute trades through brokers who,
pursuant to such arrangements, provide research or other services in order to ensure the continued receipt of research or other services BlackRock believes are useful in its investment decision-making process. BlackRock may from time to time choose
not to engage in the above described arrangements to varying degrees. BlackRock may also enter into commission sharing arrangements under which BlackRock may execute transactions through a broker-dealer, including, where permitted, an Affiliate, and
request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to BlackRock. To the extent that BlackRock engages in commission sharing arrangements, many of the same conflicts
related to traditional soft dollars may exist.
BlackRock
may utilize certain electronic crossing networks (“ECNs”) in executing client securities transactions for certain types of securities. These ECNs may charge fees for their services, including access fees and transaction fees. The
transaction fees, which are similar to commissions or mark-ups/mark-downs, will generally be charged to clients and, like commissions and mark-ups/mark-downs, would generally be included in the cost of the securities purchased. Access fees may be
paid by BlackRock even though incurred in connection with executing transactions on behalf of clients, including the Fund. In certain circumstances, ECNs may offer volume discounts that will reduce the access fees typically paid by BlackRock.
BlackRock will only utilize ECNs consistent with its obligation to seek to obtain best execution in client transactions.
BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to
prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Fund, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with BlackRock's fiduciary obligations to its
clients. Nevertheless, notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of BlackRock may have the effect of favoring the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of BlackRock and/or
its Affiliates, provided that BlackRock believes such voting decisions to be in accordance with its fiduciary obligations. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the Proxy Voting
Policy section of this SAI.
It is also possible
that, from time to time, BlackRock or its Affiliates may, although they are not required to, purchase and hold shares of the Fund. Increasing the Fund's assets may enhance liquidity, investment flexibility and diversification and may contribute to
economies of scale that tend to reduce the Fund's expense ratio. BlackRock and its Affiliates reserve the right to sell or redeem at any time some or all of the shares of the Fund acquired for their own accounts. A large sale or redemption of shares
of the Fund by BlackRock or its Affiliates could significantly reduce the asset size of the Fund, which might have an adverse effect on the Fund's liquidity, investment flexibility, portfolio diversification and expense ratio. BlackRock will
consider the effect of redemptions on the Fund and other shareholders in deciding whether to redeem its shares.
It is possible that the Fund may invest in securities of
companies with which an Affiliate has or is trying to develop investment banking relationships as well as securities of entities in which BlackRock or its Affiliates has significant debt or equity investments or in which an Affiliate makes a market.
The Fund also may invest in securities of companies to which an Affiliate provides or may someday provide research coverage. Such investments could cause conflicts between the interests of the Fund and the interests of BlackRock, other clients of
BlackRock or its Affiliates. In making investment decisions for the Fund, BlackRock is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information acquired by any division, department or Affiliate of BlackRock in the course of these activities.
In addition, from time to time, the activities of an Affiliate may limit the Fund's flexibility in purchases and sales of securities. When an Affiliate is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of
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securities of an entity, BlackRock may be prohibited from purchasing or
recommending the purchase of certain securities of that entity for the Fund.
As indicated below, BlackRock or its Affiliates may engage in
transactions with companies in which BlackRock-advised funds or other clients have an investment.
BlackRock and Ace Limited (“ACE”), a public
company whose securities are held by BlackRock-advised funds and other accounts, partially funded the creation of a re-insurance company (“Re Co”) pursuant to which each has approximately a 9.9% ownership interest and each has
representation on the board of directors. Certain employees and executives of BlackRock will also have a less than ½ of 1% ownership interest in Re Co. BlackRock will manage the investment portfolio of a wholly-owned subsidiary. Re Co will
participate as a reinsurer with reinsurance contracts underwritten by subsidiaries of ACE. An independent director of certain BlackRock-advised funds also serves as an independent director of ACE and has no interest or involvement in the Re Co
transaction.
BlackRock and its Affiliates, their
personnel and other financial service providers may have interests in promoting sales of the Fund. With respect to BlackRock and its Affiliates and their personnel, the remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of the Fund or
other products may be greater than remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of certain funds or other products that might be provided or offered. BlackRock and its Affiliates and their sales personnel may directly or
indirectly receive a portion of the fees and commissions charged to the Fund or its shareholders. BlackRock and its advisory or other personnel may also benefit from increased amounts of assets under management. Fees and commissions may also be
higher than for other products or services, and the remuneration and profitability to BlackRock or its Affiliates and such personnel resulting from transactions on behalf of or management of the Fund may be greater than the remuneration and
profitability resulting from other funds or products.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their personnel may receive
greater compensation or greater profit in connection with an account for which BlackRock serves as an adviser than with an account advised by an unaffiliated investment adviser. Differentials in compensation may be related to the fact that BlackRock
may pay a portion of its advisory fee to its Affiliate, or relate to compensation arrangements, including for portfolio management, brokerage transactions or account servicing. Any differential in compensation may create a financial incentive on the
part of BlackRock or its Affiliates and their personnel to recommend BlackRock over unaffiliated investment advisers or to effect transactions differently in one account over another.
Third parties, including service providers to BFA or the Fund,
may sponsor events (including, but not limited to, marketing and promotional activities and presentations, educational training programs and conferences) for registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors. There is a
potential conflict of interest as such sponsorships may defray the costs of such activities to BFA, and may provide an incentive to BFA to retain such third parties to provide services to the Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may provide valuation assistance
to certain clients with respect to certain securities or other investments and the valuation recommendations made for their clients' accounts may differ from the valuations for the same securities or investments assigned by the Fund's pricing
vendors, especially if such valuations are based on broker-dealer quotes or other data sources unavailable to the Fund's pricing vendors. While BlackRock will generally communicate its valuation information or determinations to the Fund's pricing
vendors and/or fund accountants, there may be instances where the Fund's pricing vendors or fund accountants assign a different valuation to a security or other investment than the valuation for such security or investment determined or recommended
by BlackRock.
As disclosed in more detail in the
Determination of Net Asset Value section of the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI, when 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 procedures adopted by the Board. When determining an asset’s “fair value,” the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) seeks to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably
expect to receive from the current sale of that asset in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on which the assets or liabilities are being valued, and does not seek to determine the price that the Fund might expect to receive for selling
the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. While fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that BlackRock’s Pricing Group deems relevant at
the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third-party valuation models, fair value represents only a good faith approximation of the value of a security. The fair value of one
or more securities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund’s net asset value. As a result, the Fund’s sale or
redemption of its
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shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued by
BlackRock (pursuant to Board-adopted procedures) at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders and BlackRock receiving additional revenue.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Fund may invest
all or some of its short-term cash investments in any money market fund or similarly-managed private fund advised or managed by BlackRock. In connection with any such investments, the Fund, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, may pay its share
of expenses of a money market fund in which it invests, which may result in the Fund bearing some additional expenses.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their directors, officers and
employees, may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts, and may have conflicts of interest with respect to investments made on behalf of the Fund. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints,
positions may be taken by directors, officers, employees and Affiliates of BlackRock that are the same, different from or made at different times than positions taken for the Fund. To lessen the possibility that the Fund will be adversely affected
by this personal trading, the Fund, BFA and BlackRock each has adopted a code of ethics in compliance with Section 17(j) of the 1940 Act that restricts securities trading in the personal accounts of investment professionals and others who normally
come into possession of information regarding the Fund's portfolio transactions. Each code of ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be
obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Each code of ethics is also available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov
or by writing the SEC's Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-1520.
BlackRock and its Affiliates will not purchase securities or
other property from, or sell securities or other property to, the Fund, except that the Fund may in accordance with rules adopted under the 1940 Act engage in transactions with accounts that are affiliated with the Fund as a result of common
officers, directors, or investment advisers or pursuant to exemptive orders granted to the Fund and/or BlackRock by the SEC. These transactions would be effected in circumstances in which BlackRock determined that it would be appropriate for the
Fund to purchase and another client of BlackRock to sell, or the Fund to sell and another client of BlackRock to purchase, the same security or instrument on the same day. From time to time, the activities of the Fund may be restricted because of
regulatory requirements applicable to BlackRock or its Affiliates and/or BlackRock's internal policies designed to comply with, limit the applicability of, or otherwise relate to such requirements. A client not advised by BlackRock would not be
subject to some of those considerations. There may be periods when BlackRock may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise restrict or limit their advice in certain securities or instruments issued by or related to
companies for which an Affiliate is performing investment banking, market making or other services or has proprietary positions. For example, when an Affiliate is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of, or advisory
services for, a company, the Fund may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling securities of that company. Similar situations could arise if personnel of BlackRock or its Affiliates serve as directors of companies the securities of
which the Fund wishes to purchase or sell. However, if permitted by applicable law, the Fund may purchase securities or instruments that are issued by such companies or are the subject of an underwriting, distribution, or advisory assignment by an
Affiliate, or in cases in which personnel of BlackRock or its Affiliates are directors or officers of the issuer.
The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their
proprietary accounts and for client accounts may also limit the investment strategies and rights of the Fund. For example, in certain regulated industries, in certain emerging or international markets, in corporate and regulatory ownership
definitions, and in certain futures and derivative transactions, there may be limits on the aggregate amount of investment by affiliated investors that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent or,
if exceeded, may cause BlackRock, the Fund or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions.
If certain aggregate ownership thresholds are reached or
certain transactions undertaken, the ability of BlackRock on behalf of clients (including the Fund) to purchase or dispose of investments, or exercise rights or undertake business transactions, may be restricted by regulation or otherwise impaired.
As a result, BlackRock, on behalf of clients (including the Fund), may limit purchases, sell existing investments, or otherwise restrict or limit the exercise of rights (including voting rights) when BlackRock, in its sole discretion, deems it
appropriate in light of potential regulatory or other restrictions on ownership or other consequences resulting from reaching investment thresholds.
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In those circumstances where ownership thresholds or
limitations must be observed, BlackRock seeks to allocate limited investment opportunities equitably among clients (including the Fund), taking into consideration benchmark weight and investment strategy. When ownership in certain securities nears
an applicable threshold, BlackRock may limit purchases in such securities to the issuer's weighting in the applicable benchmark used by BlackRock to manage the Fund. If client (including Fund) holdings of an issuer exceed an applicable threshold and
BlackRock is unable to obtain relief to enable the continued holding of such investments, it may be necessary to sell down these positions to meet the applicable limitations. In these cases, benchmark overweight positions will be sold prior to
benchmark positions being reduced to meet applicable limitations.
In addition to the foregoing, other ownership thresholds may
trigger reporting requirements to governmental and regulatory authorities, and such reports may entail the disclosure of the identity of a client or BlackRock’s intended strategy with respect to such security or asset.
To the extent permitted by applicable laws, BlackRock and its
Affiliates may maintain securities indexes as part of their product offerings. Index based funds seek to track the performance of securities indexes and may use the name of the index in the fund name. Index providers, including BlackRock and its
Affiliates may be paid licensing fees for use of their index or index name. BlackRock and its Affiliates will not be obligated to license their indexes to BlackRock, and BlackRock cannot be assured that the terms of any index licensing agreement
with BlackRock and its Affiliates will be as favorable as those terms offered to other index licensees.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may serve as Authorized
Participants in the creation and redemption of exchange-traded funds, including funds advised by Affiliates of BlackRock. As described in greater detail in the Creations and
Redemptions section of the Prospectus, BlackRock and its Affiliates may therefore be deemed to be participants in a distribution of iShares funds that could render them statutory underwriters.
BlackRock may enter into contractual arrangements with third
party service providers to the Fund (e.g., custodians, and administrators) pursuant to which BlackRock receives fee discounts or concessions in recognition of BlackRock’s overall relationship with such
service providers. To the extent that BlackRock is responsible for paying these service providers out of its management fee, the benefits of any such fee discounts or concessions may accrue, in whole or in part, to BlackRock. BlackRock will disclose
any material benefits it receives as a result of such fee discounts or concessions to the Board.
Present and future activities of BlackRock and its Affiliates,
including BFA, in addition to those described in this section, may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.
Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution
Services
Investment Adviser. BFA serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Company, on behalf of the Fund, and BFA. BFA is a California corporation indirectly owned by BlackRock, Inc. and
is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Under the investment advisory agreement, BFA, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of the Fund,
manages and administers the Company and the investment of the Fund’s assets. BFA is responsible for placing purchase and sale orders and providing continuous supervision of the investment portfolio of the Fund.
Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, BFA may, from
time to time, in its sole discretion and to the extent permitted by applicable law, appoint one or more sub-advisers, including, without limitation, affiliates of BFA, to perform investment advisory or other services with respect to the Fund. In
addition, BFA may delegate certain of its investment advisory functions under the investment advisory agreement to one or more of its affiliates to the extent permitted by applicable law. BFA may terminate any or all sub-advisers or such delegation
arrangements in its sole discretion upon appropriate notice at any time to the extent permitted by applicable law.
BFA is responsible, under the investment advisory agreement,
for substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services. BFA is not responsible for, and the Fund will bear the cost of, interest expense, taxes, brokerage
expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio securities transactions, distribution fees and extraordinary expenses.
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For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA will be
paid a management fee from the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.78%. BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed until December 31, 2020 to a reduction in the
management fee of the Fund on those assets attributable to the Fund's investments in the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (“EEM”) (and those assets used by the Fund to hedge the Fund's exposure to the securities in EEM's portfolio
against the U.S. dollar) such that the management fee on such assets is equal to the management fee of EEM. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2020 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA.
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 members 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 BFA and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Portfolio Managers. As
of August 31, 2014, the individuals named as Portfolio Managers in the Fund's Prospectus were also primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of other iShares funds and certain other types of portfolios and/or accounts as
follows:
| Matthew Goff | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 258 | $595,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 2 | 200,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
| Diane Hsiung | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 258 | $595,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 21 | 7,750,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
| Jennifer Hsui | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 260 | $595,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
| Orlando Montalvo | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 4 | $ 91,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 22 | 7,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 68 | 21,000,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
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| Greg Savage | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 324 | $660,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 89 | 45,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 12 | 1,500,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
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 constitute those indexes or through a representative sampling of the securities that constitute those indexes based on objective criteria and data. Pursuant to BFA’s policy, investment opportunities are allocated equitably
among the Fund and other portfolios and accounts. For example, under certain circumstances, an investment opportunity may be restricted due to limited supply in 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 it
would have if the Portfolio Managers and BFA 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 BFA or its affiliates, as applicable, for its advisory services. One or more of those other portfolios or accounts, however, may
pay BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA or its affiliates a portion of that portfolio’s or
account’s gains, or would pay BFA or its affiliates more for its services than would otherwise be the case if BFA or any of its affiliates meets or exceeds specified performance targets. By their nature, incentive-based fee arrangements could
present an incentive for BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA and each of its affiliates have an obligation to allocate resources and opportunities equitably among portfolios and accounts and intend 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 Managers favoring
those portfolios or accounts with incentive-based fee arrangements.
The tables below show, for each Portfolio Manager, the number
of portfolios or accounts of the types set forth in the above tables and the aggregate of total assets in those portfolios or accounts with respect to which the investment management fees are based on the performance of those portfolios or
accounts as of August 31, 2014:
| Matthew Goff | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
| Diane Hsiung | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
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| Jennifer Hsui | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
| Orlando Montalvo | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
| Greg Savage | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
The discussion below describes the
Portfolio Managers' compensation as of August 31, 2014.
Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview
BlackRock, Inc.'s financial arrangements with its portfolio
managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of
factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock, Inc.
Base compensation. Generally,
portfolio managers receive base compensation based on their position with the firm.
Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is a function of several components: the performance of BlackRock, Inc., the performance of the portfolio manager's group within BlackRock, Inc. and the individual's performance and
contribution to the overall performance of these portfolios and BlackRock, Inc.
Distribution of Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash and BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units which vest ratably over a number of years. The BlackRock, Inc. restricted
stock units, if properly vested, will be settled in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. Typically, the cash bonus, when combined with base salary, represents more than 60% of total compensation for the portfolio managers. Paying a portion of annual
bonuses in stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year “at risk” based on BlackRock, Inc.'s ability to sustain and improve its performance over future periods.
Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards — From time to time, long-term incentive equity awards are granted to certain key employees to aid in retention, align their interests with long-term shareholder interests and motivate performance. Equity awards are
generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock.
Other Compensation Benefits.
In addition to base compensation and discretionary incentive compensation, portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:
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Incentive Savings Plans
— BlackRock, Inc. has created a variety of incentive savings plans in which BlackRock, Inc. employees are eligible to participate, including a 401(k) plan, the BlackRock Retirement Savings Plan (“RSP”), and the BlackRock Employee
Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”). The employer contribution components of the RSP include a company match equal to 50% of the first 8% of eligible pay contributed to the plan capped at $5,000 per year, and a company retirement contribution
equal to 3-5% of eligible compensation up to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) limit ($260,000 for 2014). The RSP offers a range of investment options, including registered investment companies and collective investment funds
managed by the firm. BlackRock, Inc. contributions follow the investment direction set by participants for their own contributions or, absent participant investment direction, are invested into an index target date fund that corresponds to, or is
closest to, the year in which the participant attains age 65. The ESPP allows for investment in BlackRock, Inc. common stock at a 5% discount on the fair market value of the stock on the purchase date. Annual participation in the ESPP is limited to
the purchase of 1,000 shares of common stock or a dollar value of $25,000 based on its fair market value on the Purchase Date. Matthew Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui, Orlando Montalvo and Greg Savage are each eligible to participate in these
plans.
As of August 31, 2014, the Portfolio
Managers did not beneficially own shares of the Fund.
Codes of Ethics. The
Company, BFA and the Distributor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of 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.
Anti-Money Laundering Requirements. The Fund is subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the “Patriot Act”). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other illicit
activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, the Fund may request information from Authorized Participants to enable it to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its Authorized Participants. This information will
be used to verify the identity of Authorized Participants or, in some cases, the status of financial professionals; it will be used only for compliance with the requirements of the Patriot Act.
The Fund reserves the right to reject purchase orders from
persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. The Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in the Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the
Fund's policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.
Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund under the Master Services Agreement and related Service Schedule (the
“Service Module”). State Street’s principal address is 1 Iron Street, Boston, MA 02210. Pursuant to the Service Module for Fund Administration and Accounting Services with the Company, State Street provides necessary
administrative, legal, tax and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Company and the Fund. In addition, State Street makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to
provide such services. Pursuant to the Service Module for Custodial Services with the Company, State Street maintains, in separate accounts, cash, securities and other assets of the Company and the Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records and
provides other services. State Street is required, upon the order of the Company, to deliver securities held by State Street and to make payments for securities purchased by the Company for the Fund. State Street is authorized to appoint certain
foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. Pursuant to the Service Module for Transfer Agency Services with the Company, State Street acts as a transfer agent for the Fund’s authorized and
issued shares of beneficial interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Company. As compensation for these services, State Street receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid
monthly by BFA from its management fee.
Distributor. The
Distributor's principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor or its agent only in Creation Units, as described in the Prospectus and below in
the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
section of this SAI. Fund shares in amounts less than Creation Units are generally not distributed by the Distributor or its agent. The Distributor or its agent will arrange for the delivery of the Prospectus
and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it or its agents and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it or its agents. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
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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 following (i) the vote of a majority of the Independent Directors, or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the 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 Units of Fund shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as described below), Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participants
and/or investor services organizations.
BFA or its
affiliates 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.
Payments by BFA and its Affiliates. BFA and/or its affiliates (“BFA Entities”) pay certain broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities
related to the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products in general. BFA Entities make these payments from their own assets and not from the assets of the Fund. Although a portion of BFA Entities’ revenue comes directly or
indirectly in part from fees paid by the Fund and other iShares funds, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, the Fund or other iShares funds. BFA Entities make payments for
Intermediaries’ participation in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such
as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems (“Education Costs”). BFA Entities also make payments to Intermediaries
for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Fund or materials relating to exchange-traded products in general (“Publishing Costs”). In addition, BFA Entities make payments to Intermediaries that make shares of
the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their clients, develop new products that feature iShares or otherwise promote the Fund and other iShares funds. BFA Entities may also reimburse expenses or make payments from their own assets to
Intermediaries or other persons in consideration of services or other activities that the BFA Entities believe may benefit the iShares business or facilitate investment in iShares funds. Payments of the type described above are sometimes referred to
as revenue-sharing payments.
Payments to an
Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because an Intermediary may
make decisions about which investment options it will recommend or make available to its clients or what services to provide for various products based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments may create conflicts of interest
between the Intermediary and its clients and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund and other iShares funds over other investments. The same conflicts of interest and financial incentives exist with respect to
your salesperson or other investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
BFA Entities have contractual arrangements to make payments
(in addition to payments for Education Costs or Publishing Costs) to one Intermediary, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (“FBS”). Pursuant to this special, long-term and significant arrangement (the “Marketing Program”), FBS
and certain affiliates (collectively “Fidelity”) have agreed, among other things, to actively promote iShares funds to customers and investment professionals and in advertising campaigns as the preferred exchange-traded product, to offer
certain iShares funds in certain Fidelity platforms and investment programs, in some cases at a reduced commission rate or commission free, and to provide marketing data to BFA Entities. BFA Entities have agreed to facilitate the Marketing Program
by, among other things, making certain payments to FBS for marketing and implementing certain brokerage and investment programs. Upon termination of the arrangement, the BFA Entities will make additional payments to FBS based upon a number of
criteria, including the overall success of the Marketing Program and the level of services provided by FBS during the wind-down period.
Any additions, modifications, or deletions to Intermediaries
listed above that have occurred since the date noted above are not included in the list. Further, BFA Entities make Education Costs and Publishing Costs payments to other Intermediaries that are not listed above. BFA Entities may determine to make
such payments based on any number of metrics. For example, BFA Entities may make payments at year-end or other intervals in a fixed amount, an amount based upon an Intermediary’s services at defined levels or an amount based on the
Intermediary’s net sales of one or more iShares funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed-upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the
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foregoing. As of the date of this SAI, BFA anticipates that the payments paid
by BFA Entities in connection with the Fund, iShares funds and exchange-traded products in general will be immaterial to BFA Entities in the aggregate for the next year. Please contact your salesperson or other
investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by the BFA Entities to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy
shares of iShares funds.
The Fund may participate
in certain market maker incentive programs of a national securities exchange in which an affiliate of the Fund would pay a fee to the exchange used for the purpose of incentivizing one or more market makers in the securities of the Fund to enhance
the liquidity and quality of the secondary market of securities of the Fund. The fee would then be credited by the exchange to one or more market makers that meet or exceed liquidity and market quality standards with respect to the securities of the
Fund. Each market maker incentive program is subject to approval from the SEC. Any such fee payments made to an exchange will be made by an affiliate of the Fund solely for the benefit of the Fund and will not be paid from any Fund assets.
Determination of Net Asset Value
Valuation of Shares. The NAV
for the Fund is generally calculated as of the close of regular trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (currently 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each business day the NYSE is open. Valuation of securities held by the Fund is
as follows:
Equity Investments. Equity securities traded on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), separate trading boards of a securities
exchange or through a market system that provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (each, an “Exchange”) are valued using information obtained via independent pricing services, generally the Exchange closing price, or if
an Exchange closing price is not available, the last traded price on that Exchange prior to the time as of which the Fund’s assets or liabilities are valued. However, under certain circumstances, other means of determining current market value
may be used. If an equity security is traded on more than one Exchange, the current market value of the security where it is primarily traded generally will be used. In the event that there are no sales involving an equity security held by the Fund
on a day on which the Fund values such security, the prior day’s price will be used, unless, in accordance with valuation procedures approved by the Board (the “Valuation Procedures”), BlackRock determines in good faith that such
prior day’s price no longer reflects the fair value of the security, in which case such asset would be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below).
Fixed Income Investments. In
accordance with the Valuation Procedures, fixed income securities for which market quotations are readily available are generally valued using such securities’ most recent bid prices provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market
makers, or independent third-party pricing services, each of which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market transactions for the same or similar assets to derive values. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used
with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value. Loan participation notes are generally valued at the mean of the last available
bid prices from one or more brokers or dealers as obtained from independent third-party pricing services. Certain fixed income investments, including asset-backed and mortgage-related securities, may be valued based on valuation models that consider
the estimated cash flows of each tranche of the entity, establish a benchmark yield and develop an estimated tranche specific spread to the benchmark yield based on the unique attributes of the tranche. Fixed income securities for which market
quotations are not readily available may be valued by third-party pricing services that make a valuation determination by securing transaction data (e.g., recent representative bids), credit quality information, perceived market movements, news, and other relevant information and by other methods, which may include consideration of yields or prices of securities of
comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; and general market conditions.
Options, Futures, Swaps and Other Derivatives. Exchange-traded equity options for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask prices as quoted on the Exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded. In
the event that there is no mean price available for an exchange traded equity option held by the Fund on a day on which the Fund values such option, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the
value of such option. If no such bid or ask price is available on a day on which the Fund values such option, the prior day’s price will be used, unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such prior day’s price no longer reflects
the fair value of the option in which case such option will be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below). OTC derivatives may be
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valued using a mathematical model which may incorporate a number of market
data factors. Financial futures contracts and options thereon, which are traded on exchanges, are valued at their settle price as of the close of such exchanges. Swap agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon quotations
from market makers or by a pricing service in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
Underlying Funds. Shares of
underlying exchange-traded funds will be valued at their most recent closing price on an Exchange. Shares of underlying money market funds will be valued at their net asset value.
General Valuation Information.
In determining the market value of portfolio investments, the Fund may employ independent third-party pricing services, which may use, without limitation, a matrix or formula method that takes into consideration
market indexes, matrices, yield curves and other specific adjustments. This may result in the securities being valued at a price different from the price that would have been determined had the matrix or formula method not been used. All cash,
receivables and current payables are carried on the Fund’s books at their face value.
Prices obtained from independent third-party pricing services,
broker-dealers or market makers to value the Fund’s securities and other assets and liabilities are based on information available at the time the Fund values its assets and liabilities. In the event that a pricing service quotation is revised
or updated subsequent to the day on which the Fund valued such security or other asset or liability, the revised pricing service quotation generally will be applied prospectively. Such determination will be made considering pertinent facts and
circumstances surrounding the revision.
Certain types of
securities, including many fixed income securities, trade infrequently and there may be no current market transactions or recent representative bids for such securities. To the extent that prices for such securities are not reflective of current
market transactions or recent representative bids, the Fund will value such securities in good faith in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
In the event that application of the methods of valuation
discussed above result in a price for a security which is deemed not to be representative of the fair market value of such security, the security will be valued by, under the direction of or in accordance with a method specified by the Board as
reflecting fair value. All other assets and liabilities (including securities for which market quotations are not readily available) held by the Fund (including restricted securities) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board
or by BlackRock (its delegate) pursuant to the Valuation Procedures. Any assets and liabilities which are denominated in a foreign currency are converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or
more data service providers.
Certain of the securities
acquired by the Fund may be traded on foreign exchanges or OTC markets on days on which the Fund’s net asset value is not calculated. In such cases, the net asset value of the Fund’s shares may be significantly affected on days when
investors can neither purchase nor redeem shares of the Fund.
Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations
could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used in the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the
Underlying Index.
Fair Value. When market quotations are not readily available or are believed in good faith by BlackRock to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value (“Fair Value Assets”). Fair Value Assets are
valued by BlackRock in accordance with the Valuation Procedures. BlackRock may reasonably conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if, among other things, a security or other asset or liability does not have a price
source due to its lack of trading, if BlackRock believes in good faith that a market quotation from a broker-dealer or other source is unreliable (e.g., where it varies significantly from a recent trade, or no longer reflects the fair value of the security or other asset or liability subsequent to the most recent market quotation), where the security or other asset or
liability is only thinly traded or due to the occurrence of a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. For this purpose, a “significant event” is deemed to occur if BlackRock determines, in its reasonable
business judgment, that an event has occurred after the close of trading for an asset or liability but prior to or at the time of pricing the Fund’s assets or liabilities, and that the event is likely to cause a material change to the closing
market price of the assets or liabilities held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets
(e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair
valued. On any day the NYSE is open and a foreign market or the primary exchange on which a foreign asset or liability is traded is closed, such asset or liability will be valued using the prior day’s price, provided that BlackRock is not
aware of any
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significant event or other information that would cause such price to no
longer reflect the fair value of the asset or liability, in which case such asset or liability would be treated as a Fair Value Asset.
BlackRock, with input from the BlackRock Investment Strategy
Group, will submit its recommendations regarding the valuation and/or valuation methodologies for Fair Value Assets to BlackRock’s Valuation Committee. The BlackRock Valuation Committee may accept, modify or reject any recommendations. In
addition, the Fund’s accounting agent periodically endeavors to confirm the prices it receives from all third-party pricing services, index providers and broker-dealers, and, with the assistance of BlackRock, to regularly evaluate the values
assigned to the securities and other assets and liabilities held by the Fund. The pricing of all Fair Value Assets is subsequently reported to and, where appropriate, ratified by the Board.
When determining the price for a Fair Value Asset, the
BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) will seek to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on
which the assets or liabilities are being valued, and does not seek to determine the price that the Fund might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability
to maturity. Fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values
determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third party valuation models.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. When determining fair value of an asset, one or more of a variety of fair valuation methodologies may be used (depending on certain factors, including the asset type). For example, the asset may be priced on the basis of
the original cost of the investment or, alternatively, using proprietary or third-party models (including models that rely upon direct portfolio management pricing inputs and which reflect the significance attributed to the various factors and
assumptions being considered). Prices of actual, executed or historical transactions in the relevant asset and/or liability (or related or comparable assets and/or liabilities) or, where appropriate, an appraisal by a third party experienced in the
valuation of similar assets and/or liabilities, may also be used as a basis for establishing the fair value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or
liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund’s net asset value. As a result, the Fund’s sale or redemption of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a
holding or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.
The Fund’s annual audited financial statements, which
are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”), follow the requirements for valuation set forth in Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards
Codification Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), which defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value under US GAAP and expands financial statement disclosure requirements relating
to fair value measurements. Generally, ASC 820 and other accounting rules applicable to funds and various assets in which they invest are evolving. Such changes may adversely affect the Fund. For example, the evolution of rules governing the
determination of the fair market value of assets or liabilities to the extent such rules become more stringent would tend to increase the cost and/or reduce the availability of third-party determinations of fair market value. This may in turn
increase the costs associated with selling assets or affect their liquidity due to the Fund’s inability to obtain a third-party determination of fair market value.
Brokerage Transactions
Subject to policies established by the Board, BFA is primarily
responsible for the execution of the Fund’s portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage. BFA does not execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but seeks to obtain the best net results for the Fund, taking into
account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. While
BFA generally seeks reasonable trade execution costs, the Fund does not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available, and payment of the lowest commission or spread is not necessarily consistent with obtaining the best price and
execution in particular transactions. Subject to applicable legal requirements, BFA may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to BFA and its clients, including the Fund. In return for such services, BFA may cause
the Fund to pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if BFA determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.
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In selecting brokers or dealers to execute portfolio
transactions, BFA seeks to obtain the best price and most favorable execution for the Fund and may take into account a variety of factors including: (i) the size, nature and character of the security or instrument being traded and the markets in
which it is purchased or sold; (ii) the desired timing of the transaction; (iii) BFA’s knowledge of the expected commission rates and spreads currently available; (iv) the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular
security or instrument, including any anticipated execution difficulties; (v) the full range of brokerage services provided; (vi) the broker’s or dealer’s capital; (vii) the quality of research and research services provided; (viii) the
reasonableness of the commission, dealer spread or its equivalent for the specific transaction; and (ix) BFA’s knowledge of any actual or apparent operational problems of a broker or dealer. 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, or other circumstances.
Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act (“Section 28(e)”)
permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the same transaction
in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer. This includes commissions paid on riskless principal transactions under certain conditions.
From time to time, the Fund may purchase new issues of
securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the broker may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide BFA with research services. FINRA has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of
arrangements under certain circumstances. Generally, the broker will provide research “credits” in these situations at a rate that is higher than that available for typical secondary market transactions. These arrangements may not fall
within the safe harbor of Section 28(e).
The Fund
anticipates that brokerage transactions involving foreign securities generally will be conducted primarily on the principal stock exchanges of the applicable country. Foreign equity securities may be held by the Fund in the form of depositary
receipts, or other securities convertible into foreign equity securities. Depositary receipts may be listed on stock exchanges, or traded in OTC markets in the United States or Europe, as the case may be. American Depositary Receipts, like other
securities traded in the United States, will be subject to negotiated commission rates.
OTC issues, including most fixed income securities such as
corporate debt and U.S. Government securities, are normally traded on a “net” basis without a stated commission, through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers. The Fund will primarily engage in transactions with these
dealers or deal directly with the issuer unless a better price or execution could be obtained by using a broker. Prices paid to a dealer with respect to both foreign and domestic securities will generally include a “spread,” which is the
difference between the prices at which the dealer is willing to purchase and sell the specific security at the time, and includes the dealer’s normal profit.
Under the 1940 Act, persons affiliated with the Fund and
persons who are affiliated with such affiliated persons are prohibited from dealing with the Fund as principal in the purchase and sale of securities unless a permissive order allowing such transactions is obtained from the SEC. Since transactions
in the OTC market usually involve transactions with the dealers acting as principal for their own accounts, the Fund will not deal with affiliated persons, including PNC and its affiliates, in connection with such transactions. The Fund will not
purchase securities during the existence of any underwriting or selling group relating to such securities of which BFA, PNC, BRIL or any affiliated person (as defined in the 1940 Act) thereof is a member except pursuant to procedures adopted by the
Board in accordance with Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act.
Purchases of money market instruments by the Fund are made
from dealers, underwriters and issuers. The Fund does not currently expect to incur any brokerage commission expense on such transactions because money market instruments are generally traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as
principal for their own accounts without a stated commission. The price of the security, however, usually includes a profit to the dealer.
BFA 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 BFA, in conformity with Rule 17e-1 under 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.
Securities purchased in underwritten offerings include a fixed
amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s concession or discount. When securities are purchased or sold directly from or to an issuer, no commissions or discounts are paid.
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Investment decisions for the Fund and for other investment
accounts managed by BFA and its affiliates are made independently of each other in light of differing conditions. A variety of factors will be considered in making investment allocations. These factors include: (i) investment objectives or
strategies for particular accounts, including sector, industry, country or region and capitalization weightings; (ii) tax considerations of an account; (iii) risk or investment concentration parameters for an account; (iv) supply or demand for a
security at a given price level; (v) size of available investment; (vi) cash availability and liquidity requirements for accounts; (vii) regulatory restrictions; (viii) minimum investment size of an account; (ix) relative size of account; and (x)
such other factors as may be approved by BlackRock’s general counsel. Moreover, investments may not be allocated to one client account over another based on any of the following considerations: (i) to favor one client account at the expense of
another; (ii) to generate higher fees paid by one client account over another or to produce greater performance compensation to BlackRock; (iii) to develop or enhance a relationship with a client or prospective client; (iv) to compensate a client
for past services or benefits rendered to BlackRock or to induce future services or benefits to be rendered to BlackRock; or (v) to manage or equalize investment performance among different client accounts. BFA and its affiliates may deal, trade and
invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest.
Initial public offerings of securities may be over-subscribed
and subsequently trade at a premium in the secondary market. When BFA is given an opportunity to invest in such an initial offering or “new” or “hot” issue, the supply of securities available for client accounts is often less
than the amount of securities the accounts would otherwise take. In order to allocate these investments fairly and equitably among client accounts over time, each portfolio manager or a member of his or her respective investment team will indicate
to BFA’s trading desk their level of interest in a particular offering with respect to eligible clients’ accounts for which that team is responsible. Initial public offerings of U.S. equity securities will be identified as eligible for
particular client accounts that are managed by portfolio teams who have indicated interest in the offering based on market capitalization of the issuer of the security and the investment mandate of the client account and in the case of international
equity securities, the country where the offering is taking place and the investment mandate of the client account. Generally, shares received during the initial public offering will be allocated among participating client accounts within each
investment mandate on a pro rata basis. This pro rata allocation may result in the Fund receiving less of a particular security than if pro-ration had not occurred. All allocations of securities will be subject, where relevant, to share minimums
established for accounts and compliance constraints. In situations where supply is too limited to be allocated among all accounts for which the investment is eligible, portfolio managers may rotate such investment opportunities among one or more
accounts so long as the rotation system provides for fair access for all client accounts over time. Other allocation methodologies that are considered by BFA to be fair and equitable to clients may be used as well.
Because different accounts may have differing investment
objectives and policies, BFA may buy and sell the same securities at the same time for different clients based on the particular investment objective, guidelines and strategies of those accounts. For example, BFA may decide that it may be entirely
appropriate for a growth fund to sell a security at the same time a value fund is buying that security. To the extent that transactions on behalf of more than one client of BFA or its affiliates during the same period may increase the demand for
securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price. For example, sales of a security by BlackRock on behalf of one or more of its clients may decrease the market price of such security,
adversely impacting other BlackRock clients that still hold the security. If purchases or sales of securities arise for consideration at or about the same time that would involve the Fund or other clients or funds for which BFA or an affiliate act
as investment manager, transactions in such securities will be made, insofar as feasible, for the respective funds and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all.
In certain instances, BFA may find it efficient for purposes
of seeking to obtain best execution, to aggregate or “bunch” certain contemporaneous purchases or sale orders of its advisory accounts and advisory accounts of affiliates. In general, all contemporaneous trades for client accounts under
management by the same portfolio manager or investment team will be bunched in a single order if the trader believes the bunched trade would provide each client with an opportunity to achieve a more favorable execution at a potentially lower
execution cost. The costs associated with a bunched order will be shared pro rata among the clients in the bunched order. Generally, if an order for a particular portfolio manager or management team is filled at several different prices through
multiple trades, all accounts participating in the order will receive the average price (except in the case of certain international markets where average pricing is not permitted). While in some cases this practice could have a detrimental effect
upon the price or value of the security as far as the Fund is concerned, in other cases it could be beneficial to the Fund. Transactions effected by BFA or its affiliates on behalf of more than one of its clients during the same period may increase
the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, causing an adverse effect on price. The trader will give the bunched order to the broker-dealer that the trader has identified as being able
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to
provide the best execution of the order. Orders for purchase or sale of securities will be placed within a reasonable amount of time of the order receipt and bunched orders will be kept bunched only long enough to execute the order.
The Fund's purchase and sale orders for securities may be
combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that BFA or its affiliates manage or advise and for which they have brokerage placement authority. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Fund and one or more other
accounts managed or advised by BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA and its affiliates. 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. BFA and its affiliates may deal, trade and invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest. BFA and its affiliates 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 BFA, 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 rules or regulations, or by SEC exemptive
order.
Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as
well as within a year. High turnover rates may result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses.
Additional Information Concerning the Company
Capital Stock. The
Company currently is comprised of 60 series referred to as funds. Each series issues shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share. The Company has authorized and issued the following funds as separate series of capital stock: iShares
Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF,
iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Latin America Bond ETF, iShares MSCI ACWI with EM Exposure ETF, iShares MSCI All Country
World Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Australia ETF, iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Canada ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI
Colombia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy
Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Horizon ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI
Emerging Markets Value ETF, iShares MSCI EMU ETF, iShares MSCI France ETF, iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, iShares MSCI Germany ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Gold
Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap
ETF, iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea
Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Turkey ETF, iShares MSCI USA ETF and iShares MSCI World ETF. The Company
has authorized for issuance, but is not currently offering for sale to the public, nine additional series of shares of common stock. The Board may designate additional series of common stock and classify shares of a particular series into one or
more classes of that series. The Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation confers upon the Board the power to establish the number of shares which constitute a Creation Unit or by resolution, restrict the redemption right to Creation
Units.
Each share issued by a fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of that fund. The Company is currently authorized to issue 33.85 billion shares of common stock. The following number of shares is currently authorized for each of the funds: iShares
Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, 500 million shares;
iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate
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Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF,
500 million shares; iShares Latin America Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Australia ETF, 627.8 million shares; iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, 100 million shares;
iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, 136.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Canada ETF, 340.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, 200 million shares;
iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, 200
million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 2 billion shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, 500
million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Horizon ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
Value ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI EMU ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI France ETF, 340.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Germany ETF, 382.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Agriculture
Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global
Silver Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, 375 million shares; iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, 295.4 million shares; iShares MSCI Japan ETF, 2.1246 billion shares; iShares
MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF, 255 million shares; iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, 255 million shares; iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF, 1 billion shares;
iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, 400 million shares; iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, 127.8
million shares; iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, 63.6 million shares; iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, 318.625 million shares; iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, 900 million shares; iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Turkey ETF,
200 million shares; iShares MSCI USA ETF, 500 million shares; and iShares MSCI World ETF, 500 million shares. Fractional shares will not be issued. 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 fund, and in the net distributable assets of such fund on liquidation. Shareholders are entitled to require the Company
to redeem Creation Units of their shares. The Articles of Incorporation confer upon the Board the power, by resolution, to alter the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that shares of common stock of the Company may be
individually redeemable.
Each share has one vote with
respect to matters upon which a stockholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and the Maryland General Corporation Law. Stockholders have no cumulative voting rights with respect
to their shares. Shares of all funds vote together as a single class except that, if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund or, if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on
such matter.
Under Maryland law, the Company is not
required to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Company is not to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. All shares (regardless of the
fund) have noncumulative voting rights in the election of members of the Board. Under Maryland law, Directors of the Company may be removed by vote of the shareholders.
Following the creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of
shares of a fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in the fund’s shares, a holder of shares may be a “control person” of the fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. The 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 iShares, Inc.,
c/o BlackRock Investments, LLC, 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
Absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or
its staff, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the shares of a 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 or its staff, officers and directors of a fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of the 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.
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Termination of the Company or the Fund. The Company or the Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board, subject to the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders of the Company or the Fund entitled to vote on termination; however, in
certain circumstances described in the Declaration of Trust, only a majority vote of the Board is required. Although the shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the Declaration of Trust provides that the
Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit. In the event of a termination of the Company or the Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in
aggregations smaller than Creation Units or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Company may make redemptions in-kind, for cash or for a combination of cash or securities.
DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Fund. 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 was created in 1973 to enable electronic movement of
securities between its participants (“DTC Participants”), and National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) was established in 1976 to provide a single settlement system for securities clearing and to serve as central
counterparty for securities trades among DTC Participants. In 1999, DTC and NSCC were consolidated within The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (“DTCC”) and became wholly-owned subsidiaries of DTCC. The common stock of DTCC is
owned by the DTC Participants, but NYSE and FINRA, through subsidiaries, hold preferred shares in DTCC that provide them with the right to elect one member each to the DTCC Board of Directors. Access to the DTC system is available to entities, such
as banks, brokers, dealers and trusts 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. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of
such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications
to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Company and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Company upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Company a listing of the shares of the
Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Company shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Company 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 Company 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.
Share distributions shall be
made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Company. 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 the 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 Company 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 Company at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Company and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the
Company shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
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Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
General. The Company
issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor or its agent, without a sales load, at a price based on the Fund's NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined
below), of an order received by the Distributor or its agent in proper form. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to be placed earlier in the day. The following table sets forth the number of
shares of the Fund that constitute a Creation Unit for the Fund and the value of such Creation Unit as of September 30, 2014:
| Shares
Per Creation Unit |
Value
Per Creation Unit (U.S.$) | |
| 50,000 | $1,205,000 |
In its discretion, BFA reserves the
right to increase or decrease the number of the Fund’s shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of the Fund, and to make a corresponding
change in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.
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, as observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents'
Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Fund Deposit. The
consideration for purchase of Creation Units of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) (“Deposit
Securities”) and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which, when combined with the Fund’s portfolio securities is designed to
generate performance that has a collective investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index. The Fund Deposit represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund.
The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the
difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities, and serves to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit
and the Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing the Creation
Unit.
BFA makes available through the NSCC on each
Business Day prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange, the list of names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information
as of the end of the previous Business Day for the Fund). Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to purchases of Creation Units of shares of the Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made
available.
The identity and number of shares of the
Deposit Securities change pursuant to changes in the composition of the Fund's portfolio and as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by BFA with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The
composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the Underlying Index.
The Fund reserves the right to permit or require the
substitution of 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 DTC. The Fund also
reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which (i) the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted
under applicable securities or other local laws or (ii) 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 applicable
securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations.
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Cash Purchase Method.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund,
they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a partial or full cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to
provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser.
Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a DTC Participant that has entered into an authorized participant agreement with the Distributor (an “Authorized Participant”). Such Authorized
Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of such authorized participant agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available in
advance of each purchase of shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the net asset value of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fees
described below. An Authorized Participant, acting on behalf of an investor, may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who
are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an authorized participant agreement and
that orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor. The
Company does not expect to enter into an authorized participant agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current Authorized Participants may be obtained from the Distributor. The Distributor has adopted guidelines
regarding Authorized Participants’ transactions in Creation Units that are made available to all Authorized Participants. These guidelines set forth the processes and standards for Authorized Participants to transact with the Distributor and
its agents in connection with creation and redemption transactions.
Purchase Orders. To
initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit to the Distributor or its agent an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund, in proper form, generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day to
receive that day’s NAV. The Distributor or its agent will notify BFA and the custodian of such order. The custodian will then provide such information to any appropriate sub-custodian. Procedures and requirements governing the delivery of the
Fund Deposit are set forth in the procedures handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a creation request to be made through an
Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper
submission of the purchase order to the Distributor or its agent by the Cutoff Time (as defined below) on such Business Day.
The Authorized Participant must also make available on or
before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Fund, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Fund to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with
the applicable purchase transaction fees. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit. Those placing orders should ascertain the deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the
broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the Cutoff Time of the Fund. Investors should be aware that an Authorized Participant may require orders for
purchases of shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual Authorized Participant.
The Authorized Participant is responsible for any and all
expenses and costs incurred by the Fund, including any applicable cash amounts, in connection with any purchase order.
Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Creation Orders must be
transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor or its agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the authorized 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 its agent or an Authorized Participant. Orders to create shares of the Fund that are submitted on the Business Day immediately
preceding a holiday or a day (other than a weekend) when the equity markets in the relevant non-U.S. market are closed may not be accepted. The Fund's deadline specified above for the submission of purchase orders is referred to as the Fund's
“Cutoff Time.” The Distributor or its agent, in their discretion, may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or
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through an Authorized Participant at any time (including on days on which the
Listing Exchange is not open for business) via communication through the facilities of the Distributor's or its agent's proprietary website maintained for this purpose. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Company, will be
processed based on the NAV next determined after such acceptance in accordance with the Fund's Cutoff Times as provided in the authorized participant agreement and disclosed in this SAI.
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the Authorized Participant (either on its own or another investor's behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Fund
are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Fund will accept the order, subject to the Fund's right (and the right of the Distributor and BFA) to reject any order until acceptance, as set forth
below.
Once the Fund has accepted an order, upon
the next determination of the net asset value of the shares, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such net asset value. The Distributor or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to
the Authorized Participant that placed the order.
The
Fund reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor or its agent 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 do not conform to the identity and number of shares specified, 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, in the discretion of the Fund or BFA, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or
(vii) circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Distributor or its agent and BFA make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Distributor or its agent shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Fund, State Street, the sub-custodian and the Distributor or its agent 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 failure to give such notification.
Issuance of a Creation Unit.
Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the
custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor or its agent and BFA shall be notified of such delivery and
the Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Typically, Creation Units are issued on a “T+3 basis” (i.e., three
Business Days after trade date). However, as discussed in the Regular Holidays section of this SAI, the Fund reserves the right to settle Creation
Unit transactions on a basis other than T+3 in order to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (i.e., the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security) and in certain other
circumstances.
To the extent contemplated by an
Authorized Participant's agreement with the Distributor, the Fund will issue Creation Units to such Authorized Participant, notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the
undertaking of the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value at least equal to 105%
and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Fund's then-effective procedures. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Fund is cash
in U.S. dollars. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the contractual settlement date. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and
income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. Information concerning the Fund's current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor or its agent. The
authorized participant agreement will permit the Fund to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such securities and the
cash collateral.
In certain cases, Authorized
Participants may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the Authorized Participants that the creation
and redemption transactions are for separate beneficial owners. All questions as to
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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 Fund and the Fund's determination shall be final and
binding.
Costs Associated with Creation Transactions. A standard creation transaction fee is imposed to offset the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized
Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. If a purchase consists of a cash portion,
the Authorized Participant may also be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to the maximum amount shown below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to the creation transaction. Authorized Participants will also bear the
costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Fund. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
The following table sets forth the Fund's standard creation
transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
| Standard
Creation Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | |
| $500 | 3.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit. |
Redemption of Creation Units.
Shares of the Fund may be redeemed by Authorized Participants only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor or its agent and only
on a Business Day. The Fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the secondary market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors
should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a Creation Unit that could be redeemed by an Authorized Participant. Beneficial owners also may sell shares in the
secondary market.
The Fund generally redeems
Creation Units for Fund Securities. Please see the Cash Redemption Method section below and the following discussion summarizing the in-kind method for further information on redeeming Creation Units of the
Fund.
BFA makes available through the NSCC, prior to the
opening of business on the Listing Exchange on each Business Day, the designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or
correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”), and an amount of cash (the “Cash Amount,” as described below). Such Fund Securities and the corresponding Cash
Amount (each subject to possible amendment or correction) are applicable, in order to effect redemptions of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next announced composition of the Fund Securities and Cash Amount is made available. Fund
Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. Procedures and requirements governing redemption transactions are set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants
and may change from time to time.
If redemptions are not
paid in cash, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities, plus the Cash Amount, which is an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after the
receipt of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of Fund Securities, less a redemption transaction fee (as described below).
The Company may, in its sole discretion, substitute a
“cash in lieu” amount to replace any Fund Security. The Company also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which: (i) the delivery of a Fund
Security to the Authorized Participant would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws; or (ii) the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Fund Security by the Authorized
Participant becoming restricted under applicable securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations. The amount of cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the substituted security listed as a Fund Security. In the
event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than 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
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shareholder. The Fund generally redeems Creation Units for Fund Securities,
but the Fund reserves the right to utilize a cash option for redemption of Creation Units.
Cash Redemption Method.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in
essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions thereof. In the case of partial or full cash redemption, the Authorized Participant receives the cash equivalent of the Fund Securities it would otherwise receive through an in-kind redemption, plus
the same Cash Amount to be paid to an in-kind redeemer.
Costs Associated with Redemption Transactions. A standard redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on
the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. The Authorized Participant may also be required to cover
certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (up to the maximum amount shown below). Authorized Participants will also bear the
costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Fund to their account on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to dispose of Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
The following table sets forth the Fund's standard redemption
transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
| Standard
Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | |
| $500 | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Placement of Redemption
Orders. Redemption requests for Creation Units of the Fund must be submitted to the Distributor by or through an Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable request to redeem
shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an
Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request.
The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for
redemption in the form required by the Fund to the Distributor or its agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the authorized participant agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an authorized
participant agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an authorized participant agreement. At any time, only a limited number of
broker-dealers will have an authorized participant agreement in effect. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem
Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the shares to the Fund's transfer agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to
effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.
A redemption request is considered to be in “proper
form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Fund's transfer agent the Creation Unit redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Listing Exchange closing time on any
Business Day; (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Fund is received by the Distributor or its agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above; and (iii) all other
procedures set forth in the authorized participant agreement are properly followed. If the transfer agent does not receive the investor's shares through DTC's facilities by 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Business Day next following the day that the
redemption request is received, the redemption request shall be rejected. Investors should be aware that the deadline for such transfers of shares through the DTC system may be significantly earlier than the close of business on the Listing
Exchange. Those making redemption requests should ascertain the deadline applicable to transfers of shares through the DTC system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effecting the transfer of the
shares.
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Upon receiving a redemption request, the Distributor or its
agent shall notify the Fund and the Fund's transfer agent of such redemption request. The tender of an investor's shares for redemption and the distribution of the securities and/or cash included in the redemption payment made in respect of Creation
Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant Authorized Participant to the Beneficial Owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may be, or by such
other means specified by the Authorized Participant submitting the redemption request.
A redeeming Beneficial Owner or Authorized Participant acting
on behalf of such Beneficial Owner must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the portfolio securities are customarily traded, to which account
such portfolio securities will be delivered.
Deliveries
of redemption proceeds by the Fund generally will be made within three Business Days (i.e., “T+3”). However, as discussed in the Regular Holidays section,
the Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions and deliver redemption proceeds on another basis to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record
dates and dividend ex-dates (i.e., the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold) and in certain other circumstances. The Regular Holidays section hereto identifies the instances, if any, where more than seven days would be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Pursuant to an order of the SEC, the Company will make delivery of
redemption proceeds within the number of days stated in the Regular Holidays section to be the maximum number of days necessary to deliver redemption proceeds.
If neither the redeeming Beneficial Owner nor the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of such redeeming Beneficial Owner has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of Fund Securities in the applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible
to effect deliveries of Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In such
case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the net asset value of its shares based on the NAV of the Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charges
specified above to offset the Fund's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities
laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund cannot lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or cannot do so without first
registering the Fund Securities under such laws.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit cash
redemptions of Creation Units, in the event that cash redemptions are permitted or required by the Company, proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming shares as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven
calendar days thereafter, except for the instances listed in the Regular Holidays section in which more than seven calendar days would be needed).
To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's
agreement with the Distributor or its agent, in the event an Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to the Fund, at or prior to 10:00 a.m.,
Eastern time on the Listing Exchange business day after the date of submission of such redemption request, the Distributor or its agent will accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the
missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash, in U.S. dollars in immediately available funds, having a value at least equal to 105%
and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing shares. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the day after the date of submission of such
redemption request and shall be held by State Street and marked-to-market daily. The fees of State Street and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized
Participant. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. The authorized participant
agreement permits the Fund to acquire shares of the Fund at any time and subjects the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the aggregate of the cost to the Fund of purchasing such shares, plus the value of the Cash Amount,
and the value of the cash collateral.
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Because the Portfolio Securities of the Fund may trade on
exchange(s) on days that the Listing Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of the Fund, or purchase or sell shares of the Fund on the Listing Exchange on days when the
NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.
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 Listing Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the Listing Exchange 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's portfolio securities or determination of its net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other
circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Taxation on
Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated
by taking the market value of the Creation Units purchased over the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the IRS may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon
the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units is not currently deductible. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisors.
Current U.S. federal income tax laws dictate that capital gain
or loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were
held for one year or less, if the Creation Units are held as capital assets.
Regular Holidays. For
every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable non-U.S. 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 non-U.S. market due to emergencies may also prevent the Company from delivering securities within the normal settlement period.
The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for
transferring portfolio securities to redeeming investors, coupled with non-U.S. market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days, 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.
In calendar year 2015 (the only year for which holidays are
known at the time of filing this SAI), the dates of regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets in which the Fund invests are as follows (please note these holiday schedules are subject to potential changes in the relevant securities
markets):
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2015
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Redemptions. The longest
redemption cycle for the Fund is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries whose securities comprise the Fund. In the calendar year 2015 (the only year for which holidays are known at the time of this SAI filing), the dates of
regular holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case redemption cycles* for the Fund as follows:
| 2015 | ||||||
| Country | Trade
Date |
Settlement
Date |
Number
of Days to Settle | |||
| China | 02/13/15 | 02/25/15 | 12 | |||
| 02/16/15 | 02/26/15 | 10 | ||||
| 02/17/15 | 02/27/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/28/15 | 10/08/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/29/15 | 10/09/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/30/15 | 10/12/15 | 12 | ||||
| Indonesia | 07/13/15 | 07/22/15 | 9 | |||
| 07/14/15 | 07/23/15 | 9 | ||||
| 07/15/15 | 07/24/15 | 9 | ||||
| Qatar | 07/15/15 | 07/23/15 | 8 | |||
| 07/16/15 | 07/26/15 | 10 | ||||
| 07/19/15 | 07/27/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/16/15 | 09/24/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/17/15 | 09/27/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/20/15 | 09/28/15 | 8 | ||||
| Russia | 12/24/15 | 01/11/16 | 18 | |||
| 12/28/15 | 01/15/16 | 15 | ||||
| 12/29/15 | 01/18/15 | 18 | ||||
| South Africa | 03/27/15 | 04/07/15 | 11 | |||
| 03/30/15 | 04/08/15 | 9 | ||||
| 03/31/15 | 04/09/15 | 9 | ||||
| 04/01/15 | 04/10/15 | 9 | ||||
| 04/02/15 | 04/13/15 | 11 | ||||
| 04/20/15 | 04/28/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/21/15 | 04/29/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/22/15 | 04/30/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/23/15 | 05/01/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/23/15 | 05/04/15 | 11 | ||||
| 04/24/15 | 05/05/15 | 11 | ||||
| 04/28/15 | 05/06/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/29/15 | 05/07/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/30/15 | 05/08/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/09/15 | 06/17/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/10/15 | 06/18/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/11/15 | 06/19/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/12/15 | 06/22/15 | 10 | ||||
| 06/15/15 | 06/23/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/03/15 | 08/11/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/04/15 | 08/12/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/05/15 | 08/13/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/06/15 | 08/14/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/07/15 | 08/17/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/17/15 | 09/25/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/18/15 | 09/28/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/21/15 | 09/29/15 | 8 | ||||
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| 2015 | ||||||
| Country | Trade
Date |
Settlement
Date |
Number
of Days to Settle | |||
| 09/22/15 | 09/30/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/23/15 | 10/01/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/09/15 | 12/17/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/10/15 | 12/18/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/11/15 | 12/21/15 | 10 | ||||
| 12/14/15 | 12/22/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/15/15 | 12/23/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/18/15 | 12/28/15 | 10 | ||||
| 12/21/15 | 12/29/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/22/15 | 12/30/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/23/15 | 12/31/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/24/15 | 01/04/16 | 11 | ||||
| 12/28/15 | 01/05/16 | 8 | ||||
| 12/29/15 | 01/06/16 | 8 | ||||
| 12/30/15 | 01/07/16 | 8 | ||||
| 12/31/15 | 01/08/16 | 8 | ||||
| Taiwan | 02/12/15 | 02/24/15 | 12 | |||
| 02/13/15 | 02/25/15 | 12 | ||||
| Thailand | 04/08/15 | 04/16/15 | 8 | |||
| 04/09/15 | 04/17/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/10/15 | 04/20/15 | 10 | ||||
| * | These worst-case redemption cycles are based on information regarding regular holidays, which may be out of date. Based on changes in holidays, longer (worse) redemption cycles are possible. |
Taxes
The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal
income tax considerations regarding the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of the Fund. This summary does not address all of the potential U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be applicable to the Fund or to all categories of
investors, some of which may be subject to special tax rules. Current and prospective shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of investing in the
Fund. The summary is based on the laws in effect on the date of this SAI and existing judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. References to the Fund will also
generally apply to the Underlying Fund as well.
Regulated
Investment Company Qualifications. The Fund intends to qualify for treatment as a separate 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 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 non-U.S. currencies, other income (including, but not limited
to, 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 interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships (i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive 90% of their income
from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of the Fund'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
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total assets may be invested in the securities (other than U.S. government
securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, of two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the Fund and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or
the securities of one or more qualified publicly-traded partnerships.
The Fund may be able to cure a failure to derive 90% of its
income from the sources specified above or a failure to diversify its holdings in the manner described above by paying a tax and/or by disposing of certain assets. If, in any taxable year, the Fund fails one of these tests and does not timely
cure the failure, the Fund will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders will not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.
Although, in general, the passive loss rules of the Internal
Revenue Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships. The Fund's investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly-traded partnerships,
may result in the Fund being subject to state, local, or non-U.S. 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, provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. To satisfy the
minimum distribution requirement, the Fund must distribute to its shareholders at least the sum of (i) 90% of its “investment company taxable income” (i.e., income other than its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), plus or minus certain adjustments, and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year. The Fund will
be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its shareholders. If the Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC or fails to meet the distribution requirement, 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 be eligible to be treated 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 U.S. federal income taxation to the extent any such income
or gains are not distributed. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a RIC. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than
two taxable years, the Fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets (i.e., the excess of the
aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been liquidated) if it qualifies as a RIC in a subsequent year.
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 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the 12
months ended October 31 of such year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by the Fund that is subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been distributed by year-end. In addition, the
minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any underdistribution or overdistribution, as the case may be, from the previous 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.
Net Capital Loss Carryforwards. Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year, until they have been reduced to zero.
In the event that the Fund were to experience an ownership
change as defined under the Internal Revenue Code, the loss carryforwards and other favorable tax attributes of the Fund and the Underlying Fund, if any, may be subject to limitation.
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders.
Dividends and other distributions by the Fund are generally treated under the Internal Revenue Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, any dividend or distribution declared by the Fund
in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year and to have been paid by
the Fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.
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The Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders
substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if the Fund retains for investment an
amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (at a maximum rate of 35%) on the amount retained. In
that event, the Fund will designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their
proportionate shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the 35% tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds
to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their shares by an amount equal to 65% of the amount of undistributed capital gains included
in the shareholder’s income. Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid by the Fund upon
filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.
Distributions of net realized long-term capital gains, if any,
that the Fund reports as capital gains dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. All other dividends of the Fund (including dividends
from short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits (“regular dividends”) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income, subject to the discussion of qualified dividend income below. Short-term capital
gains earned by the Underlying Fund will be ordinary income when distributed to the Fund and will not be offset by the Fund’s capital losses. Married couples filing jointly with income over approximately $450,000 and unmarried individuals with
income over approximately $400,000, amounts adjusted annually for inflation, are subject to a 20% tax on any income in excess of those amounts that is long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income, and generally all other long-term capital
gain is taxed at 15% (0% at certain income levels). In addition, the top marginal ordinary income tax rate is 39.6% for income in excess of the above thresholds.
If an individual receives a regular dividend qualifying for
the long-term capital gains rates and such dividend constitutes an “extraordinary dividend,” and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then
the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An “extraordinary dividend” on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the
taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period, or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock,
aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.
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 shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the shareholder holds shares of the
Fund as capital assets). Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of
capital. 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. Dividends paid by the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Underlying Fund from domestic corporations may
qualify for the federal dividends received deduction for corporations, although such amounts are not expected to be significant for the Fund.
A 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on
net investment income, including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain from investments, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Investors considering buying shares just prior to a dividend
or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of shares 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 security on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such security, 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
security became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (i.e., the date on which a buyer of the security would not be entitled to receive the declared, but unpaid, dividends); or (b) the date the Fund
acquired such security. 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.
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In certain situations, the Fund may, for a taxable year, defer
all or a portion of its net capital loss realized after October and its late-year ordinary loss (defined as the excess of the Fund’s post-October foreign currency and “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) losses
and other post-December ordinary losses over post-October foreign currency and PFIC gains and other post-December ordinary income) until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer
the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.
Sales of Shares. Upon
the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder’s basis in shares of the Fund. 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
or capital gains distributions, or by an option on substantially identical shares 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 Fund shares 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. The Medicare contribution tax described above will apply to the sale of Fund shares.
If a shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring shares of
the Fund, disposes of those shares within 90 days and then, on or before January 31 of the following calendar year, 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 shareholders from immediately deducting the sales charge by shifting their investments within a family of mutual funds.
Back-Up Withholding. In
certain cases, the Fund will be required to withhold at a 28% rate and remit to the U.S. Treasury such amounts withheld from any distributions paid to a shareholder who: (i) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (ii) is
subject to back-up withholding by the IRS; (iii) has failed to certify to the Fund that such shareholder is not subject to back-up withholding; or (iv) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).
Back-up withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability.
Sections 351 and 362.
The Company, 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 the Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Internal Revenue Code, the 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 Company will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Company determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to the Fund or its shareholders. The
Company also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Taxation of Certain Derivatives. The Fund’s transactions in zero coupon securities, non-U.S. currencies, forward contracts, options and futures contracts (including options and futures contracts on non-U.S. currencies), to the extent
permitted, will be subject to special provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (including provisions relating to “hedging transactions” and “straddles”) that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses
realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer Fund
losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out at the end of each year) and (b) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay
dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. The
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Fund will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections
and will make the appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any zero coupon security, non-U.S. currency, forward contract, option, futures contract or hedged investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent
disqualification of the Fund as a RIC.
The Fund’s
investments in so-called “Section 1256 contracts,” such as regulated futures contracts, most non-U.S. currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most security indexes, are subject to special tax rules. All
Section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund’s income as if each position had been sold
for its fair market value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in Section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were
held as capital assets and were not part of a “hedging transaction” nor part of a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be
treated as short-term capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund.
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). With respect to certain types of swaps, the
Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss.
Qualified Dividend Income.
Distributions by the Fund of investment company taxable income (including any short-term capital gains), whether received in cash or shares, will be taxable either as ordinary income or as qualified dividend
income, which is eligible to be taxed at long-term capital gain rates to the extent the Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities it holds and the Fund reports the distribution as qualified dividend income. Qualified dividend income
is, in general, dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations (but generally not from U.S. REITs) and certain non-U.S. corporations (e.g., non-U.S.
corporations that are not “passive foreign investment companies” and which are 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 (where the dividends are paid with respect to such stock)). Under current IRS guidance, the United States has appropriate comprehensive income tax treaties with the following
countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (but not with Hong Kong, which is treated as a separate jurisdiction for U.S. tax purposes), Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Russia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela. Substitute payments received by the Fund
for securities lent out by the Fund will not be qualified dividend income.
A dividend from the Fund 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 61 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 or the Fund fails to satisfy those holding period requirements with respect to the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the shareholder (or, in the case of certain preferred stocks, the holding
requirement of 91 days during the 181-day period beginning on the date that is 90 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend); (ii) the Fund or 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.
Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT or another RIC may be treated as qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are attributable to qualified dividend income received by such REIT or other RIC. It is expected that
dividends received by the Fund from a REIT and distributed to a shareholder generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income. Distributions by the Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income.
Corporate Dividends Received Deduction. Dividends paid by the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations may qualify for the U.S. federal dividends received deduction for corporations. A 46-day minimum holding
period during the 90-day period that begins 45 days prior to ex-dividend date (or 91-day minimum holding
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period during the 180 period beginning 90 days prior to ex-dividend date for
certain preference dividends) during which risk of loss may not be diminished is required for the applicable shares, at both the Fund and shareholder level, for a dividend to be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Restrictions may apply
if indebtedness, including a short sale, is attributable to the investment.
Excess Inclusion Income.
Under current law, the Fund serves to block unrelated business taxable income from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize unrelated
business taxable income by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Section 514(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. Certain types of
income received by the Fund from REITs, real estate mortgage investment conduits, taxable mortgage pools or other investments may cause the Fund to report some or all of its distributions as “excess inclusion income.” To Fund
shareholders, such excess inclusion income may (i) constitute taxable income, as unrelated business taxable income for those shareholders who would otherwise be tax-exempt such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k) accounts, Keogh plans, pension
plans and certain charitable entities; (ii) not be offset by otherwise allowable deductions for tax purposes; (iii) not be eligible for reduced U.S. withholding for non-U.S. shareholders even from tax treaty countries; and (iv) cause the Fund to be
subject to tax if certain “disqualified organizations,” as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, are Fund shareholders. If a charitable remainder annuity trust or a charitable remainder unitrust (each as defined in Section 664 of the
Internal Revenue Code) has unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) for a taxable year, a 100% excise tax on the UBTI is imposed on the trust.
Non-U.S. Investments.
Under Section 988 of the Internal Revenue Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time the Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities
denominated in a non-U.S. currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses) realized on debt instruments will be treated as
Section 988 gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gains or losses on non-U.S. currency, non-U.S. currency forward
contracts and certain non-U.S. currency options or futures contracts denominated in non-U.S. currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or
loss unless the Fund were to elect otherwise.
The
Fund may be subject to non-U.S. income taxes withheld at the source. The Fund, if permitted to do so, may elect to “pass through” to its investors the amount of non-U.S. income taxes paid by the Fund provided that the Fund held the
security on the dividend settlement date and for at least 15 additional days immediately before and/or thereafter, with the result that each investor with respect to shares of the Fund held for a minimum 16-day holding period at the time of deemed
distribution will (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s non-U.S. income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating U.S.
taxable income, but only for investors who itemize their deductions on their personal tax returns) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal income tax) the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s
non-U.S. income taxes. A non-U.S. person invested in the Fund in a year that the Fund elects to “pass through” its non-U.S. taxes may be treated as receiving additional dividend income subject to U.S. withholding tax. A non-U.S. tax
credit may not exceed the investor’s U.S. federal income tax otherwise payable with respect to the investor’s non-U.S. source income. For this purpose, shareholders must treat as non-U.S. source gross income (i) their proportionate
shares of non-U.S. taxes paid by the Fund and (ii) the portion of any dividend paid by the Fund that represents income derived from non-U.S. sources; the Fund’s gain from the sale of securities will generally be treated as U.S.-source income.
Certain limitations will be imposed to the extent to which the non-U.S. tax credit may be claimed. If your Fund shares are loaned pursuant to securities lending arrangements, you may lose the ability to use any non-U.S. tax credits passed through by
a Fund or to treat Fund dividends (paid while the shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividends. Regarding a short sale with respect to shares of a Fund, substitute payments made to the lender of such shares may not be deductible under
certain circumstances. Consult your financial intermediary or tax advisor.
The Underlying Fund, if invested in non-U.S. positions, may be
subject to non-U.S. income taxes and non-U.S. financial transactions taxes. Each Underlying Fund that is permitted to do so may elect to “pass through” to its investors, including the Fund, the amount of non-U.S. income taxes paid by the
Underlying Fund. The Fund will be eligible to elect to “pass through” such amounts to their stockholders and may do so, depending upon circumstances.
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Passive Foreign Investment Companies. If the Fund purchases shares in PFICs, it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is
distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.
If the Fund were to invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the
PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” under the Internal Revenue Code, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the Fund might be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the
qualified electing fund, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts would be subject to the 90% and excise tax distribution requirements described above. In order to make this election, the Fund would be required to obtain certain annual
information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain.
Alternatively, the Fund may make a mark-to-market election
that would result in the Fund being treated as if it had sold and repurchased its PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the Fund would report any such gains as ordinary income and would deduct any such losses as ordinary losses to the
extent of previously recognized gains. The election must be made separately for each PFIC owned by the Fund and, once made, would be effective for all subsequent taxable years, unless revoked with the consent of the IRS. By making the election, the
Fund could potentially ameliorate the adverse tax consequences with respect to its ownership of shares in a PFIC, but in any particular year may be required to recognize income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds
from dispositions of PFIC stock. The Fund may have to distribute this “phantom” income and gain to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax.
The Fund will make the appropriate tax elections, if possible,
and take any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate the effects of these rules.
Reporting. 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 guidance, shareholders of a RIC 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.
Other Taxes. Dividends,
distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and non-U.S. taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.
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. Dividends paid by the Fund from net tax-exempt income or long-term capital gains are generally not subject to such withholding tax. 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, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or other applicable form may be subject to back-up withholding at the appropriate rate.
For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2014,
properly-reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. 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 report
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, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or substitute
Form). In the
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case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold
even if the Fund reports 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.
For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2014,
distributions that the Fund reports as “short-term capital gain dividends” or “long-term capital gain dividends” will not be treated as such to a recipient foreign shareholder if the distribution is attributable to gain
received from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property or an interest in a U.S. real property holding corporation and the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property exceeded certain levels. Instead, if the foreign shareholder
has not owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of distribution, such distributions will be subject to 30% withholding by the Fund and will be treated as ordinary dividends
to the foreign shareholder; if the foreign shareholder owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of the distribution, such distribution will be treated as real property gain
subject to 35% withholding tax and could subject the foreign shareholder to U.S. filing requirements. Additionally, if the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property were to exceed certain levels, a foreign shareholder realizing
gains upon redemption from the Fund on or before December 31, 2013 could be subject to the 35% withholding tax and U.S. filing requirements unless more than 50% of the Fund’s shares were owned by U.S. persons at such time or unless the foreign
person had not held more than 5% of the Fund’s outstanding shares throughout either such person’s holding period for the redeemed shares or, if shorter, the previous five years.
The rules laid out in the previous paragraph, other than the
withholding rules, will apply notwithstanding the Fund’s participation in a wash sale transaction or its payment of a substitute dividend.
Provided that 50% or more of the value of the Fund’s
stock is held by U.S. shareholders, distributions of U.S. real property interests (including securities in a U.S. real property holding corporation, unless such corporation is regularly traded on an established securities market and the Fund has
held 5% or less of the outstanding shares of the corporation during the five-year period ending on the date of distribution) occurring on or before December 31, 2013, in redemption of a foreign shareholder’s shares of the Fund will cause the
Fund to recognize gain. If the Fund is required to recognize gain, the amount of gain recognized will be equal to the fair market value of such interests over the Fund’s adjusted bases to the extent of the greatest foreign ownership percentage
of the Fund during the five-year period ending on the date of redemption.
Legislation has been proposed to extend the above expiration
dates, but no assurance can be provided that such legislation will be enacted.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders; and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect
U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct
and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained; agree to withhold tax on certain payments
made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event an intergovernmental agreement
and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or
provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Shares of the Fund held by a non-U.S. shareholder at death
will be considered situated within the United States and subject to the U.S. estate tax.
The foregoing discussion is a summary of certain material U.S.
federal income tax considerations only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in such shares, including consequences under
state, local and non-U.S. 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.
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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, located at 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, is counsel to the Company.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, located at Three Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111, serves as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Fund's financial statements, and may
perform other services.
Shareholder Communications
to the Board. The Board has established a process for shareholders to communicate with the Board. Shareholders may contact the Board by mail. Correspondence should be addressed to iShares Board of Directors,
c/o BlackRock Fund Advisors, iShares Fund Administration, 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Shareholder communications to the Board should include the following information: (i) the name and address of the shareholder; (ii) the number of
shares owned by the shareholder; (iii) the Fund(s) of which the shareholder owns shares; and (iv) if these shares are owned indirectly through a broker, financial intermediary or other record owner, the name of the broker, financial intermediary or
other record owner. All correspondence received as set forth above shall be reviewed by the Secretary of the Company and reported to the Board.
Investors’ Rights.
The Fund relies on the services of the investment adviser and other service providers, including the distributor, administrator, custodian and transfer agent. Further information about the duties and roles of
these service providers is set out in this SAI. Investors who acquire shares of the Fund are not parties to the relevant agreement with these service providers and do not have express contractual rights against the Fund or its service providers,
except certain institutional investors that are Authorized Participants may have certain express contractual rights with respect to the Distributor under the terms of the relevant authorized participant agreement. Investors may have certain legal
rights under federal or state law against the Fund or its service providers. In the event that an investor considers that it may have a claim against the Fund, or against any service provider in connection with its investment in the Fund, such
investor should consult its own legal advisor.
By
contract, Authorized Participants irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or U.S. federal court sitting in New York City over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to the authorized participant
agreement. Jurisdiction over other claims, whether by investors or Authorized Participants, will turn on the facts of the particular case and the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceeding is brought.
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IS-SAI-HEEM-0615
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iShares®, Inc.
Statement of Additional Information
Dated November 3, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
(as revised June 22, 2015)
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”)
is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the following fund of iShares, Inc. (the “Company”):
| Fund | Ticker | Stock Exchange | ||
| iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF (the “Fund”) | ERUS | NYSE Arca |
The Prospectus for the Fund is
dated November 3, 2014, as amended and supplemented from time to time. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. The Financial Statements and Notes contained in the Annual
Report and Semi-Annual Report of the Predecessor Fund (as defined below) are incorporated by reference into and are deemed to be part of this SAI. A copy of the Prospectus, Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report may be obtained without charge by
writing to the Company’s distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor” or “BRIL”), 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or visiting www.iShares.com. The Fund's Prospectus is incorporated by reference into this SAI.
References to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the “Investment Company Act” or the “1940 Act”), or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”), SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.
iShares® is a registered trademark of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
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General Description of the Company and the Fund
The Company currently consists of more than 55 investment
series or portfolios. The Company was organized as a Maryland corporation on September 1, 1994 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Company is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940
Act. The offering of the Company's shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). This SAI relates solely to the Fund. The Fund previously operated as a series of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc.
(the “Predecessor Fund”). Before the Fund commenced operations, all of the assets and liabilities of the Predecessor Fund were transferred to the Fund in a reorganization (the “Reorganization”), which was tax-free for U.S.
federal income tax purposes. The Reorganization occurred on January 26, 2015. As a result of the Reorganization, the Fund assumed the performance and accounting history of the Predecessor Fund. Financial and performance information included in this
SAI is that of the Predecessor Fund.
The Fund is managed
by BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc., and generally seeks to track the investment results of the specific benchmark index identified in the Fund's Prospectus (the “Underlying
Index”).
The Fund offers and issues shares at
their net asset value per share (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (“Creation Unit”), generally in exchange for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for
which cash may be substituted) included in its Underlying Index (the “Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”). Shares of the Fund are listed and trade on NYSE Arca,
Inc. (“NYSE Arca” or the “Listing Exchange”), a national securities exchange. Shares of the Fund are traded in the secondary market and elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above or below the Fund's NAV. Shares are
redeemable only in Creation Units, and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a Cash Component. Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares, generally 50,000 or multiples thereof.
The Company reserves the right to permit or require that
creations and redemptions of shares are effected fully or partially in cash. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities, subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain with the Company a cash deposit equal
to at least 105% and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change from time to time, of the market value of the omitted Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI.
Transaction fees associated with creations or redemptions that include a cash portion may be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, conditions and fees will be limited in accordance with the
requirements of SEC rules and regulations 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 Shareholder Information section of the Fund's Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of
the Prospectus.
Shares of the Fund are listed for
trading, and trade throughout the day, on the Listing Exchange and other secondary markets. Shares of the Fund may also be listed on certain non-U.S. exchanges. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange necessary to
maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met. The 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 Fund shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days, (ii) the value of the Underlying Index on which the Fund is based is no longer calculated or available, (iii) the
“indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”) of the Fund is no longer calculated or available, or (iv) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes further
dealings on the Listing Exchange inadvisable. The Listing Exchange will also remove shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you
buy or sell shares through a broker, you will incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker.
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In order to provide additional information regarding the
indicative value of shares of the Fund, the Listing Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association, or through other widely disseminated means, an updated IOPV
for the Fund as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Company is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IOPVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of
the IOPVs.
An IOPV has an equity securities component
and a cash component. The equity securities values included in an IOPV are the values of the Deposit Securities for the Fund. While the IOPV reflects the current value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the
purchase of a Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the Fund may include securities that are not
a part of the current Deposit Securities. Therefore, the Fund’s IOPV disseminated during the Listing Exchange trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the Fund’s NAV, which is calculated only once a day.
The cash component included in an IOPV consists of estimated
accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses. If applicable, each IOPV also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the applicable currency.
The Company 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 or an investor's equity interest
in the Fund.
Investment Strategies and Risks
The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily
in securities issued by issuers 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 engages in representative sampling, which is
investing in a sample of securities selected by BFA to have a collective investment profile similar to that of the Fund's 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 Underlying Index. A fund that uses representative sampling generally does not hold all of the
securities that are in its underlying index.
Although
the Fund does not seek leveraged returns, certain instruments used by the Fund may have a leveraging effect as described below.
Borrowing. The Fund may
borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions.
The purchase of securities while borrowings are outstanding
may have the effect of leveraging the Fund. The incurrence of leverage increases the Fund’s exposure to risk, and borrowed funds are subject to interest costs that will reduce net income. Purchasing securities while borrowings are outstanding
creates special risks, such as the potential for greater volatility in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the yield on the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the interest expenses from borrowings may exceed the income generated by the
Fund’s portfolio and, therefore, the amount available (if any) for distribution to shareholders as dividends may be reduced. BFA may determine to maintain outstanding borrowings if it expects that the benefits to the Fund’s shareholders
will outweigh the current reduced return.
Certain types
of borrowings by the Fund may result in the Fund being subject to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage, portfolio composition requirements and other matters. It is not anticipated that observance of such covenants would impede
BFA from managing the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies. However, a breach of any such covenants not cured within the specified cure period may result in acceleration of outstanding
indebtedness and require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
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Currency Transactions.
The Fund does not expect to engage in currency transactions for the purpose of hedging against declines in the value of the Fund's assets that are denominated in a non-U.S. currency. The Fund may enter into non-U.S. currency forward and
non-U.S. currency futures contracts to facilitate local securities settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with its distributions to shareholders, but may not enter into such contracts for speculative purposes.
A forward currency contract is an obligation to purchase or
sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. A currency futures contract is a contract involving an obligation
to deliver or acquire the specified amount of a specific currency, at a specified price and at a specified future time. Currency futures contracts may be settled on a net cash payment basis rather than by the sale and delivery of the underlying
currency. To the extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
Foreign exchange transactions involve a significant degree of
risk and the markets in which foreign exchange transactions are effected are highly volatile, highly specialized and highly technical. Significant changes, including changes in liquidity and prices, can occur in such markets within very short
periods of time, often within minutes. Foreign exchange trading risks include, but are not limited to, exchange rate risk, counterparty risk, maturity gap, interest rate risk, and potential interference by foreign governments through regulation of
local exchange markets, foreign investment or particular transactions in non-U.S. currency. If BFA utilizes foreign exchange transactions at an inappropriate time or judges market conditions, trends or correlations incorrectly, foreign exchange
transactions may not serve their intended purpose of improving the correlation of the Fund's return with the performance of the Underlying Index and may lower the Fund’s return. The Fund could experience losses if the value of its currency
forwards, options or futures positions were poorly correlated with its other investments or if it could not close out its positions because of an illiquid market. In addition, the Fund could incur transaction costs, including trading commissions, in
connection with certain non-U.S. currency transactions.
Diversification Status.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” A non-diversified fund is a fund that 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 (or securities of issuers in particular industries) may dominate the underlying index of such a fund 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.
The Fund intends to maintain the required level of
diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for purposes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and to relieve
the Fund of any liability for U.S. federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders, provided that the Fund satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the
Internal Revenue Code may limit the investment flexibility of the Fund and may make it less likely that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
Futures and Options.
Futures contracts and options may be used by the Fund to simulate investment in its Underlying Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Fund may enter into futures contracts and options that are traded on a U.S. or
non-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”). BFA, with respect to certain funds, has
claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that BFA, in respect of the funds, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA. See
the Regulation Regarding Derivatives section of this SAI for more information.
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 securities indexes when BFA anticipates purchasing the underlying securities and believes prices will rise before the purchase will be made. To the extent required by law,
liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
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 an exercise 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
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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. Investments in futures contracts and other investments that contain leverage may require the Fund to maintain liquid assets. Generally, the Fund maintains an amount of liquid assets equal to its
obligations relative to the position involved, adjusted daily on a marked-to-market basis. With respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to “cash-settle,” the Fund maintains liquid assets in an amount at least equal
to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market obligation (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability, if any), rather than the contracts’ notional value (i.e., the
value of the underlying asset). By maintaining assets equal to its net obligation under cash-settled futures contracts, the Fund may employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund set aside assets equal to the futures contracts’ full
notional value. The Fund bases its asset maintenance policies on methods permitted by the SEC staff and may modify these policies in the future to comply with any changes in the guidance articulated from time to time by the SEC or its staff.
Illiquid Securities. The
Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment). Illiquid securities may include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments
that lack readily available markets, as determined in accordance with SEC staff guidance. The liquidity of a security relates to the ability to readily dispose of the security and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the security, which may
be lower than the price that would be obtained for a comparable, more liquid security. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount to comparable, more liquid securities and may impair the Fund’s ability to dispose of securities in a timely
fashion at their expected price.
Lending Portfolio
Securities. The Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain borrowers determined to be creditworthy by BFA, including borrowers affiliated with BFA. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an
amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned. No securities loan shall be made on behalf of the Fund if, as a result, the aggregate value of all securities loans of the Fund exceeds one-third of the value of the Fund's
total assets (including the value of the collateral received). 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 may 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 the lending Fund or through one or more joint accounts or money market funds, including those affiliated with BFA; such investments are subject to investment risk.
The Fund conducts its securities lending pursuant to an
exemptive order from the SEC permitting it to lend portfolio securities to borrowers affiliated with the Fund and to retain an affiliate of the Fund as lending agent. To the extent that the Fund engages in securities lending, BlackRock Institutional
Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”) acts as securities lending agent for the Fund, subject to the overall supervision of BFA. BTC administers the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the Company's Board of Directors (the
“Board” or the “Directors”).
The
Fund retains a portion of the securities lending income and remits the remaining portion to BTC as compensation for its services as securities lending agent. Securities lending income is equal to the total of income earned from the reinvestment of
cash collateral (and excludes collateral investment fees as defined below), and any fees or other payments to and from borrowers of securities. As securities lending agent, BTC bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending. The
Fund is responsible for fees in connection with the investment of cash collateral received for securities on loan in a money market fund managed by BFA; however, BTC has agreed to reduce the amount of securities lending income it receives in order
to effectively limit the collateral investment fees the Fund bears to an annual rate of 0.04% until December 31, 2014 and 0.05% thereafter (the “collateral investment fees”). Such money market fund shares will not be subject to a sales
load, redemption fee, distribution fee or service fee.
Pursuant to the current securities lending agreement:
(i) International equity funds, such as the Fund, retain 75%
of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees); however, commencing January 1, 2015 international equity funds will retain 70% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees); and (ii) these amounts
can never be less than 65% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
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Under the securities lending program, the Fund is categorized
into specific asset classes. The determination of the Fund’s asset class category (fixed income, domestic equity, international equity or fund-of-funds), each of which may be subject to a different fee arrangement, is based on a methodology
agreed to by the Company and BTC.
In addition,
commencing the business day following the date that the aggregate securities lending income (which includes for this purpose, collateral investment fees) earned across the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (as defined under “Management—Directors and Officers”) in a calendar year exceeds the aggregate securities lending income earned across the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex in calendar year 2013 (the
“Hurdle Date”), the international equity fund, pursuant to the securities lending agreement, will receive for the remainder of that calendar year securities lending income as follows:
(i) 80% of securities lending income (which excludes
collateral investment fees); however, for the remainder of the calendar year following any Hurdle Date after January 1, 2015, international equity funds will retain 75% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees) and
(ii) these amounts can never be less than 65% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
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. If a securities lending counterparty were to default, the Fund would be subject to the
risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. In the event a borrower does not return the Fund’s securities as agreed, the Fund may experience losses
if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do 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. This event could
trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. The Fund could lose money if its short-term investment of the collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Substitute payments for dividends received by the Fund for securities loaned out
by the Fund will not be considered qualified dividend income. BTC will take into account the tax effects on shareholders caused by this difference in connection with the Fund’s securities lending program. Substitute payments received on
tax-exempt securities loaned out will not be tax-exempt income.
Non-U.S. Securities. The
Fund intends to purchase publicly-traded common stocks of non-U.S. issuers. To the extent the Fund invests in stocks of non-U.S. issuers, the Fund's investment in such stocks may be in the form of American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”),
Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) (collectively, “Depositary Receipts”). Depositary Receipts are receipts, typically issued by a bank or trust issuer, which evidence
ownership of underlying securities issued by a non-U.S. issuer. For ADRs, the depository is typically a U.S. financial institution and the underlying securities are issued by a non-U.S. issuer. For other forms of Depositary Receipts, the depository
may be a non-U.S. or a U.S. entity, and the underlying securities may be issued by a non-U.S. or a U.S. issuer. Depositary Receipts are not necessarily denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. Generally, ADRs, issued in
registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, issued in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout
the world.
The Fund will not invest in any
unlisted Depositary Receipt or any Depositary Receipt that BFA deems illiquid at the time of purchase or for which pricing information is not readily available. In general, Depositary Receipts must be sponsored, but the Fund may invest in
unsponsored Depositary Receipts under certain limited circumstances. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States. Therefore, there may be less information available regarding
such issuers and there may be no correlation between available information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts.
Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves
special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes
in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental
regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product (“GDP”), rate of inflation, capital reinvestment,
resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions.
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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 potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to the agreed upon price per share, also known as the “strike price,” less the premium received from writing the put.
The Fund may purchase and write put and call options on
futures contracts that are traded on an 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 instrument or 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 the 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.
Regulation Regarding Derivatives. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if a fund that is advised by the investment adviser either (i) invests,
directly or indirectly, more than a prescribed level of its liquidation value in CFTC-regulated futures, options and swaps (“CFTC Derivatives”), or (ii) markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. The CFTC
also subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if the registered investment company invests in one or more commodity pools. To the extent the Fund uses CFTC Derivatives, it intends to do so below such prescribed
levels and will not market itself as a “commodity pool” or a vehicle for trading such instruments.
BFA has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term
“commodity pool operator” under the CEA pursuant to Rule 4.5 under the CEA with respect to the Fund. BFA is not, therefore, subject to registration or regulation as a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA in respect of the
Fund.
Repurchase Agreements. A repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires the security and the
seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans
by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities will not be considered to be owned by the Fund but only to
constitute collateral for the seller’s obligation to pay the repurchase price, and, in the event of a default by the seller, the Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or losses in connection with the disposition of the
collateral.
In any repurchase transaction, the
collateral for a repurchase agreement may include: (i) cash items; (ii) obligations issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities; or (iii) obligations that, at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into, are determined
to (A) have exceptionally strong capacity to meet their financial obligations and (B) are sufficiently liquid such that they can be sold at approximately their carrying value in the ordinary course of business within seven days.
Repurchase agreements pose certain risks for the Fund, should
it decide to utilize them. Such risks are not unique to the Fund, but are inherent in repurchase agreements. The Fund seeks to minimize such risks, but because of the inherent legal uncertainties involved in repurchase agreements, such risks cannot
be eliminated. Lower quality collateral and collateral with longer maturities may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with shorter
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maturities. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to default, lower
quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterparty’s repurchase obligation, the Fund would retain the
status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty (i.e., the position the Fund would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies, other unsecured debt securities of the defaulting
counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, the Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements.
Reverse repurchase agreements 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. 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 advantageous only if the Fund has an opportunity to earn a rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions that is greater 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 BFA believes it will be
advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s assets. The Fund’s exposure to reverse repurchase agreements will be covered by liquid assets having a
value equal to or greater than such commitments. The use of reverse repurchase agreements is a form of leverage because the proceeds derived from reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities.
Securities of Investment Companies. The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) to the extent allowed by law. Pursuant to the 1940 Act, the Fund’s investment in registered investment
companies is generally 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. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, the Fund intends from time to time to invest its assets in the securities of investment companies, including, but not
limited to, money market funds, including those advised by or otherwise affiliated with BFA, in excess of the general limits discussed above. Other investment companies in which the Fund may invest can be expected to incur fees and expenses for
operations, such as investment advisory and administration fees, which would be in addition to those incurred by the Fund. Pursuant to guidance issued by the SEC staff, fees and expenses of money market funds used for cash collateral received in
connection with loans of securities are not treated as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which reflect the Fund’s pro rata share of the fees and
expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies (as disclosed in the Prospectus, as applicable).
Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments. The Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that
may include but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds (including those advised by BFA or otherwise affiliated with BFA); (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including
government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’ acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions;
(iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody's® Investors Service, Inc., “F-1” by Fitch Ratings, Inc., or
“A-1” by Standard & Poor's® Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. (“Standard & Poor's Ratings Services”),
or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by BFA; (v) 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 satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks
(including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of BFA, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks which may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are
non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international
transactions.
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 performed on a net basis, with the Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of the
two
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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 liquid assets having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained by the Fund.
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.
Tracking Stocks. A tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and is designed to “track” the performance of such
business unit or division. The tracking stock may pay dividends to shareholders independent of the parent company. The parent company, rather than the business unit or division, generally is the issuer of tracking stock. However, holders of the
tracking stock may not have the same rights as holders of the company’s common stock.
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 Prospectus, provided they are consistent with the Fund's investment objective and do not violate any of
its investment restrictions or policies.
General
Considerations and Risks
A discussion of some of the
principal risks associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Prospectus.
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 stocks in general, and other factors that affect the
market.
Borrowing Risk.
Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may
reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Custody Risk. Custody
risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and to the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to
complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets,
and thus may be subject to limited or no government oversight. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. The less
developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems. Practices in relation to the settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part
because of the use of brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal
to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being lost. In addition, the laws of certain countries may put limits on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if
a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or an agent of any of the foregoing goes bankrupt. The Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such custody problems and may have no successful claim for compensation.
Cyber Security Risk.
With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional
events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or
malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access,
such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber security failures
by or breaches of the Fund’s adviser, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, index providers, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), market makers, Authorized Participants (as
defined in the Portfolio Holdings Information section of this SAI) and the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations potentially resulting in financial losses, interference
with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of
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Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and
other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the
Fund has established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been
identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund, issuers in which the Fund invests, market makers or Authorized Participants. The Fund and its shareholders could be
negatively impacted as a result.
Dividend Risk. There is no guarantee that issuers of the stocks held by the Fund will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will either remain at current levels or increase over time.
Operational Risk. BFA
and the Fund's other service providers may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Fund. While service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, their methods
of operational risk management may differ from the Fund's in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. BFA, through its monitoring and oversight of service providers, seeks to ensure
that service providers take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors. However, it is not possible for BFA or the other Fund service providers to identify all of the operational risks
that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.
Risk of Derivatives. A
derivative is a financial contract, the value of which depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, a commodity (such as gold or silver), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the S&P 500® or the prime lending rate). 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. Derivatives are also subject to
counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations.
Risk of Equity Securities.
An investment in the Fund should 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 stock
markets 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). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to 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 common stocks incur more risks than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders generally
have rights to receive payments from stock issuers that are inferior to the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity
(the value of which, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior to maturity), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither
a fixed principal amount nor a maturity.
Although
most of the securities in the Underlying Index are listed on a national securities exchange, the principal trading market for some of the securities may be in the over-the-counter market. The existence of a liquid trading market for certain
securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the
value of the Fund’s shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
Risk of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. 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.
Futures contracts, by definition, project price levels in the future and not current levels of valuation; therefore, market circumstances may result in a discrepancy between the price of the stock index future and the movement in the Fund's
Underlying Index. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash
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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 futures 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 the risk exposure to levels comparable to a 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 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 BFA as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be
incorrect.
Because the futures market generally 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.
Risk of Investing in
Non-U.S. Equity Securities. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing a portfolio of equity securities traded on non-U.S. exchanges. These risks include market fluctuations caused
by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. Investing in securities issued by issuers domiciled in countries other than the domicile of the investor and denominated in
currencies other than an investor’s local currency entails certain considerations and risks not typically encountered by the investor in making investments in its home country and in that country’s currency. These considerations include
favorable or unfavorable changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates, exchange control regulations and the costs that may be incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies. Investing in the Fund also involves certain risks
and considerations not typically associated with investing in a fund whose portfolio contains exclusively securities of U.S. issuers. These risks include generally less liquid and less efficient securities markets; generally greater price
volatility; less publicly available information about issuers; the imposition of withholding or other taxes; the imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of funds or other assets of the Fund; higher transaction and custody costs; delays and
risks attendant in settlement procedures; difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; lower liquidity and significantly smaller market capitalization; different accounting and disclosure standards; lower levels of regulation of the securities
markets; more substantial government interference with the economy; higher rates of inflation; greater social, economic, and political uncertainty; the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets; and the risk of war.
Risk of Swap Agreements.
The risk of loss with respect to swaps generally is limited to the net amount of payments that the 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 is contractually entitled to receive).
Risk of Investing in Mid-Capitalization Companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a
larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic
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developments, and the stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less
liquid, making it more difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to
their products.
Risk of Investing in Small-Capitalization
Companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and therefore the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger
percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments.
The stocks of small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and
may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making them more vulnerable to loss of personnel. Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible
to adverse developments concerning their products.
Risk of Investing in Eastern Europe. Investing in the securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe is highly speculative and involves risks not usually associated with investing in the more developed markets of Western Europe.
Political and economic reforms are too recent to establish a definite trend away from centrally planned economies and state-owned industries. In the past, some Eastern European governments have expropriated substantial amounts of private property,
and many claims of the property owners have never been fully settled.
Many Eastern European countries continue to move toward market
economies at different paces with different characteristics. Most Eastern European securities markets suffer from thin trading activity, dubious investor protections, and often a dearth of reliable corporate information. Information and transaction
costs, differential taxes, and sometimes political or transfer risk give a comparative advantage to the domestic investor rather than the foreign investor. In addition, these markets are particularly sensitive to social, political, economic, and
currency events in Russia and may suffer heavy losses as a result of their trading and investment links to the Russian economy and currency. Russia also may attempt to assert its influence in the region through economic or even military measures, as
it did with Georgia in the summer of 2008 and Ukraine in 2014. Eastern European economies may also be particularly susceptible to changes in the international credit markets due to their reliance on bank related inflows of capital. The global
economic crisis has restricted international credit supplies, and several Eastern European economies have faced significant credit and economic crises. Although some Eastern European economies are expanding again, major challenges are still present
as a result of their continued dependence on the Western European zone for credit.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market countries may be subject to greater risks than investments in developed countries. These risks include: (i) less social, political, and economic stability; (ii) greater illiquidity
and price volatility due to smaller or limited local capital markets for such securities, or low or non-existent trading volumes; (iii) foreign exchanges and broker-dealers may be subject to less scrutiny and regulation by local authorities; (iv)
local governments may decide to seize or confiscate securities held by foreign investors and/or local governments may decide to suspend or limit an issuer's ability to make dividend or interest payments; (v) local governments may limit or entirely
restrict repatriation of invested capital, profits, and dividends; (vi) capital gains may be subject to local taxation, including on a retroactive basis; (vii) issuers facing restrictions on dollar or euro payments imposed by local governments may
attempt to make dividend or interest payments to foreign investors in the local currency; (viii) investors may experience difficulty in enforcing legal claims related to the securities and/or local judges may favor the interests of the issuer over
those of foreign investors; (ix) bankruptcy judgments may only be permitted to be paid in the local currency; (x) limited public information regarding the issuer may result in greater difficulty in determining market valuations of the securities,
and (xi) lack of financial reporting on a regular basis, substandard disclosure and differences in accounting standards may make it difficult to ascertain the financial health of an issuer.
Emerging market securities markets are typically marked by a
high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of ownership of such securities by a limited number of investors. In addition,
brokerage and other costs associated with transactions in emerging markets securities markets can be higher, sometimes significantly, than similar costs incurred in securities markets in developed countries. Although some emerging markets have
become more established and tend to issue securities of higher credit quality, the markets for securities in other emerging countries are in the earliest stages of their development, and these countries issue securities across the credit spectrum.
Even the markets for relatively widely traded securities in emerging countries may not be able to absorb, without price disruptions, a significant increase in trading volume or trades of
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a
size customarily undertaken by institutional investors in the securities markets of developed countries. The limited size of many of these securities markets can cause prices to be erratic for reasons apart from factors that affect the soundness and
competitiveness of the securities issuers. For example, prices may be unduly influenced by traders who control large positions in these markets. Additionally, market making and arbitrage activities are generally less extensive in such markets, which
may contribute to increased volatility and reduced liquidity of such markets. The limited liquidity of emerging country securities may also affect the Fund's ability to accurately value its portfolio securities or to acquire or dispose of securities
at the price and time it wishes to do so or in order to meet redemption requests.
Many emerging market countries suffer from uncertainty and
corruption in their legal frameworks. Legislation may be difficult to interpret and laws may be too new to provide any precedential value. Laws regarding foreign investment and private property may be weak or non-existent. Sudden changes in
governments may result in policies which are less favorable to investors such as policies designed to expropriate or nationalize “sovereign” assets. Certain emerging market countries in the past have expropriated large amounts of private
property, in many cases with little or no compensation, and there can be no assurance that such expropriation will not occur in the future.
Investment in the securities markets of certain emerging
countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions may limit the Fund's investment in certain emerging countries and may increase the expenses of the Fund. Certain emerging countries require governmental approval prior to
investments by foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuer's outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of
the company available for purchase by nationals.
Many
emerging market countries lack the social, political, and economic stability characteristic of the United States. Political instability among emerging market countries can be common and may be caused by an uneven distribution of wealth, social
unrest, labor strikes, civil wars, and religious oppression. Economic instability in emerging market countries may take the form of: (i) high interest rates; (ii) high levels of inflation, including hyperinflation; (iii) high levels of unemployment
or underemployment; (iv) changes in government economic and tax policies, including confiscatory taxation; and (v) imposition of trade barriers.
The Fund's income and, in some cases, capital gains from
foreign securities will be subject to applicable taxation in certain of the emerging market countries in which it invests, and treaties between the United States and such countries may not be available in some cases to reduce the otherwise
applicable tax rates.
Emerging markets also have
different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain of these emerging markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such
transactions.
In the past, certain governments in
emerging market countries have become overly reliant on the international capital markets and other forms of foreign credit to finance large public spending programs, which in the past have caused huge budget deficits. Often, interest payments have
become too overwhelming for a government to meet, representing a large percentage of total GDP. These foreign obligations have become the subject of political debate and served as fuel for political parties of the opposition, which pressure the
government not to make payments to foreign creditors, but instead to use these funds for, among other things, social programs. Either due to an inability to pay or submission to political pressure, foreign governments have been forced to seek a
restructuring of their loan and/or bond obligations, have declared a temporary suspension of interest payments or have defaulted. These events have adversely affected the values of securities issued by foreign governments and corporations domiciled
in those countries and have negatively affected not only their cost of borrowing, but their ability to borrow in the future as well.
Risk of Investing in Russia.
Investing in the Russian securities market involves a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the U.S. securities market, and should be considered highly
speculative. Risks include: the absence of developed legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in Russia as a
result of expropriation; certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests; and
potentially greater price volatility in, significantly smaller capitalization of, and relative illiquidity of, the Russian market. There can also be no assurance that the Fund’s investments in the Russian securities market would not be
expropriated, nationalized or otherwise
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confiscated. In the event of the settlement of any such claims or such
expropriation, nationalization or other confiscation, the Fund could lose its entire investment. In addition, it may be difficult and more costly to obtain and enforce a judgment in the Russian court system.
Russia may also be subject to a greater degree of economic,
political and social instability than is the case in other developed countries. Such instability may result from, among other things, the following: (i) an authoritarian government or military involvement in political and economic decision-making,
including changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries;
and (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection.
The
Russian economy is heavily dependent upon the export of a range of commodities including most industrial metals, forestry products and oil and gas. Accordingly, it is strongly affected by international commodity prices and is particularly vulnerable
to any weakening in global demand for these products. Any acts of terrorism or armed conflicts in Russia or internationally could have an adverse effect on the financial and commodities markets and the global economy. As Russia produces and exports
large amounts of crude oil and gas, any acts of terrorism or armed conflict causing disruptions of Russian oil and gas exports could negatively affect the Russian economy and, thus, adversely affect the financial condition, results of operations or
prospects of related companies.
The Russian government
may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in Russia, which could have a negative impact on
private sector companies. There is also the possibility of diplomatic developments that could adversely affect investments in Russia. In recent years, the Russian government has begun to take bolder steps to re-assert its regional geopolitical
influence (including military steps). Such steps may increase tensions between Russia and its neighbors and Western countries and may negatively affect economic growth.
The United States and the EU, along with the regulatory
bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed sectoral economic sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies
could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the
Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities.
The sanctions against certain Russian issuers include
prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not currently subject to any
restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it becomes impracticable or
unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may prohibit in-kind deposits of
the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund’s transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s
Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of
(or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a
representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking
counter measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any
fund assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially
lower prices for its securities.
These sanctions may
also lead to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s index provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In
such an event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index
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as
a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the volatility that may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or
currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary receipts that represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and
increased tracking error.
Risk of Investing in the Capital
Goods Industry Group. The capital goods industry group may be affected by fluctuations in the business cycle and by other factors affecting manufacturing demands. The capital goods industry group depends
heavily on corporate spending. The capital goods industry group may perform well during times of economic expansion, and as economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods may decrease due to weakening demand, worsening business cash flows,
tighter credit controls and deteriorating profitability. During times of economic volatility, corporate spending may fall and adversely affect the capital goods industry group. This industry group may also be affected by changes in interest rates,
corporate tax rates and other government policies. Many capital goods are sold internationally and such companies are subject to market conditions in other countries and regions.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sector. Companies engaged in the design, production or distribution of products or services for the consumer discretionary sector (including, without limitation, television and radio broadcasting, manufacturing,
publishing, recording and musical instruments, motion pictures, photography, amusement and theme parks, gaming casinos, sporting goods and sports arenas, camping and recreational equipment, toys and games, apparel, travel-related services,
automobiles, hotels and motels, and fast food and other restaurants) are subject to the risk that their products or services may become obsolete quickly. The success of these companies can depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer
spending. During periods of an expanding economy, the consumer discretionary sector may outperform the consumer staples sector, but may underperform when economic conditions worsen. Moreover, the consumer discretionary sector can be significantly
affected by several factors, including, without limitation, the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, changing consumer preferences, demographics, marketing campaigns, cyclical revenue generation, consumer confidence,
commodity price volatility, labor relations, interest rates, import and export controls, intense competition, technological developments and government regulation.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Staples Sector. Companies in the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the
consumer staples sector may also be affected by changes in global economic, environmental and political events, economic conditions, the depletion of resources, and government regulation. For instance, government regulations may affect the
permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. In addition, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by the adoption of proposed legislation
and/or by litigation. Companies in the consumer staples sector also may be subject to risks pertaining to the supply of, demand for and prices of raw materials. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including,
without limitation, changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies, and seasonal and weather conditions. Companies in the consumer staples
sector may be subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. Companies in the energy sector are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, government regulations and policies, energy production and conservation efforts,
technological change, and other factors that a company cannot control. These companies may also lack resources and have limited business lines. The energy sector is cyclical and is highly dependent on commodity prices; prices and supplies of energy
may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to, among other things, national and international political changes, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) policies, changes in relationships among
OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economy of the key energy-consuming countries.
Companies in the energy sector may be adversely affected by
terrorism, natural disasters or other catastrophes. Companies in the energy sector are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims. Disruptions in the oil
industry or shifts in fuel consumption may significantly impact companies in this sector. Significant oil and gas deposits are located in emerging markets countries where corruption and
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security may raise significant risks, in addition to the other risks of
investing in emerging markets. Additionally, the Middle East, where many companies in the energy sector may operate, has historically and recently experienced widespread social unrest.
Companies in the energy sector may also be adversely affected
by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, negative perception, efforts at energy conservation and world events in the regions in which the companies operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence or labor
unrest). Because a significant portion of revenues of companies in this sector is derived from a relatively small number of customers that are largely composed of governmental entities and utilities, governmental budget constraints may have a
significant impact on the stock prices of companies in this sector. The energy sector is highly regulated. Entities operating in the energy sector are subject to significant regulation of nearly every aspect of their operations by federal, state and
local governmental agencies. Such regulation can change rapidly or over time in both scope and intensity. Stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future which would likely increase compliance costs and may
materially adversely affect the financial performance of companies in the energy sector.
Risk of Investing in the Financials Sector. Companies in the financials sector include regional and money center banks, securities brokerage firms, asset management companies, savings banks and thrift institutions, specialty finance companies (e.g., credit card, mortgage providers), insurance and insurance brokerage firms, financial conglomerates and foreign banking and financial companies. The global
financial markets have experienced very difficult conditions and volatility as well as significant adverse trends. The conditions in these markets have resulted in a decrease in availability of corporate credit, capital and liquidity and have led
indirectly to the insolvency, closure or acquisition of a number of financial institutions. These conditions have also contributed to consolidation within the financial industry. In addition, the global financial industry has been materially and
adversely affected by a significant decline in the value of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, and by the sovereign debt crisis. The prospects of many financial companies are questionable and continue to evolve as financial companies
revise their outlooks and write down assets that they hold.
Most financial companies are subject to extensive governmental
regulation, which limits their activities and may affect their ability to earn a profit from a given line of business. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector,
including effects not intended by the regulation. Direct governmental intervention in the operations of financial companies and financial markets may materially and adversely affect the companies in which the Fund invests, including legislation in
many countries that may increase government regulation, repatriation and other intervention. The impact of governmental intervention and legislative changes on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. The valuation of financial companies has been and continues to be subject to unprecedented volatility and may be influenced by unpredictable factors, including interest rate risk and sovereign debt default. Certain financial businesses
are subject to intense competitive pressures, including market share and price competition. Financial companies in foreign countries are subject to market specific and general regulatory and interest rate concerns. In particular, government
regulation in certain foreign countries may include taxes and controls on interest rates, credit availability, minimum capital requirements, ban on short sales, prices and currency transfers. In addition, companies in the financials sector may be
the targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or customer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their business.
The profitability of banks, savings and loan associations and
financial companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change; for instance, when interest rates go up, the value of securities issued by many types of companies in
the financials sector generally goes down. In other words, financial companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including, without limitation, during periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and
increase the cost of capital, and during periods of declining economic conditions, which may cause, among other things, credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers.
In addition, general economic conditions are important to the
operations of these companies, and financial difficulties of borrowers may have an adverse effect on the profitability of financial companies. Financial companies can be highly dependent upon access to capital markets and any impediments to such
access, such as adverse overall economic conditions or a negative perception in the capital markets of a financial company’s financial condition or prospects, could adversely affect its business. Deterioration of credit markets, as experienced
in 2008 and 2009, can have an adverse impact on a broad range of financial markets, causing certain financial companies to incur large losses. In these conditions, companies in the financials sector may experience significant declines in the
valuation of their assets, take actions to raise
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capital and even cease operations. Some financial companies may also be
required to accept or borrow significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. In addition, there is no guarantee that governments
will provide any such relief in the future. These actions may cause the securities of many companies in the financials sector to decline in value.
Risk of Investing in the Healthcare Sector. Companies in the healthcare sector are often issuers whose profitability may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising or falling costs of
medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on
patent protection and the actual or perceived safety and efficiency of their products.
Patents have a limited duration and, upon expiration, other
companies may market substantially similar “generic” products that are typically sold at a lower price than the patented product, causing the original developer of the product to lose market share and/or reduce the price charged for the
product, resulting in lower profits for the original developer. As a result, the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
In addition, because the products and services of many
companies in the healthcare sector affect the health and well-being of many individuals, these companies are especially susceptible to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to
competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and
costly, resulting in increased development costs, delayed cost recovery and loss of competitive advantage to the extent that rival companies have developed competing products or procedures, adversely affecting the company’s revenues and
profitability. In other words, delays in the regulatory approval process may diminish the opportunity for a company to profit from a new product or to bring a new product to market, which could have a material adverse effect on a company’s
business. Healthcare companies may also be strongly affected by scientific biotechnology or technological developments and their products may quickly become obsolete. Also, many healthcare companies offer products and services that are subject to
governmental regulation and may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies or laws. Legislation introduced or considered by certain governments on any individual healthcare company or on the healthcare sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. These laws and proposals span a wide range of topics, including cost control, national health insurance, incentives for compensation in the provision of healthcare services, tax incentives and penalties related to healthcare insurance
premiums, and promotion of prepaid healthcare plans. No one can predict what proposals will be enacted or what potentially adverse effect they may have on healthcare-related or biotechnology-related companies.
Additionally, the expansion of facilities by
healthcare-related providers is subject to “determinations of need” by certain government authorities. This process not only increases the time and costs involved in these expansions, but also makes expansion plans uncertain, limiting
the revenue and profitability growth potential of healthcare-related facilities operators and negatively affecting the prices of their securities. Moreover, in recent years both local and national governmental budgets have come under pressure to
reduce spending and control healthcare costs, which could both adversely affect regulatory processes and public funding available for healthcare products, services and facilities.
Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be affected by supply and demand both for their specific products or services and for industrials sector products in general. The products
of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events and economic conditions affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. For example, commodity price declines and unit volume reductions resulting from an over-supply
of materials used in the industrials sector can adversely affect the sector. Furthermore, companies in the industrials sector may be subject to liability for environmental damage, product liability claims, depletion of resources, and mandated
expenditures for safety and pollution control.
Risk
of Investing in the Information Technology Sector. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like
other technology companies, information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological
developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel.
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Technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology,
especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these
rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the information technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential
theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses. These risks are heightened for information technology companies in foreign markets.
Risk of Investing in the Materials Sector. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical progress, labor relations and
government regulations, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control, among other factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Production of materials
may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. These risks are heightened for companies in the materials sector located in foreign markets.
Risk of Investing in the Technology Sector. Technology companies are characterized by periodic new product introductions, innovations and evolving industry standards, and, as a result, face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which
may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the technology sector are often smaller and less experienced companies and may be subject to greater risks than larger companies; these risks may be heightened for technology companies in
foreign markets. Technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product
introduction, changes in consumer and business purchasing patterns, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. In addition, a rising interest rate environment tends to negatively affect companies
in the technology sector because, in such an environment, those companies with high market valuations may appear less attractive to investors, which may cause sharp decreases in the companies’ market prices. Companies in the technology sector
are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. The technology sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in
commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and
potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
Risk of Investing in the Telecommunications Sector. The telecommunications sector of a country’s economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory
approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be
arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sector may experience distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using
new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the telecommunications
sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
Risk of Investing in the Utilities Sector. The utilities sector may be adversely affected by changing commodity prices, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, increased tariffs, changes in tax laws, interest rate fluctuations and
changes in the cost of providing specific utility services. The utilities industry is also subject to potential terrorist attacks, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, as well as regulatory and operational burdens associated with the
operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict a company’s access
to new markets, thereby diminishing the company’s long-term prospects.
There are substantial differences among the regulatory
practices and policies of various jurisdictions, and any regulatory agency may make major shifts in policy from time to time. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will, in the future, grant rate increases. Additionally, existing and
possible future regulatory legislation may make it even more difficult for utilities to obtain adequate relief. Certain of the issuers of securities held in the Fund's portfolio may own or operate nuclear
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generating facilities. Governmental authorities may from time to time review
existing policies and impose additional requirements governing the licensing, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. Prolonged changes in climate conditions can also have a significant impact on both the revenues of an electric and gas
utility as well as the expenses of a utility, particularly a hydro-based electric utility.
The rates that traditional regulated utility companies may
charge their customers generally are subject to review and limitation by governmental regulatory commissions. Rate changes may occur only after a prolonged approval period or may not occur at all, which could adversely affect utility companies when
costs are rising. The value of regulated utility debt securities (and, to a lesser extent, equity securities) tends to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial
deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions
and their traditional lines of business. As a result, some companies may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable.
Proxy Voting Policy
The Company has adopted proxy voting policies for the Fund
that incorporate and amplify the proxy voting guidelines of BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund. The Company has delegated to BFA 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 BFA’s role in implementing such guidelines.
BFA votes (or refrains from voting) proxies for the Fund in a
manner that BFA, in the exercise of its independent business judgment, concludes is in the best economic interests of the Fund. In some cases, BFA 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 on certain non-U.S. securities that might impose costly or time-consuming in-person voting requirements). With regard to the relationship between securities lending and proxy voting,
BFA’s approach is also driven by the Fund's 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 BFA recalling loaned securities in order to ensure they are voted. Periodically, BFA 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. BFA will normally vote on specific proxy issues in accordance with its proxy voting guidelines. BFA’s proxy voting guidelines provide detailed guidance as to
how to vote proxies on certain important or commonly raised issues. BFA 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. BFA 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), BFA or BFA’s affiliates, or the Distributor or the Distributor’s affiliates. When voting proxies, BFA attempts to encourage issuers 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; |
| • | When a director has committed himself or herself to service on more than four public company boards (but no more than six public company boards in most circumstances), the Fund will consider such director’s individual circumstances in determining whether the director will be able to commit sufficient focus and time to a particular company; |
| • | The Fund generally defers to an issuer’s choice of auditors so long as the corporate auditors represent the interests of shareholders and provide an independent view of the propriety of financial reporting decisions of management; |
| • | The Fund generally favors disclosure of a company’s compensation and benefits policies and opposes excessive compensation, but believes that compensation matters are normally best determined by a company’s board of directors; |
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| • | The Fund generally expects to support capital structure requests that it believes enhance the rights of common shareholders and oppose requests that appear to be unreasonably dilutive; |
| • | 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. |
BFA 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), BFA or BFA’s affiliates (if any) or the Distributor or the Distributor’s
affiliates, from having undue influence on BFA’s proxy voting activity. In certain instances, BFA 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 BFA with instructions as to how to vote such proxies. In the latter case, BFA votes the proxy in accordance with the independent fiduciary’s
determination.
Information with respect to how BFA voted
proxies relating to the Fund's portfolio securities during the 12-month period ending June 30 will be available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) 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 Board 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: (i) is consistent with applicable legal requirements and in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders; (ii) does not put the interests
of BFA, the Distributor or any affiliated person of BFA or the Distributor, above those of Fund shareholders; (iii) 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 discussed below, and certain information may be provided to personnel of BFA and its affiliates who manage funds that invest a significant percentage of their assets in shares of the Fund for the purpose of facilitating risk
management and hedging activities; and (iv) 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 (iii) above are generally limited to National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) members, subscribers to various fee-based subscription services,
large institutional investors (known as “Authorized Participants”) that have been authorized by the Distributor to purchase and redeem large blocks of shares pursuant to legal requirements and market makers and other institutional market
participants and entities that provide information or transactional services.
Each business day, the Fund's 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 market
makers and 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 or evaluating such
potential transactions. 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; and (ii) to other personnel of
BFA, the Distributor and their affiliates, and the administrator, custodian and fund accountant who deal directly with or assist in, functions related to investment management, distribution, administration, custody, securities lending and fund
accounting, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with agreements with the Fund and the terms of the Fund's current registration statement. In addition, the Fund discloses its portfolio holdings and
the percentages they represent of the Fund's net assets at least monthly, and as often as each day the Fund is open for business, at www.iShares.com. More information about this disclosure is available at www.iShares.com.
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Portfolio holdings information made available in connection
with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Fund in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC. From time to time, information concerning portfolio holdings
other than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Fund, including rating or ranking organizations, in the
ordinary course of business, no earlier than one business day following the date of the information.
The Fund discloses its complete portfolio holdings schedule in
public filings with the SEC within 70 days after the end of each fiscal quarter and will provide that information to shareholders as required by federal securities laws and regulations thereunder. The Fund may, however, 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 contemporaneously.
The
Company's Chief Compliance Officer may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information pursuant to the above policy and procedures.
The Board reviews the policy and procedures for disclosure of
portfolio holdings information at least annually.
Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Index
A description of the Underlying Index is provided below.
The MSCI Indexes
The MSCI indexes were founded in 1969 by Capital International
S.A. as the first international performance benchmarks constructed to facilitate accurate comparison of world markets. The MSCI single country standard equity indexes have covered the world's developed markets since 1969 and in 1987 MSCI commenced
coverage of emerging markets.
Local stock exchanges
traditionally calculated their own indexes, which were generally not comparable with one another due to differences in the representation of the local market, mathematical formulas, base dates and methods of adjusting for capital changes. MSCI,
however, applies the same calculation methodology to all markets for all single country standard equity indexes, both developed and emerging.
MSCI's Global Investable Market Indexes (the “MSCI
GIMI”) provide exhaustive coverage and non-overlapping market segmentation by market capitalization size and by style. The MSCI GIMI intends to target approximately 99% coverage of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each market
of large-, mid- and small-cap securities.
| • | MSCI Global Standard Indexes cover all investable large- and mid-cap securities by including approximately 85% of each market's free float-adjusted market capitalization. |
| • | MSCI Global Small Cap Indexes provide coverage to all companies with a market capitalization below that of the companies in the MSCI Global Standard Indexes by including above and beyond the coverage of the MSCI Global Standard Indexes. |
MSCI Global Investable Market
Indexes
Selection Criteria. MSCI's index construction process involves: (i) defining the equity universe; (ii) determining the market investable equity universe for each market; (iii) determining market capitalization size segments for each
market; (iv) applying final size segment investability requirements; and (v) applying index continuity rules for the MSCI Global Standard Index.
Defining the Equity Universe.
MSCI begins with securities listed in countries in the MSCI GIMI. Of these countries, as of June 2, 2014, 23 are classified as developed markets, 23 as emerging markets, and 24 as frontier markets. All listed equity
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securities and listed securities that exhibit characteristics of equity
securities, except mutual funds, exchange traded funds, equity derivatives, limited partnerships and most investment trusts, are eligible for inclusion in the equity universe. Real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) in some countries and
certain income trusts in Canada are also eligible for inclusion. Each company and its securities (i.e., share classes) are classified in only one country.
Determining the Market Investable Equity Universe for Each
Market. The equity universe in any market is derived by applying investability screens to individual companies and securities in the equity universe of that market. Some investability requirements are applied at the
individual security level and some at the overall company level, represented by the aggregation of individual securities of the company. As a result, the inclusion or exclusion of one security does not imply the automatic inclusion or exclusion of
other securities of the same company.
Determining
Market Capitalization Size Segments for Each Market. In each market, MSCI creates an Investable Market Index, Standard Index, Large Cap Index, Mid Cap Index and Small Cap Index. The MSCI Global Standard Index is the
aggregation of the Large Cap Index and Mid Cap Index. The MSCI GIMI is the aggregation of the MSCI Global Standard Index and MSCI Global Small Cap Index. In order to create size components that can be meaningfully aggregated into composites,
individual market size segments balance the following two objectives:
| • | Achieving global size integrity by ensuring that companies of comparable and relevant sizes are included in a given size segment across all markets in a composite index; and |
| • | Achieving consistent market coverage by ensuring that each market's size segment is represented in its proportional weight in the composite universe. |
Applying Final Size Segment Investability Requirements. In order to enhance replicability of the indexes, additional size segment investability requirements are set for the MSCI GIMI and MSCI Global Standard Index. These investability requirements include minimum free
float-adjusted market capitalization, minimum liquidity, minimum foreign limits and minimum length of trading.
Applying Index Continuity Rules for the Standard Index. In order to achieve index continuity as well as provide some basic level of diversification within a market index, notwithstanding the effect of other index construction rules contained herein, a minimum number of five
constituents will be maintained for a developed market Standard Index and a minimum number of three constituents will be maintained for an emerging market Standard Index.
Weighting. All indexes of the
MSCI GIMI are free float weighted, i.e., companies are included in the indexes at the value of their free public float (free float multiplied by
security price).
Regional Weights. Market capitalization weighting, combined with a consistent target of approximately 99% of free float-adjusted market capitalization, helps ensure that each country's weight in regional and international indexes
approximates its weight in the total universe of developing and emerging markets. A market is equivalent to a single country except for developed Europe, where all markets are aggregated into a single market for index construction purposes.
Individual country indexes of the European developed markets are derived from the constituents of the MSCI GIMI Europe Index.
Free Float. MSCI defines the
free float of a security as the proportion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by international investors. In practice, limitations on free float available to international investors
include: (i) strategic and other shareholdings not considered part of available free float; and (ii) limits on share ownership for foreigners.
Under MSCI's free float-adjustment methodology, a
constituent's inclusion factor is equal to its estimated free float rounded-up to the closest 5% for constituents with free float equal to or exceeding 15%. For example, a constituent security with a free float of 23.2% will be included in the index
at 25% of its market capitalization. For securities with a free float of less than 15%, the estimated free float is adjusted to the nearest 1%.
Price and Exchange Rates
Prices. The prices used to
calculate all MSCI indexes are the official exchange closing prices or those figures accepted as such. MSCI reserves the right to use an alternative pricing source on any given day.
Exchange Rates. Since July
2000, MSCI uses the WM/Reuters Closing Spot Rates taken at 4:00 p.m. London time. In case WM/Reuters does not provide rates for specific markets on given days (for example, Christmas Day and New Year's Day), the
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previous business day's rates are normally used. MSCI independently monitors
the exchange rates on all its indexes. MSCI may under exceptional circumstances elect to use alternative sources of exchange rates if the WM/Reuters rates are not available, or if MSCI determines that the WM/Reuters rates are not reflective of
market circumstances for a given currency on a particular day. In such circumstances, an announcement would be sent to clients with the related information. If appropriate, MSCI may conduct a consultation with the investment community to gather
feedback on the most relevant exchange rate.
Changes to
the Indexes. The MSCI GIMI is maintained with the objective of reflecting, on a timely basis, the evolution of the underlying equity markets. In maintaining the MSCI indexes, emphasis is also placed on continuity,
replicability and minimizing turnover in the indexes. Maintaining the MSCI indexes involves many aspects, including (i) additions to, and deletions from, the indexes; (ii) changes in number of shares; and (iii) changes in inclusion factors as a
result of updated free float estimates.
Index
maintenance can be described by three broad categories of changes:
| • | Semi-Annual Index Reviews (“SAIRs”), conducted on a fixed semi-annual timetable that systematically reassess the various dimensions of the equity universe for all markets; |
| • | Quarterly Index Reviews (“QIRs”), aimed at promptly reflecting other significant market events; and |
| • | Ongoing event-related changes, such as mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, bankruptcies, reorganizations and other similar corporate events, which generally are implemented in the indexes as they occur. |
Potential changes in the status of countries (stand-alone,
frontier, emerging and developed) follow their own implementation time tables.
MSCI conducts SAIRs generally as of the close of the last
business day of May and November. During the SAIRs, MSCI updates the investable equity universe and reassesses size segmentation investability requirements. MSCI also conducts QIRs generally as of the close of the last business day of February and
August. During the QIRs, MSCI reflects changes in the index that were not captured at the time of their actual occurrence, but are significant enough to be included before the next SAIR. The results of the SAIR and QIR are generally announced at
least ten business days in advance of implementation.
MSCI
25/50 Indexes
Each of the MSCI 25/50 Indexes (the
“25/50 Indexes”) is a sub-index of either an MSCI Global Standard Index or an MSCI GIMI. Their construction reflects the diversification requirements applicable to RICs pursuant to Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. The 25/50
Indexes are free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted indexes with a capping methodology applied to issuer weights so that no single issuer of a component exceeds 25% of index weight, and all issuers with a weight above 5% do not exceed 50%
of the index weight. A software application called the Barra Optimizer is utilized to calculate the capped index weights through an optimization function which is aimed at minimizing index turnover, tracking error and extreme deviation from the
uncapped index.
MSCI Russia 25/50 Index
Number of Components:
approximately 22
Index Description. The MSCI Russia 25/50 Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of equity securities in the top 85% by market capitalization of equity securities listed on
stock exchanges in Russia. The Underlying Index is a customized variation of the MSCI Russia Index, designed to take into account the investment diversification requirements applicable to RICs pursuant to Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue
Code.
Calculation Methodology. The Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. MSCI uses the index constituent companies’ country of incorporation to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in
calculating the net dividends. Effective December 1, 2009, the regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company’s country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors.
Net dividends means dividends after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S.
residents.
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Additional Information.
“MSCI” and “MSCI Russia 25/50 Index” are servicemarks of MSCI Inc. and have been licensed for use by BFA or its affiliates. The Fund is neither sponsored, endorsed, sold nor promoted by MSCI Inc., and MSCI Inc. makes no
representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.
Investment Limitations
The Fund has adopted its investment objective as a
non-fundamental investment policy. Therefore, the Fund may change its investment objective and the Underlying Index without a shareholder vote. The Board has adopted as fundamental policies the following numbered investment restrictions, which
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 and (b) more than 50% of outstanding voting securities of the fund.
The Fund will not:
| 1. | Concentrate its investments (i.e., invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries), except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in the securities 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. |
| 3. | Issue any senior security, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, 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 interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| 5. | Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this restriction shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or securities or other instruments backed by real estate or mortgages), or 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 1933 Act, in disposing of portfolio securities. |
In addition to the investment restrictions adopted as
fundamental policies set forth above, the Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy not to 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 (calculated at the time of investment).
BFA monitors the liquidity of restricted securities in the
Fund’s portfolio. In reaching liquidity decisions, BFA 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). |
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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, except that certain percentage limitations will be observed continuously in
accordance with applicable law.
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 of the
Underlying Index or in Depositary Receipts representing securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund also has adopted a non-fundamental 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.
The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental limitation such that,
under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund's net assets.
The Fund may not purchase securities of other investment
companies, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. As a matter of policy, however, the Fund will not purchase shares of any registered open-end investment company or registered unit investment trust, in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G)
(the “fund of funds” provisions) of the 1940 Act, at any time the Fund has knowledge that its shares are purchased by another investment company investor in reliance on the provisions of subparagraph (G) of Section 12(d)(1).
Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may
raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the
prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed
a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units 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 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 1933 Act must take into account all of 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(a)(3) of
the 1933 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 1933
Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 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 available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Management
Directors and Officers.
The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Fund, including general supervision of the duties performed by BFA and other service providers. Each Director serves until he or
she resigns, is removed, dies, retires or becomes incapacitated. The President, Chief Compliance Officer, Treasurer and Secretary shall each hold office until their successors are chosen and qualify, and all other officers shall hold office until he
or she resigns or is removed. Directors who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company are referred to as independent directors (“Independent Directors”).
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The registered investment companies advised by BFA or its
affiliates (the “BlackRock-advised Funds”) are organized into one complex of closed-end funds, two complexes of open-end funds and one complex of exchange-traded funds (“Exchange-Traded Fund Complex”) (each, a
“BlackRock Fund Complex”). The Fund is included in the BlackRock Fund Complex referred to as the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. Each Director also serves as a Trustee of iShares Trust, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc.
and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust and, as a result, oversees a total of 296 funds within the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. With the exception of Robert S. Kapito and Mark Wiedman, the address of each Director and officer is c/o BlackRock,
Inc., 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. The address of Mr. Kapito and Mr. Wiedman is c/o BlackRock, Inc., Park Avenue Plaza, 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY
10055. The Board has designated Robert H. Silver as its Independent Chairman. Additional information about the Fund's Directors and officers may be found in this SAI, which is available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free
1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737).
Interested Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
S. Kapito1 (57) |
Director
(since 2009). |
President and Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. and Head of BlackRock, Inc.’s Portfolio Management Group (since its formation in 1998) and BlackRock, Inc.’s predecessor entities (since 1988); Trustee, University of Pennsylvania (since 2009); President of Board of Directors, Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund (since 2002); President of the Board of Directors, Periwinkle Theatre for Youth (since 1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2009); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006). | |||
| Mark
Wiedman2 (43) |
Director (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2007); Global Head of iShares (since 2011); Head of Corporate Strategy, BlackRock, Inc. (2009-2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2013); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2013); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2013); Director of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (since 2008). |
| 1 | Robert S. Kapito is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. |
| 2 | Mark Wiedman is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. |
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Independent Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
H. Silver (59) |
Director
(since 2007); Independent Chairman (since 2012). |
President and Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group, Inc. (since 2006); Director and Vice Chairman of the YMCA of Greater NYC (2001-2011); Broadway Producer (2006-2011); Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. (since 2008); Director and Member of the Audit and Compensation Committee of EPAM Systems, Inc. (2006-2009); President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly Paine Webber Inc.) (2003-2005) and various executive positions with UBS and its affiliates (1988-2005); CPA and Audit Manager of KPMG, LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) (1977-1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2007); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Independent Chairman of iShares Trust, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. and iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2012). | |||
| John
E. Martinez (53) |
Director
(since 2003); Securities Lending Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.) (since 2005). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2003); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Cecilia
H. Herbert (65) |
Director
(since 2005); Nominating and Governance Committee Chair and Equity Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director (1998-2013) and President (2007-2011) of the Board of Directors, Catholic Charities CYO; Trustee (2002-2011) and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee (2006-2010) of the Thacher School; Member (since 1992) and Chair (1994-2005) of the Investment Committee, Archdiocese of San Francisco; Trustee and Member of the Investment Committee, WNET, the New York public broadcasting/media company (since 2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of Forward Funds (34 portfolios) (since 2009). | |||
| Charles
A. Hurty (71) |
Director
(since 2005); Audit Committee Chair (since 2006). |
Retired; Partner, KPMG LLP (1968-2001). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund (1 portfolio) (since 2002); Director of SkyBridge Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (2 portfolios) (since 2002). |
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| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| John
E. Kerrigan (59) |
Director
(since 2005); Fixed Income Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University (since 2002). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Madhav
V. Rajan (50) |
Director
(since 2011); 15(c) Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Head of MBA Program, Stanford University Graduate School of Business (since 2001); Professor of Law (by courtesy), Stanford Law School (since 2005); Visiting Professor, University of Chicago (2007-2008). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2011); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2011); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Jane
D. Carlin (59) |
Director
(since 2015). |
Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group (2006-2012). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2015); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2015); Director of PHH Corporation (mortgage solutions) (since 2012). |
Officers
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Manish
Mehta (43) |
President (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Chief Operating Officer for iShares (since 2009); Head of Strategy and Corporate Development, BGI (2005-2009); Chief of Staff to the CEO, BGI (2005-2009). | ||
| Jack
Gee (55) |
Treasurer
and Chief Financial Officer (since 2008). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Senior Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2009); Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2004-2009). | ||
| Eilleen
M. Clavere (62) |
Secretary
(since 2007). |
Director of Global Fund Administration, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Director of Legal Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2006-2009); Legal Counsel and Vice President of Atlas Funds, Atlas Advisers, Inc. and Atlas Securities, Inc. (2005-2006); Counsel at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP (2001-2005). |
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Table of Contents
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Edward
B. Baer (46) |
Vice
President and Chief Legal Officer (since 2012). |
Managing Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (2004-2006). | ||
| Scott
Radell (45) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2012). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BGI (2007-2009); Credit Portfolio Manager, BGI (2005-2007); Credit Research Analyst, BGI (2003-2005). | ||
| Amy
Schioldager (52) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2007). |
Senior Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Global Head of Index Equity, BGI (2008-2009); Global Head of U.S. Indexing, BGI (2006-2008); Head of Domestic Equity Portfolio Management, BGI (2001-2006). | ||
| Ira
P. Shapiro (51) |
Vice
President (since 2007). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Strategic Product Initiatives for iShares (since 2012); Chief Legal Officer, Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (2007-2012); Associate General Counsel, BGI (2004-2009). |
The Board has concluded that, based on each Director’s
experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Directors, each Director should serve as a Director of the Board. Among the attributes common to all Directors are their ability to
review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the Fund's investment adviser, other service providers, counsel and the independent registered public accounting firm, and to exercise
effective business judgment in the performance of their duties as Directors. A Director’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively may have been attained through the Director’s educational background or professional training;
business, consulting, public service or academic positions; experience from service as a Board member of the Fund and the other funds in the Company (and any predecessor funds), other investment funds, public companies, or non-profit entities or
other organizations; and/or other life experiences. Also, set forth below is a brief discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each Director that led the Board to conclude that he or she should serve as a
Director.
Robert Kapito has been a Director of the
Company since 2009. Mr. Kapito has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2009, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and a Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006. In
addition, he has over 20 years of experience as part of BlackRock, Inc. and BlackRock, Inc.’s predecessor entities. Mr. Kapito serves as President and Director of BlackRock, Inc., and is the Chairman of the Operating Committee, a member of the
Office of the Chairman, the Leadership Committee and the Corporate Council. He is responsible for day-to-day oversight of BlackRock, Inc.'s key operating units, including the Account Management and Portfolio Management Groups, Real Estate Group and
BlackRock Solutions®. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2007, Mr. Kapito served as Head of BlackRock, Inc.'s Portfolio Management Group. In that role,
he was responsible for overseeing all portfolio management within BlackRock, Inc., including the Fixed Income, Equity, Liquidity, and Alternative Investment Groups. Mr. Kapito serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of
Pennsylvania. He has also been President of the Board of Directors for the Hope & Heroes Children's Cancer Fund since 2002 and President of the Board of Directors for
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Periwinkle Theatre for Youth, a national non-profit arts-in-education
organization, since 1983. Mr. Kapito earned a BS degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School in 1983.
Mark Wiedman has been a Director of the Company since 2013.
Mr. Wiedman has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2013, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2013 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2013. Mr. Wiedman is the Global Head and Managing Director of iShares. In
addition, he is a member of BlackRock, Inc.'s Global Executive Committee and Global Operating Committee. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2011, Mr. Wiedman was the head of Corporate Strategy for BlackRock, Inc. Mr. Wiedman joined
BlackRock, Inc. in 2004 to help start the advisory business, which evolved into the Financial Markets Advisory Group in BlackRock Solutions. This group advises financial institutions and governments on managing their capital markets exposures and
businesses. Prior to BlackRock, Inc., he served as senior advisor and chief of staff for the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and also was a management consultant at McKinsey & Co., advising financial
institutions in the United States, Europe, and Japan. He has taught as an adjunct associate professor of law at Fordham University in New York and Renmin University in Beijing. Mr. Wiedman serves on the board of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc., a
publicly-traded U.S. mortgage banking and investment management firm started in 2008, with BlackRock, Inc. as a sponsor. Mr. Wiedman earned an AB degree, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, in social studies from
Harvard College in 1992 and a JD degree from Yale Law School in 1996.
Robert H. Silver has been a Director of the Company since 2007
and Chairman of the Company's Board since 2012. Mr. Silver has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2007, Chairman of iShares Trust's Board since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chairman of iShares MSCI
Russia Capped ETF, Inc.'s Board since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chairman of iShares U.S. ETF Trust's Board since 2012. Mr. Silver is President and a Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group Inc., a firm dedicated to advising
and investing in emerging business enterprises and to supporting philanthropic activities that benefit under-served urban youth. Previously, Mr. Silver served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly
Paine Webber Inc.), the registered broker dealer comprising the Wealth Management USA business unit of UBS AG, including the following responsibilities: President of Paine Webber Services, Director of Retail Products and Marketing, Director of
Private Client Group Branch Offices, Director of Finance and Controls for Paine Webber, Inc. and Chief Administrative Officer for Paine Webber Private Client Group. Mr. Silver also served on the Board of Directors of EPAM Systems, Inc., a provider
of software engineering outsourcing services in Central and Eastern Europe, served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), chaired the National Securities Clearing Corporations’ Membership
and Risk Committee and served as Governor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. In addition, Mr. Silver was a Vice Chairman and a Member of the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greater New York and chaired its Fund Development Committee from 2001
until 2011 and Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. since 2008. Mr. Silver began his career as a CPA and Audit Manager at KPMG LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) from 1977 until 1983. Mr. Silver has a BS degree in business
administration from the University of North Carolina.
John E. Martinez has been a Director of the Company since 2003
and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Martinez has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2003, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since
2012. Mr. Martinez is a Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.), providing governance oversight and consulting services to this privately held firm that develops products and strategies for homeowners in managing the equity
in their homes. Mr. Martinez previously served as Director of Barclays Global Investors (BGI) UK Holdings, where he provided governance oversight representing BGI’s shareholders (Barclays PLC, BGI management shareholders) through oversight of
BGI’s worldwide activities. Mr. Martinez also previously served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Global Index and Markets Group of BGI, Chairman of Barclays Global Investor Services and Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Markets Group
of BGI. From 2003-2012, he was a Director and Executive Committee Member for Larkin Street Youth Services, providing governance oversight and strategy development to an agency that provides emergency and transitional housing, healthcare, education,
job and life skills training to homeless youth. He now serves on the Larkin Street Honorary Board. Since 2012, Mr. Martinez has served as a Director for Reading Partners, an organization committed to making all children literate through one-on-one
tutoring of students in grades K-4 who are not yet reading at grade level. Mr. Martinez has an AB degree in economics from The University of California, Berkeley and holds an MBA degree in finance and statistics from The University of Chicago Booth
School of Business.
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Cecilia H. Herbert has been a Director of the Company since
2005 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Ms. Herbert has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus
Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of
iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. From 1998-2013, she served as Director of the Board of the Catholic Charities CYO, one of the
Bay Area’s largest private social services organizations serving the homeless, poor, aged, families, children and AIDS/HIV victims. Ms. Herbert is a member of the Investment Committee of the Archdiocese of San Francisco since 1992, which she
chaired from 1994 to 2005. She has served on numerous non-profit boards. Ms. Herbert is also a Director and Advisory Board Member since 2009 of the Forward Funds. Ms. Herbert previously served as a Trustee for the Pacific Select Funds and The
Montgomery Funds. Ms. Herbert previously served as Managing Director of J.P. Morgan/Morgan Guaranty Trust Company responsible for product development, marketing and credit for U.S. multinational corporations and as head of its San Francisco office.
Ms. Herbert has a BA degree in economics and communications from Stanford University and an MBA degree in finance from Harvard Business School.
Charles A. Hurty has been a Director of the Company since 2005
and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Company since 2006. Mr. Hurty has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares Trust since 2006, a Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010 and a Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011. In addition, Mr. Hurty serves as Director of the GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund since 2002, Director of the SkyBridge Alternative
Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (formerly, Citigroup Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC) since 2002 and was a Director of the CSFB Alternative Investment Funds from 2005 to December 2009, when the
funds were liquidated. Mr. Hurty was formerly a Partner at KPMG, LLP from 1968 to 2001. Mr. Hurty has a BS degree in accounting from the University of Kansas.
John E. Kerrigan has been a Director of the Company since 2005
and Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Kerrigan served as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Company from 2010 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005,
Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares Trust from 2010 until 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Fixed Income
Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. from 2010 until 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011, Chair of the Fixed
Income Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust from 2011 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan serves as Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University since 2002. Mr.
Kerrigan was formerly a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch & Co., including the following responsibilities: Global Manager of Institutional Client Division eCommerce and Global Manager of Technology Specialists Sales. Mr. Kerrigan is a Trustee,
since 2008, of Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton, CA, and Director, since 1999, of The BASIC Fund (Bay Area Scholarships for Inner City Children). Mr. Kerrigan has a BA degree from Boston College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst
Charterholder.
Madhav V. Rajan has been a Director of
the Company since 2011 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Rajan has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2011, Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF,
Inc. since 2011, Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. Mr. Rajan is the Robert K.
Jaedicke Professor of Accounting at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He has taught accounting for over 20 years to undergraduate, MBA and law students, as well as to senior executives. Mr. Rajan serves as the Senior Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs and head of the MBA Program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Rajan served as editor of “The Accounting Review” from 2002 to 2008 and is co-author of “Cost Accounting: A
Managerial Emphasis,” a leading cost accounting textbook. Mr. Rajan holds MS, MBA and Ph.D. degrees in accounting from Carnegie Mellon University.
Jane D. Carlin has been a Director of the Company since 2015.
Ms. Carlin has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2015 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2015. Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of
Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group from 2006 to 2012. In addition, Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of the Bank Operational Risk Oversight Department of Credit Suisse Group from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, Ms.
Carlin served as Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of Morgan Stanley Group. Ms. Carlin has over 30 years of experience in the financial sector and has
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served in a number of legal, regulatory, and risk management positions. Ms.
Carlin has served as an Independent Director on the Board of PHH Corporation since 2012. She previously served as a Director on the Boards of Astoria Financial Corporation and Astoria Bank. Ms. Carlin was appointed by the United States Treasury to
the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security, where she served as Chairperson from 2010 to 2012 and Vice Chair and Chair of the Cyber Security Committee from 2009 to 2010. Ms. Carlin
has a BA degree in political science from State University of New York at Stony Brook and a JD degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Board –
Leadership Structure and Oversight Responsibilities
Overall responsibility for oversight of the Fund rests with
the Board. The Board has engaged BFA to manage the Fund on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing BFA and other service providers in the operations of the Fund in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, applicable
provisions of state and other laws and the Company’s charter. The Board is currently composed of nine members, seven of whom are Independent Directors. The Board currently conducts regular meetings five times a year. In addition, the Board
frequently holds special in-person or telephonic meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may arise or require action between regular meetings. The Independent Directors meet regularly outside the presence of
management, in executive session or with other service providers to the Company.
The Board has appointed an Independent Director to serve in
the role of Chairman. The Chairman’s role is to preside at all meetings of the Board and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Directors generally between meetings. The Chairman may also perform such other
functions as may be delegated by the Board from time to time. The Board has established six standing Committees: a Nominating and Governance Committee, an Audit Committee, a 15(c) Committee, a Securities Lending Committee, an Equity Plus Committee
and a Fixed Income Plus Committee to assist the Board in the oversight and direction of the business and affairs of the Fund, and from time to time may establish ad-hoc committees or informal working groups to review and address the policies and
practices of the Fund with respect to certain specified matters. The Chair of each standing Committee is an Independent Director. The role of the Chair of each Committee is to preside at all meetings of the Committee and to act as a liaison with
service providers, officers, attorneys and other Directors between meetings. Each Committee meets regularly to conduct the oversight functions delegated to the Committee by the Board and reports its finding to the Board. The Board and each standing
Committee conduct annual assessments of their oversight function and structure. The Board has determined that the Board’s leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise independent judgment over management and it
allocates areas of responsibility among committees of Independent Directors and the full Board to enhance effective oversight.
Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Fund is the
responsibility of BFA or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to the supervision of BFA. The Fund is subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance, operational, counterparty and valuation risks,
among others. While there are a number of risk management functions performed by BFA and other service providers, as applicable, it is not possible to eliminate all of the risks applicable to the Fund. The Directors have an oversight role in this
area, satisfying themselves that risk management processes and controls are in place and operating effectively. Risk oversight forms part of the Board’s general oversight of the Fund and is addressed as part of various Board and committee
activities. The Board, directly or through a committee, also reviews reports from, among others, management and the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Fund and
management’s risk functions. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who oversees the implementation and testing of the Company's compliance program, including assessments by independent third parties, and reports to the Board
regarding compliance matters for the Company and its principal service providers. In testing and maintaining the compliance program, the Chief Compliance Officer (and his or her delegates) assesses key compliance risks affecting the Fund, and
addresses them in periodic reports to the Board. The Independent Directors have engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities.
Committees of the Board of Directors. Each Independent Director serves on the Audit Committee. The Chair of the Audit Committee is Charles A. Hurty. The purposes of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board (i) in its oversight of the Company's
accounting and financial reporting principles and policies and related controls and procedures maintained by or on behalf of the Company; (ii) in its oversight of the Company's financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (iii) 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); (iv) in evaluating the independence of the
independent accountants; (v) in complying with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the
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Company's accounting and financial reporting, internal controls, compliance
controls and independent audits; and (vi) to assume such other responsibilities as may be delegated by the Board. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are
Cecilia H. Herbert (Chair), Charles A. Hurty, Madhav V. Rajan and John E. Kerrigan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The Nominating and Governance Committee nominates individuals for Independent Director membership on the Board. The Nominating
and Governance Committee functions include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) reviewing the qualifications of any person properly identified or nominated to serve as an Independent Director; (ii) recommending to the Board and current
Independent Directors the nominee(s) for appointment as an Independent Director by the Board and current Independent Directors and/or for election as Independent Directors by shareholders to fill any vacancy for a position of Independent Director(s)
on the Board; (iii) recommending to the Board and current Independent Directors the size and composition of the Board and Board committees and whether they comply with applicable laws and regulations; (iv) recommending a current Independent Director
to the Board and current Independent Directors to serve as Lead Independent Director; (v) periodic review of the Board's retirement policy; and (vi) recommending an appropriate level of compensation for the Independent Directors for their services
as Directors, members or chairpersons of committees of the Board, Lead Independent Director, Chairperson of the Board and any other positions as the Nominating and Governance Committee considers appropriate. The Nominating and Governance Committee
does not consider Board nominations recommended by shareholders (acting solely in their capacity as a shareholder and not in any other capacity). The Nominating and Governance Committee met five times during the fiscal year ended August 31,
2014.
Each Independent Director serves on the 15(c)
Committee. The Chair of the 15(c) Committee is Madhav V. Rajan. The principal responsibilities of the 15(c) Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for the annual review and renewal of the Company's advisory
and sub-advisory agreements. These responsibilities include: (i) meeting with BlackRock, Inc. in advance of the Board meeting at which the Company's advisory and sub-advisory agreements are to be considered to discuss generally the process for
providing requested information to the Board and the format in which information will be provided; and (ii) considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to
evaluate the investment advisory and sub-advisory agreements of the Company. The 15(c) Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Securities Lending Committee are John E.
Martinez (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and John E. Kerrigan all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Securities Lending Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
the Company's securities lending activities. These responsibilities include: (i) requesting that certain information be provided to the Committee for its review and consideration prior to such information being provided to the Board; (ii)
considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to oversee the Company's securities lending activities and make required findings and approvals; and (iii) providing
a recommendation to the Board regarding the annual approval of the Company's Securities Lending Guidelines and the required findings with respect to, and annual approval of, the Company's agreement with the lending agent. The Securities Lending
Committee met seven times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Equity Plus Committee are Cecilia H.
Herbert (Chair), John E. Martinez and Madhav V. Rajan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Equity Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for equity funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters that should be
brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board as appropriate. The
Equity Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The members of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are John E.
Kerrigan (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and Charles A. Hurty, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for fixed income or multi-asset funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters
that should be brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the
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Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board
as appropriate. The Fixed Income Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
As the Chairman of the Board, Robert H. Silver may participate
in each Committee's meetings.
The following table sets
forth, as of December 31, 2013, the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Director in the Fund and in other registered investment companies overseen by the Director within the same family of investment companies as the
Company. If a fund is not listed below, the Director did not own any securities in that fund as of the date indicated above:
| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| Robert S. Kapito | None | None | None | |||
| Mark Wiedman1 | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| Robert H. Silver | iShares iBonds Sep 2015 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2016 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2017 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2018 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 3000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financial Services ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| George G.C. Parker | iShares California AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares S&P 100 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| John E. Martinez | iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Emerging Markets Infrastructure ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares TIPS Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | $10,001-$50,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares International Select Dividend ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| Charles A. Hurty | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares North American Tech-Multimedia Networking ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financials ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| John E. Kerrigan | iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Short-Term National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Jane D. Carlin2 | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $50,001-$100,000 |
| 1 | Appointed to serve as an Interested Director effective December 31, 2013. |
| 2 | Appointed to serve as an Independent Director effective February 3, 2015. The funds held and dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by Jane D. Carlin are as of December 31, 2014 |
As of December 31, 2013, none of the Independent Directors or
their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities of BFA (the Fund's investment adviser), the Distributor or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with BFA or the Distributor.
Remuneration of Directors.
Each current Independent Director is paid an annual retainer of $300,000 for his or her services as a Board member to the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, together with
out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board's policy on travel and other business expenses relating to attendance at meetings. For the period from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013, each current Independent Director was paid an
annual retainer of $275,000 for his or her services as a Board member to the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, together with out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board’s policy on travel and other business
expenses relating to attendance at meetings. The Independent Chairman of the Boards is paid an additional annual retainer of $50,000. The Chair of the Audit Committees is paid an additional annual retainer of $40,000. The Chair of each of the
Nominating and Governance Committees, Equity Plus Committees, Fixed Income Plus Committees, Securities Lending Committees and 15(c) Committees is paid an additional annual retainer of $15,000. Each Independent Director that serves as a director of
subsidiaries of the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex is paid an additional annual retainer of $10,000 (plus an additional $1,765 paid annually to compensate for taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Director’s service on
the boards of certain Mauritius-based subsidiaries). Additionally, any Independent Director who travels to the Republic of Mauritius to attend board meetings is paid an additional $12,000 (plus an additional $2,117 paid annually to compensate for
taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Director’s service on the boards of certain Mauritius-based subsidiaries).
The table below sets forth the compensation earned by each
Independent Director and Interested Director from the Predecessor Fund for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014 and the aggregate compensation paid to them by the Exchange-Traded Complex for the calendar year ended December 31, 2013.
| Name of Director | iShares
MSCI Russia Capped ETF |
Pension
or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Company Expenses5 |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement5 |
Total
Compensation From the Fund and Fund Complex6 | ||||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||||||
| Robert H. Silver | $ 129 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 325,000 | ||||
| George G.C. Parker2 | 110 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 275,000 | ||||
| John E. Martinez | 116 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 290,000 | ||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 121 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 305,000 | ||||
| Charles A. Hurty | 125 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 315,000 | ||||
| John E. Kerrigan | 116 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 315,882 | ||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 116 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 301,765 | ||||
| Interested Directors: | ||||||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $ 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 0 | ||||
| Mark Wiedman3 | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 0 |
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| Name of Director | iShares
MSCI Russia Capped ETF |
Pension
or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Company Expenses5 |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement5 |
Total
Compensation From the Fund and Fund Complex6 | ||||
| Michael Latham4 | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 0 |
| 1 | Compensation is not shown for Jane D. Carlin because she was appointed to serve as an Independent Director of the Company effective February 3, 2015. |
| 2 | Served as an Independent Director through December 31, 2014. |
| 3 | Appointed to serve as an Interested Director effective December 31, 2013. |
| 4 | Served as an Interested Director through December 31, 2013. |
| 5 | No Director or officer is entitled to any pension or retirement benefits from the Company. |
| 6 | Includes compensation for service on the Boards of Trustees of iShares Trust and iShares U.S. ETF Trust and the Board of Directors of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. |
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities.
The Directors and officers of the Company collectively owned
less than 1% of the Fund's outstanding shares as of October 10, 2014.
Although the Company does not have information concerning the
beneficial ownership of shares held in the names of Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participants (as defined below), as of October 10, 2014, the name and percentage ownership of each DTC participant that owned of record 5% or more of
the outstanding shares of the Predecessor Fund were as follows:
| Name and Address | Percentage
of Ownership | |
| State
Street Bank and Trust Company 1776 Heritage Drive North Quincy, MA 02171 |
21.14% | |
| JPMorgan
Chase Bank, National Association 14201 Dallas Pkwy 12th Floor Dallas, TX 75240 |
20.23% | |
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
7.20% | |
| Brown
Brothers Harriman & Co. 525 Washington Blvd. 11th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
7.15% | |
| Citibank,
N.A. 3800 CitiBank Center Tampa Building A/Floor 2 Tampa, FL 33610 |
5.25% |
Potential Conflicts of Interest. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (“PNC”) has a significant economic interest in BlackRock, Inc., the parent of BFA, the Fund's investment adviser. PNC is considered to be an affiliate of
BlackRock, Inc. under the 1940 Act. Certain activities of BFA, BlackRock, Inc. and their affiliates (collectively, “BlackRock”) and PNC and its affiliates (collectively, “PNC” and together with BlackRock,
“Affiliates”), with respect to the Fund and/or other accounts managed by BlackRock or PNC, may give rise to actual or perceived conflicts of interest such as those described below.
BlackRock is one of the world's largest asset management
firms. PNC is a diversified financial services organization spanning the retail, business and corporate markets. BlackRock and PNC are affiliates of one another under the 1940 Act. BlackRock and PNC and their respective affiliates (including, for
these purposes, their directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees), including the entities and personnel who may be involved in the investment activities and business
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Table of Contents
operations of the Fund, are engaged worldwide in businesses, including
equity, fixed-income, cash management and alternative investments. These are considerations of which investors in the Fund should be aware, and which may cause conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. These
activities and interests include potential multiple advisory, transactional, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments that may be purchased or sold by the Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates have proprietary interests in,
and may manage or advise with respect to, accounts or funds (including separate accounts and other funds and collective investment vehicles) that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in transactions in the same
types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. One or more Affiliates are also major participants in the global currency, equities, swap and fixed-income markets, in each case both on a proprietary basis and for the accounts of
customers. As such, one or more Affiliates are or may be actively engaged in transactions in the same securities, currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests. Such activities could affect the prices and availability of the securities,
currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests, which could have an adverse impact on the Fund's performance. Such transactions, particularly in respect of most proprietary accounts or customer accounts, will be executed independently of the
Fund's transactions and thus at prices or rates that may be more or less favorable than those obtained by the Fund. When BlackRock and its Affiliates purchase or sell the same assets for their managed accounts, including the Fund, the assets
actually purchased or sold may be allocated among the accounts on a basis determined in their good faith discretion to be equitable. In some cases, this system may adversely affect the amount or price of the assets purchased or sold for the Fund. In
addition, transactions in investments by one or more other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund, particularly, but not
limited to, with respect to small capitalization, emerging market or less liquid strategies. This may occur when investment decisions regarding the Fund are based on research or other information that is also used to support decisions for other
accounts. When BlackRock or its Affiliates implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of another account ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar decisions or strategies for the Fund, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other
factors could result in the Fund receiving less favorable trading results and the costs of implementing such decisions or strategies could be increased or the Fund could otherwise be disadvantaged. BlackRock or its Affiliates may, in certain cases,
elect to implement internal policies and procedures designed to limit such consequences, which may cause the Fund to be unable to engage in certain activities, including purchasing or disposing of securities, when it might otherwise be desirable for
it to do so.
Conflicts may also arise because portfolio
decisions regarding the Fund may benefit other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position by the Fund may impair the price of the same security sold short by (and
therefore benefit) one or more Affiliates or their other accounts, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security by the Fund may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) one or more
Affiliates or their other accounts.
In certain
circumstances, BFA, on behalf of the Fund, may seek to buy from or sell securities to another fund or account advised by BFA or an affiliate. BFA may (but is not required to) effect purchases and sales between BFA clients or clients of affiliates
(“cross trades”), including the Fund, if BFA believes such transactions are appropriate based on each party's investment objectives and guidelines, subject to applicable law and regulation. There may be potential conflicts of interest or
regulatory issues relating to these transactions which could limit BFA’s decision to engage in these transactions for the Fund. BFA may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such
transactions. On any occasion when the Fund participates in a cross trade, BFA will comply with procedures adopted pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and applicable SEC guidance.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their clients may pursue or
enforce rights with respect to an issuer in which the Fund has invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Fund. As a result, prices, availability, liquidity and terms of the Fund's investments may be negatively impacted by the
activities of BlackRock or its Affiliates or their clients, and transactions for the Fund may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.
The results of the Fund's investment activities may differ
significantly from the results achieved by BlackRock and its Affiliates for their proprietary accounts or other accounts (including investment companies or collective investment vehicles) managed or advised by them. It is possible that one or more
Affiliate-managed accounts and such other accounts will achieve investment results that are substantially more or less favorable than the results achieved by the Fund. Moreover, it is possible that the Fund will sustain losses during periods in
which one or more Affiliate-managed accounts achieve significant profits
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Table of Contents
on
their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible. The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their proprietary accounts and accounts under their management may also limit the investment opportunities
for the Fund in certain emerging and other markets in which limitations are imposed upon the amount of investment, in the aggregate or in individual issuers, by affiliated foreign investors.
From time to time, the Fund's activities may also be
restricted because of regulatory restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. As a result, there may be periods, for example, when BlackRock, and/or one or more
Affiliates, will not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions in certain securities or instruments with respect to which BlackRock and/or one or more Affiliates are performing services or when position limits have been reached.
In connection with its management of the Fund, BlackRock may
have access to certain fundamental analysis and proprietary technical models developed by one or more Affiliates. BlackRock will not be under any obligation, however, to effect transactions on behalf of the Fund in accordance with such analysis and
models. In addition, neither BlackRock nor any of its Affiliates will have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by
them, for the benefit of the management of the Fund and it is not anticipated that BlackRock will have access to such information for the purpose of managing the Fund. The proprietary activities or portfolio strategies of BlackRock and its
Affiliates, or the activities or strategies used for accounts managed by them or other customer accounts could conflict with the transactions and strategies employed by BlackRock in managing the Fund.
The Fund may be included in investment models developed by BFA
and its affiliates for use by clients and financial advisors. The price, availability and liquidity of the Fund may be impacted by purchases and redemptions of the Fund by model-driven investment portfolios.
In addition, certain principals and certain employees of
BlackRock are also principals or employees of Affiliates. As a result, the performance by these principals and employees of their obligations to such other entities may be a consideration of which investors in the Fund should be aware.
BlackRock may enter into transactions and invest in
securities, instruments and currencies on behalf of the Fund in which customers of BlackRock or its Affiliates, or, to the extent permitted by the SEC, BlackRock or another Affiliate, serves as the counterparty, principal or issuer. In such cases,
such party's interests in the transaction will be adverse to the interests of the Fund, and such party may have no incentive to assure that the Fund obtains the best possible prices or terms in connection with the transactions. In addition, the
purchase, holding and sale of such investments by the Fund may enhance the profitability of BlackRock or its Affiliates. One or more Affiliates may also create, write or issue derivatives for their customers, the underlying securities, currencies or
instruments of which may be those in which the Fund invests or which may be based on the performance of the Fund. The Fund may, subject to applicable law, purchase investments that are the subject of an underwriting or other distribution by one or
more Affiliates and may also enter into transactions with other clients of an Affiliate where such other clients have interests adverse to those of the Fund.
At times, these activities may cause departments of BlackRock
or its Affiliates to give advice to clients that may cause these clients to take actions adverse to the interests of the Fund. To the extent affiliated transactions are permitted, the Fund will deal with BlackRock and its Affiliates on an
arms-length basis. BlackRock or its Affiliates may also have an ownership interest in certain trading or information systems used by the Fund. The Fund's use of such trading or information systems may enhance the profitability of BlackRock and its
Affiliates.
One or more Affiliates may act as broker,
dealer, agent, lender or adviser or in other commercial capacities for the Fund. It is anticipated that the commissions, mark-ups, mark-downs, financial advisory fees, underwriting and placement fees, sales fees, financing and commitment fees,
brokerage fees, other fees, compensation or profits, rates, terms and conditions charged by an Affiliate will be in its view commercially reasonable, although each Affiliate, including its sales personnel, will have an interest in obtaining fees and
other amounts that are favorable to the Affiliate and such sales personnel.
Subject to applicable law, the Affiliates (and their personnel
and other distributors) will be entitled to retain fees and other amounts that they receive in connection with their service to the Fund as broker, dealer, agent, lender, adviser or in other commercial capacities and no accounting to the Fund or its
shareholders will be required, and no fees or other compensation payable by the Fund or its shareholders will be reduced by reason of receipt by an Affiliate of any such fees or other amounts.
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Table of Contents
When an Affiliate acts as broker, dealer, agent, adviser or in
other commercial capacities in relation to the Fund, the Affiliate may take commercial steps in its own interests, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund. The Fund will be required to establish business relationships with its counterparties
based on the Fund's own credit standing. Neither BlackRock nor any of the Affiliates will have any obligation to allow their credit to be used in connection with the Fund's establishment of its business relationships, nor is it expected that the
Fund's counterparties will rely on the credit of BlackRock or any of the Affiliates in evaluating the Fund's creditworthiness.
Lending on behalf of the Fund is done by BTC pursuant to SEC
exemptive relief, enabling BTC to act as securities lending agent to, and receive a share of securities lending revenues from, the Fund. BFA may also receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of the cash collateral from securities lending.
There is a potential conflict of interest in that BTC as a lending agent may have an incentive to increase the amount of securities on loan or to lend riskier assets in order to generate additional revenue for BTC and its affiliates. However,
BTC’s SEC exemptive relief sets forth certain conditions designed to assist in mitigating such conflicts of interest.
Purchases and sales of securities for the Fund may be bunched
or aggregated with orders for other BlackRock client accounts. BlackRock, however, is not required to bunch or aggregate orders if portfolio management decisions for different accounts are made separately, or if it determines that bunching or
aggregating is not practicable or required, or in cases involving client direction.
Prevailing trading activity frequently may make impossible the
receipt of the same price or execution on the entire volume of securities purchased or sold. When this occurs, the various prices may be averaged, and the Fund will be charged or credited with the average price. Thus, the effect of the aggregation
may operate on some occasions to the disadvantage of the Fund. In addition, under certain circumstances, the Fund will not be charged the same commission or commission equivalent rates in connection with a bunched or aggregated order.
BlackRock may select brokers (including, without limitation,
Affiliates) that furnish BlackRock, the Fund, other BlackRock client accounts or other Affiliates or personnel, directly or through correspondent relationships, with research or other appropriate services which provide, in BlackRock's view,
appropriate assistance to BlackRock in the investment decision-making process (including with respect to futures, fixed-price offerings and over-the-counter (“OTC”) transactions). Such research or other services may include, to the
extent permitted by law, research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; proxy analysis; trade industry seminars; computer data bases; research-oriented software and other services and
products. Research or other services obtained in this manner may be used in servicing any or all of the Fund and other BlackRock client accounts, including in connection with BlackRock client accounts other than those that pay commissions to the
broker relating to the research or other service arrangements. Such products and services may disproportionately benefit other BlackRock client accounts relative to the Fund based on the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund and such
other BlackRock client accounts. For example, research or other services that are paid for through one client's commissions may not be used in managing that client's account. In addition, other BlackRock client accounts may receive the benefit,
including disproportionate benefits, of economies of scale or price discounts in connection with products and services that may be provided to the Fund and to such other BlackRock client accounts. To the extent that BlackRock uses soft dollars, it
will not have to pay for those products and services itself.
BlackRock may receive research that is bundled with the trade
execution, clearing, and/or settlement services provided by a particular broker-dealer. To the extent that BlackRock receives research on this basis, many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist. For example, the research
effectively will be paid by client commissions that also will be used to pay for the execution, clearing, and settlement services provided by the broker-dealer and will not be paid by BlackRock.
BlackRock may endeavor to execute trades through brokers who,
pursuant to such arrangements, provide research or other services in order to ensure the continued receipt of research or other services BlackRock believes are useful in its investment decision-making process. BlackRock may from time to time choose
not to engage in the above described arrangements to varying degrees. BlackRock may also enter into commission sharing arrangements under which BlackRock may execute transactions through a broker-dealer, including, where permitted, an Affiliate, and
request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to BlackRock. To the extent that BlackRock engages in commission sharing arrangements, many of the same conflicts
related to traditional soft dollars may exist.
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Table of Contents
BlackRock may utilize certain electronic crossing networks
(“ECNs”) in executing client securities transactions for certain types of securities. These ECNs may charge fees for their services, including access fees and transaction fees. The transaction fees, which are similar to commissions
or mark-ups/mark-downs, will generally be charged to clients and, like commissions and mark-ups/mark-downs, would generally be included in the cost of the securities purchased. Access fees may be paid by BlackRock even though incurred in connection
with executing transactions on behalf of clients, including the Fund. In certain circumstances, ECNs may offer volume discounts that will reduce the access fees typically paid by BlackRock. BlackRock will only utilize ECNs consistent with its
obligation to seek to obtain best execution in client transactions.
BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to
prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Fund, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with BlackRock's fiduciary obligations to its
clients. Nevertheless, notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of BlackRock may have the effect of favoring the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of BlackRock and/or
its Affiliates, provided that BlackRock believes such voting decisions to be in accordance with its fiduciary obligations. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the Proxy Voting
Policy section of this SAI.
It is also possible
that, from time to time, BlackRock or its Affiliates may, although they are not required to, purchase and hold shares of the Fund. Increasing the Fund's assets may enhance liquidity, investment flexibility and diversification and may contribute to
economies of scale that tend to reduce the Fund's expense ratio. BlackRock and its Affiliates reserve the right to sell or redeem at any time some or all of the shares of the Fund acquired for their own accounts. A large sale or redemption of shares
of the Fund by BlackRock or its Affiliates could significantly reduce the asset size of the Fund, which might have an adverse effect on the Fund's liquidity, investment flexibility, portfolio diversification and expense ratio. BlackRock will
consider the effect of redemptions on the Fund and other shareholders in deciding whether to redeem its shares.
It is possible that the Fund may invest in securities of
companies with which an Affiliate has or is trying to develop investment banking relationships as well as securities of entities in which BlackRock or its Affiliates has significant debt or equity investments or in which an Affiliate makes a market.
The Fund also may invest in securities of companies to which an Affiliate provides or may someday provide research coverage. Such investments could cause conflicts between the interests of the Fund and the interests of BlackRock, other clients of
BlackRock or its Affiliates. In making investment decisions for the Fund, BlackRock is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information acquired by any division, department or Affiliate of BlackRock in the course of these activities.
In addition, from time to time, the activities of an Affiliate may limit the Fund's flexibility in purchases and sales of securities. When an Affiliate is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of an entity, BlackRock may be
prohibited from purchasing or recommending the purchase of certain securities of that entity for the Fund. As indicated below, BlackRock or its Affiliates may engage in transactions with companies in which BlackRock-advised funds or other clients
have an investment.
BlackRock and Ace Limited
(“ACE”), a public company whose securities are held by BlackRock-advised funds and other accounts, partially funded the creation of a re-insurance company (“Re Co”) pursuant to which each has approximately a 9.9% ownership
interest and each has representation on the board of directors. Certain employees and executives of BlackRock will also have a less than ½ of 1% ownership interest in Re Co. BlackRock will manage the investment portfolio of Re Co, which will be
held in a wholly-owned subsidiary. Re Co will participate as a reinsurer with reinsurance contracts underwritten by subsidiaries of ACE. An independent director of certain BlackRock-advised funds also serves as an independent director of ACE and has
no interest or involvement in the Re Co transaction.
BlackRock and its Affiliates, their personnel and other
financial service providers may have interests in promoting sales of the Fund. With respect to BlackRock and its Affiliates and their personnel, the remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of the Fund or other products may
be greater than remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of certain funds or other products that might be provided or offered. BlackRock and its Affiliates and their sales personnel may directly or indirectly receive a
portion of the fees and commissions charged to the Fund or its shareholders. BlackRock and its advisory or other personnel may also benefit from increased amounts of assets under management. Fees and commissions may also be higher than for other
products or services, and the remuneration and profitability to BlackRock or its Affiliates and such personnel resulting from transactions on behalf of or management of the Fund may be greater than the remuneration and profitability resulting from
other funds or products.
BlackRock and its Affiliates
and their personnel may receive greater compensation or greater profit in connection with an account for which BlackRock serves as an adviser than with an account advised by an unaffiliated investment adviser.
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Differentials in compensation may be related to the fact that BlackRock may
pay a portion of its advisory fee to its Affiliate, or relate to compensation arrangements, including for portfolio management, brokerage transactions or account servicing. Any differential in compensation may create a financial incentive on the
part of BlackRock or its Affiliates and their personnel to recommend BlackRock over unaffiliated investment advisers or to effect transactions differently in one account over another.
Third parties, including service providers to BFA or the Fund,
may sponsor events (including, but not limited to, marketing and promotional activities and presentations, educational training programs and conferences) for registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors. There is a
potential conflict of interest as such sponsorships may defray the costs of such activities to BFA, and may provide an incentive to BFA to retain such third parties to provide services to the Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may provide valuation assistance
to certain clients with respect to certain securities or other investments and the valuation recommendations made for their clients' accounts may differ from the valuations for the same securities or investments assigned by the Fund's pricing
vendors, especially if such valuations are based on broker-dealer quotes or other data sources unavailable to the Fund's pricing vendors. While BlackRock will generally communicate its valuation information or determinations to the Fund's pricing
vendors and/or fund accountants, there may be instances where the Fund's pricing vendors or fund accountants assign a different valuation to a security or other investment than the valuation for such security or investment determined or recommended
by BlackRock.
As disclosed in more detail in the Determination of Net Asset Value section of the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI, when 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 procedures adopted by the Board. When determining an asset’s “fair value,” the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) seeks to determine
the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on which the assets or liabilities are being valued and does not seek to determine the price that the
Fund might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. While fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that
BlackRock’s Pricing Group deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third-party valuation models, fair value represents only a good faith approximation
of the value of a security. The fair value of one or more securities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund’s net
asset value. As a result, the Fund’s sale or redemption of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued by BlackRock (pursuant to Board-adopted procedures) at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or
increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders and BlackRock receiving additional revenue.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Fund may invest
all or some of its short-term cash investments in any money market fund or similarly-managed private fund advised or managed by BlackRock. In connection with any such investments, the Fund, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, may pay its share
of expenses of a money market fund in which it invests, which may result in the Fund bearing some additional expenses.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their directors, officers and
employees, may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts, and may have conflicts of interest with respect to investments made on behalf of the Fund. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints,
positions may be taken by directors, officers, employees and Affiliates of BlackRock that are the same, different from or made at different times than positions taken for the Fund. To lessen the possibility that the Fund will be adversely affected
by this personal trading, the Fund, BFA and BlackRock each has adopted a code of ethics in compliance with Section 17(j) of the 1940 Act that restricts securities trading in the personal accounts of investment professionals and others who normally
come into possession of information regarding the Fund's portfolio transactions. Each code of ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be
obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Each code of ethics is also available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov
or by writing the SEC's Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-1520.
BlackRock and its Affiliates will not purchase securities or
other property from, or sell securities or other property to, the Fund, except that the Fund may in accordance with rules adopted under the 1940 Act engage in transactions with accounts that are affiliated with the Fund as a result of common
officers, directors, or investment advisers or pursuant to exemptive
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orders granted to BlackRock by the SEC. These transactions would be effected
in circumstances in which BlackRock determined that it would be appropriate for the Fund to purchase and another client of BlackRock to sell, or the Fund to sell and another client of BlackRock to purchase, the same security or instrument on the
same day. From time to time, the activities of the Fund may be restricted because of regulatory requirements applicable to BlackRock or its Affiliates and/or BlackRock's internal policies designed to comply with, limit the applicability of, or
otherwise relate to such requirements. A client not advised by BlackRock would not be subject to some of those considerations. There may be periods when BlackRock may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise restrict
or limit their advice in certain securities or instruments issued by or related to companies for which an Affiliate is performing investment banking, market making or other services or has proprietary positions. For example, when an Affiliate is
engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of, or advisory services for, a company, the Fund may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling securities of that company. Similar situations could arise if personnel of
BlackRock or its Affiliates serve as directors of companies the securities of which the Fund wishes to purchase or sell. However, if permitted by applicable law, the Fund may purchase securities or instruments that are issued by such companies or
are the subject of an underwriting, distribution, or advisory assignment by an Affiliate, or in cases in which personnel of BlackRock or its Affiliates are directors or officers of the issuer.
The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their
proprietary accounts and for client accounts may also limit the investment strategies and rights of the Fund. For example, in certain regulated industries, in certain emerging or international markets, in corporate and regulatory ownership
definitions, and in certain futures and derivative transactions, there may be limits on the aggregate amount of investment by affiliated investors that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent or,
if exceeded, may cause BlackRock, the Fund or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions.
If certain aggregate ownership thresholds are reached or
certain transactions undertaken, the ability of BlackRock on behalf of clients (including the Fund) to purchase or dispose of investments, or exercise rights or undertake business transactions, may be restricted by regulation or otherwise impaired.
As a result, BlackRock, on behalf of clients (including the Fund), may limit purchases, sell existing investments, or otherwise restrict or limit the exercise of rights (including voting rights) when BlackRock, in its sole discretion, deems it
appropriate in light of potential regulatory or other restrictions on ownership or other consequences resulting from reaching investment thresholds.
In those circumstances where ownership thresholds or
limitations must be observed, BlackRock seeks to allocate limited investment opportunities equitably among clients (including the Fund), taking into consideration benchmark weight and investment strategy. When ownership in certain securities nears
an applicable threshold, BlackRock may limit purchases in such securities to the issuer's weighting in the applicable benchmark used by BlackRock to manage the Fund. If client (including Fund) holdings of an issuer exceed an applicable threshold and
BlackRock is unable to obtain relief to enable the continued holding of such investments, it may be necessary to sell down these positions to meet the applicable limitations. In these cases, benchmark overweight positions will be sold prior to
benchmark positions being reduced to meet applicable limitations.
In addition to the foregoing, other ownership thresholds may
trigger reporting requirements to governmental and regulatory authorities, and such reports may entail the disclosure of the identity of a client or BlackRock’s intended strategy with respect to such security or asset.
To the extent permitted by applicable laws, BlackRock and its
Affiliates may maintain securities indexes as part of their product offerings. Index based funds seek to track the performance of securities indexes and may use the name of the index in the fund name. Index providers, including BlackRock and its
Affiliates may be paid licensing fees for use of their index or index name. BlackRock and its Affiliates will not be obligated to license their indexes to BlackRock, and BlackRock cannot be assured that the terms of any index licensing agreement
with BlackRock and its Affiliates will be as favorable as those terms offered to other index licensees.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may serve as Authorized
Participants in the creation and redemption of exchange-traded funds, including funds advised by Affiliates of BlackRock. As described in greater detail in the Creations and
Redemptions section of the Prospectus, BlackRock and its Affiliates may therefore be deemed to be participants in a distribution of iShares funds that could render them statutory underwriters.
BlackRock may enter into contractual arrangements with third
party service providers to the Fund (e.g., custodians and administrators) pursuant to which BlackRock receives fee discounts or concessions in recognition of BlackRock’s overall
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relationship with such service providers. To the extent that BlackRock is
responsible for paying these service providers out of its management fee, the benefits of any such fee discounts or concessions may accrue, in whole or in part, to BlackRock. BlackRock will disclose any material benefits it receives as a result of
such fee discounts or concessions to the Board.
Present
and future activities of BlackRock and its Affiliates, including BFA, in addition to those described in this section, may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.
Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution
Services
Investment Adviser. BFA serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Company, on behalf of the Fund, and BFA. BFA is a California corporation indirectly owned by BlackRock, Inc. and
is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Under the investment advisory agreement, BFA, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of the Fund,
manages and administers the Company and the investment of the Fund’s assets. BFA is responsible for placing purchase and sale orders and providing continuous supervision of the investment portfolio of the Fund.
Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, BFA may, from
time to time, in its sole discretion and to the extent permitted by applicable law, appoint one or more sub-advisers, including, without limitation, affiliates of BFA, to perform investment advisory or other services with respect to the Fund. In
addition, BFA may delegate certain of its investment advisory functions under the investment advisory agreement to one or more of its affiliates to the extent permitted by applicable law. BFA may terminate any or all sub-advisers or such delegation
arrangements in its sole discretion upon appropriate notice at any time to the extent permitted by applicable law.
BFA is responsible, under the investment advisory agreement,
for substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services. BFA is not responsible for, and the Fund will bear the cost of, interest expense, taxes, brokerage
expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio securities transactions, distribution fees and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA is
entitled to receive a management fee from the Fund corresponding to the Fund’s allocable portion of an aggregate management fee based on the aggregate average daily net assets of the following iShares funds: iShares MSCI All Peru Capped ETF,
iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI China ETF, iShares MSCI China Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Indonesia ETF, iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Philippines ETF,
iShares MSCI Poland Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Qatar Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Turkey ETF and
iShares MSCI UAE Capped ETF. The aggregate management fee is calculated as follows: 0.74% per annum of aggregate net assets less than or equal to $2.0 billion, plus 0.69% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $2.0 billion, up to and including
$4.0 billion, plus 0.64% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $4.0 billion, up to and including $8.0 billion, plus 0.57% per annum of the aggregate net assets over $8.0 billion, up to and including $16.0 billion, plus 0.51% per annum of the
aggregate net assets over $16.0 billion, up to and including $32.0 billion, plus 0.45% per annum of the aggregate net assets in excess of $32.0 billion.
The following table sets forth the management fees paid by the
Predecessor Fund to BFA for the fiscal years noted:
| Management
Fee |
Predecessor
Fund Inception Date |
Management
Fees Paid for Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Management
Fees Paid for Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2013 |
Management
Fees Paid for Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2012 | ||||
| 0.62% | 11/09/10 | $1,894,067 | $1,378,297 | $684,597 |
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 members 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.
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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 BFA and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Portfolio Managers. As
of August 31, 2014, the individuals named as Portfolio Managers in the Fund's Prospectus were also primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of other iShares funds and certain other types of portfolios and/or accounts as
follows:
| Matthew Goff | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 258 | $595,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 2 | 200,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
| Diane Hsiung | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 258 | $595,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 21 | 7,750,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
| Jennifer Hsui | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 260 | $595,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
| Greg Savage | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 324 | $660,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 89 | 45,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 12 | 1,500,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
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 constitute those indexes or through a representative sampling of the securities that constitute those indexes based on objective criteria and data. Pursuant to BFA’s policy, investment opportunities are allocated equitably
among the Fund and other portfolios and accounts. For example, under certain circumstances, an investment opportunity may be restricted due to limited supply in 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 it
would have if the Portfolio Managers and BFA 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 BFA or its affiliates, as applicable, for its advisory services. One or more of those other portfolios or accounts, however, may
pay BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA or
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its
affiliates a portion of that portfolio’s or account’s gains, or would pay BFA or its affiliates more for its services than would otherwise be the case if BFA or any of its affiliates meets or exceeds specified performance targets. By
their nature, incentive-based fee arrangements could present an incentive for BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA and each of its affiliates have an obligation to allocate resources and opportunities equitably among portfolios and accounts and intend 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 Managers favoring those portfolios or accounts with incentive-based fee arrangements.
The tables below show, for each Portfolio Manager, the number
of portfolios or accounts of the types set forth in the above tables and the aggregate of total assets in those portfolios or accounts with respect to which the investment management fees are based on the performance of those portfolios or
accounts as of August 31, 2014:
| Matthew Goff | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
| Diane Hsiung | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
| Jennifer Hsui | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
| Greg Savage | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A |
The discussion below describes the
Portfolio Managers' compensation as of August 31, 2014.
Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview
BlackRock, Inc.'s financial arrangements with its portfolio
managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of
factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock, Inc.
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Base compensation. Generally,
portfolio managers receive base compensation based on their position with the firm.
Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is a function of several components: the performance of BlackRock, Inc., the performance of the portfolio manager's group within BlackRock, Inc. and the individual's performance and
contribution to the overall performance of these portfolios and BlackRock, Inc.
Distribution of Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash and BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units which vest ratably over a number of years. The BlackRock, Inc. restricted
stock units, if properly vested, will be settled in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. Typically, the cash bonus, when combined with base salary, represents more than 60% of total compensation for the portfolio managers. Paying a portion of annual
bonuses in stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year “at risk” based on BlackRock, Inc.'s ability to sustain and improve its performance over future periods.
Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards — From time to time, long-term incentive equity awards are granted to certain key employees to aid in retention, align their interests with long-term shareholder interests and motivate performance. Equity awards are
generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock.
Other Compensation Benefits.
In addition to base compensation and discretionary incentive compensation, portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:
Incentive Savings Plans
— BlackRock, Inc. has created a variety of incentive savings plans in which BlackRock, Inc. employees are eligible to participate, including a 401(k) plan, the BlackRock Retirement Savings Plan (“RSP”), and the BlackRock Employee
Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”). The employer contribution components of the RSP include a company match equal to 50% of the first 8% of eligible pay contributed to the plan capped at $5,000 per year, and a company retirement contribution
equal to 3-5% of eligible compensation up to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) limit ($260,000 for 2014). The RSP offers a range of investment options, including registered investment companies and collective investment funds
managed by the firm. BlackRock, Inc. contributions follow the investment direction set by participants for their own contributions or, absent participant investment direction, are invested into an index target date fund that corresponds to, or is
closest to, the year in which the participant attains age 65. The ESPP allows for investment in BlackRock, Inc. common stock at a 5% discount on the fair market value of the stock on the purchase date. Annual participation in the ESPP is limited to
the purchase of 1,000 shares of common stock or a dollar value of $25,000 based on its fair market value on the Purchase Date. Matthew Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage are each eligible to participate in these plans.
As of August 31, 2014, the Portfolio Managers did not
beneficially own shares of the Fund.
Codes of Ethics. The Company, BFA and the Distributor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of 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.
Anti-Money Laundering Requirements. The Fund is subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the “Patriot Act”). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other illicit
activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, the Fund may request information from Authorized Participants to enable it to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its Authorized Participants. This information will
be used to verify the identity of Authorized Participants or, in some cases, the status of financial professionals; it will be used only for compliance with the requirements of the Patriot Act.
The Fund reserves the right to reject purchase orders from
persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. The Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in the Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the
Fund's policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.
Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund under the Master Services Agreement and related Service Schedule (the
“Service Module”). State Street’s principal address is 1 Iron Street, Boston, MA 02210. Pursuant to the Service Module for Fund Administration and Accounting Services with the Company, State Street provides necessary
administrative, legal, tax
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and
accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Company and the Fund. In addition, State Street makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services. Pursuant
to the Service Module for Custodial Services with the Company, State Street maintains, in separate accounts, cash, securities and other assets of the Company and the Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records and provides other services. State
Street is required, upon the order of the Company, to deliver securities held by State Street and to make payments for securities purchased by the Company for the Fund. State Street is authorized to appoint certain foreign custodians or foreign
custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. Pursuant to the Service Module for Transfer Agency Services with the Company, State Street acts as a transfer agent for the Fund’s authorized and issued shares of beneficial
interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Company. As compensation for these services, State Street receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by BFA from its
management fee.
The following table sets forth the
administration, custodian and transfer agency expenses of the Predecessor Fund paid by BFA to State Street for the fiscal years noted:
| Predecessor Fund Inception Date | Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2013 |
Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2012 | |||
| 11/09/10 | $596,265 | $438,949 | $246,675 |
Distributor. The Distributor's principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor or its agent only in Creation Units, as described
in the Prospectus and below in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Fund shares in amounts less than Creation Units are generally not distributed by the Distributor or its agent. The Distributor or its agent will arrange for the delivery of the Prospectus and, upon
request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it or its agents and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it or its agents. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
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 following (i) the vote of a majority of the Independent Directors, or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the 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 Units of Fund shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as described below), Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participants
and/or investor services organizations.
BFA or its
affiliates 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.
The Distributor served as the Predecessor Fund's distributor
since April 1, 2012 and as distributor to the Fund since its inception. Prior to April 1, 2012, SEI Investments Distribution Co. (“SEI”), located at One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456, served as the distributor to the Predecessor
Fund. The following table sets forth the compensation paid by BFA to SEI for certain services, not primarily intended to result in the sale of Fund shares, provided to the Predecessor Fund during the fiscal years noted:
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| Predecessor Fund Inception Date | Distributor
Compensation Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 20141 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 20131 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From April 1, 2012 to August 31, 20121 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From Sept. 1, 2011 to March 31, 20122 | ||||
| 11/09/10 | $6,438 | $7,721 | $ 3,318 | $6,270 |
| 1 | BRIL served as the distributor to the Predecessor Fund effective April 1, 2012 and to the Fund since its inception. These fees reflect payments made to SEI, acting as an agent of the Distributor. |
| 2 | SEI served as the distributor to the Predecessor Fund through March 31, 2012. |
Payments by BFA and its Affiliates. BFA and/or its affiliates (“BFA Entities”) pay certain broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities
related to the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products in general. BFA Entities make these payments from their own assets and not from the assets of the Fund. Although a portion of BFA Entities’ revenue comes directly or
indirectly in part from fees paid by the Fund and other iShares funds, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, the Fund or other iShares funds. BFA Entities make payments for
Intermediaries’ participation in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such
as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems (“Education Costs”). BFA Entities also make payments to Intermediaries
for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Fund or materials relating to exchange-traded products in general (“Publishing Costs”). In addition, BFA Entities make payments to Intermediaries that make shares of
the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their clients, develop new products that feature iShares or otherwise promote the Fund and other iShares funds. BFA Entities may also reimburse expenses or make payments from their own assets to
Intermediaries or other persons in consideration of services or other activities that the BFA Entities believe may benefit the iShares business or facilitate investment in iShares funds. Payments of the type described above are sometimes referred to
as revenue-sharing payments.
Payments to an
Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because an Intermediary may
make decisions about which investment options it will recommend or make available to its clients or what services to provide for various products based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments may create conflicts of interest
between the Intermediary and its clients and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund and other iShares funds over other investments. The same conflicts of interest and financial incentives exist with respect to
your salesperson or other investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
As of March 1, 2013, BFA Entities have contractual
arrangements to make payments (in addition to payments for Education Costs or Publishing Costs) to one Intermediary, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (“FBS”). Pursuant to this special, long-term and significant arrangement (the
“Marketing Program”), FBS and certain affiliates (collectively “Fidelity”) have agreed, among other things, to actively promote iShares funds to customers and investment professionals and in advertising campaigns as the
preferred exchange-traded product, to offer certain iShares funds in certain Fidelity platforms and investment programs, in some cases at a reduced commission rate or commission free, and to provide marketing data to BFA Entities. BFA Entities have
agreed to facilitate the Marketing Program by, among other things, making certain payments to FBS for marketing and implementing certain brokerage and investment programs. Upon termination of the arrangement, the BFA Entities will make additional
payments to FBS based upon a number of criteria, including the overall success of the Marketing Program and the level of services provided by FBS during the wind-down period.
Any additions, modifications, or deletions to Intermediaries
listed above that have occurred since the date noted above are not included in the list. Further, BFA Entities make Education Costs and Publishing Costs payments to other Intermediaries that are not listed above. BFA Entities may determine to make
such payments based on any number of metrics. For example, BFA Entities may make payments at year-end or other intervals in a fixed amount, an amount based upon an Intermediary’s services at defined levels or an amount based on the
Intermediary’s net sales of one or more iShares funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed-upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. As of the date of this SAI, BFA anticipates
that the payments paid by BFA Entities in connection with the Fund, iShares funds and exchange-traded products in general will be immaterial to BFA Entities in the aggregate for the next year.
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Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more
information regarding any such payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by the BFA Entities to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy shares of iShares funds.
The Fund may participate in certain market maker incentive
programs of a national securities exchange in which an affiliate of the Fund would pay a fee to the exchange used for the purpose of incentivizing one or more market makers in the securities of the Fund to enhance the liquidity and quality of the
secondary market of securities of the Fund. The fee would then be credited by the exchange to one or more market makers that meet or exceed liquidity and market quality standards with respect to the securities of the Fund. Each market maker
incentive program is subject to approval from the SEC. Any such fee payments made to an exchange will be made by an affiliate of the Fund solely for the benefit of the Fund and will not be paid from any Fund assets.
Determination of Net Asset Value
Valuation of Shares. The NAV
for the Fund is generally calculated as of the close of regular trading hours on the NYSE (currently 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each business day the NYSE is open. Valuation of securities held by the Fund is as follows:
Equity Investments. Equity
securities traded on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), separate trading boards of a securities exchange or through a market system that
provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (each, an “Exchange”) are valued using information obtained via independent pricing services, generally the Exchange closing price, or if an Exchange closing price is not
available, the last traded price on that Exchange prior to the time as of which the Fund’s assets or liabilities are valued. However, under certain circumstances, other means of determining current market value may be used. If an equity
security is traded on more than one Exchange, the current market value of the security where it is primarily traded generally will be used. In the event that there are no sales involving an equity security held by the Fund on a day on which the Fund
values such security, the prior day’s price will be used, unless, in accordance with valuation procedures approved by the Board (the “Valuation Procedures”), BlackRock determines in good faith that such prior day’s price no
longer reflects the fair value of the security, in which case such asset would be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below).
Fixed Income Investments. In
accordance with the Valuation Procedures, fixed income securities for which market quotations are readily available are generally valued using such securities’ most recent bid prices provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market
makers, or independent third-party pricing services, each of which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market transactions for the same or similar assets to derive values. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used
with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value. Loan participation notes are generally valued at the mean of the last available
bid prices from one or more brokers or dealers as obtained from independent third-party pricing services. Certain fixed income investments, including asset-backed and mortgage-related securities, may be valued based on valuation models that consider
the estimated cash flows of each tranche of the entity, establish a benchmark yield and develop an estimated tranche specific spread to the benchmark yield based on the unique attributes of the tranche. Fixed income securities for which market
quotations are not readily available may be valued by third-party pricing services that make a valuation determination by securing transaction data (e.g., recent representative bids), credit quality information, perceived market movements, news, and other relevant information and by other methods, which may include consideration of yields or prices of securities of
comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; and general market conditions.
Options, Futures, Swaps and Other Derivatives. Exchange-traded equity options for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask prices as quoted on the Exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded. In
the event that there is no mean price available for an exchange traded equity option held by the Fund on a day on which the Fund values such option, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the
value of such option. If no such bid or ask price is available on a day on which the Fund values such option, the prior day’s price will be used, unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such prior day’s price no longer reflects
the fair value of the option in which case such option will be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below). OTC derivatives may be valued using a mathematical model which may incorporate a number of market data factors. Financial futures
contracts and options thereon, which are traded on exchanges, are valued at their settle price as of the close of such exchanges. Swap
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agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon
quotations from market makers or by a pricing service in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
Underlying Funds. Shares of
underlying exchange-traded funds will be valued at their most recent closing price on an Exchange. Shares of underlying money market funds will be valued at their net asset value.
General Valuation Information.
In determining the market value of portfolio investments, the Fund may employ independent third-party pricing services, which may use, without limitation, a matrix or formula method that takes into consideration
market indexes, matrices, yield curves and other specific adjustments. This may result in the securities being valued at a price different from the price that would have been determined had the matrix or formula method not been used. All cash,
receivables and current payables are carried on the Fund’s books at their face value.
Prices obtained from independent third-party pricing services,
broker-dealers or market makers to value the Fund’s securities and other assets and liabilities are based on information available at the time the Fund values its assets and liabilities. In the event that a pricing service quotation is revised
or updated subsequent to the day on which the Fund valued such security or other asset or liability, the revised pricing service quotation generally will be applied prospectively. Such determination will be made considering pertinent facts and
circumstances surrounding the revision.
Certain types of
securities, including many fixed income securities, trade infrequently and there may be no current market transactions or recent representative bids for such securities. To the extent that prices for such securities are not reflective of current
market transactions or recent representative bids, the Fund will value such securities in good faith in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
In the event that application of the methods of valuation
discussed above result in a price for a security which is deemed not to be representative of the fair market value of such security, the security will be valued by, under the direction of or in accordance with a method specified by the Board as
reflecting fair value. All other assets and liabilities (including securities for which market quotations are not readily available) held by the Fund (including restricted securities) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board
or by BlackRock (its delegate) pursuant to the Valuation Procedures. Any assets and liabilities which are denominated in a foreign currency are converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or
more data service providers.
Certain of the securities
acquired by the Fund may be traded on foreign exchanges or OTC markets on days on which the Fund’s net asset value is not calculated. In such cases, the net asset value of the Fund’s shares may be significantly affected on days when
investors can neither purchase nor redeem shares of the Fund.
Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations
could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Fund’s NAV and the prices used in the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between a Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying
Index.
Fair Value. When
market quotations are not readily available or are believed in good faith by BlackRock to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value (“Fair Value Assets”). Fair Value Assets are valued by BlackRock in accordance
with the Valuation Procedures. BlackRock may reasonably conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if, among other things, a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of
trading, if BlackRock believes in good faith that a market quotation from a broker-dealer or other source is unreliable (e.g., where it varies
significantly from a recent trade, or no longer reflects the fair value of the security or other asset or liability subsequent to the most recent market quotation), where the security or other asset or liability is only thinly traded or due to the
occurrence of a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. For this purpose, a “significant event” is deemed to occur if BlackRock determines, in its reasonable business judgment, that an event has occurred after
the close of trading for an asset or liability but prior to or at the time of pricing the Fund’s assets or liabilities, and that the event is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the assets or liabilities held by
the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets (e.g.,
ADRs, GDRs or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued. On any day the NYSE is open and a foreign market or the primary exchange on which a foreign asset or liability is traded is closed, such asset or
liability will be valued using the prior day’s price, provided that BlackRock is not aware of any significant event or other information that would cause such price to no longer reflect the fair value of the asset or liability, in which case
such asset or liability would be treated as a Fair Value Asset.
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BlackRock, with input from the BlackRock Investment Strategy
Group, will submit its recommendations regarding the valuation and/or valuation methodologies for Fair Value Assets to BlackRock’s Valuation Committee. The Valuation Committee may accept, modify or reject any recommendations. In addition, the
Fund’s accounting agent periodically endeavors to confirm the prices it receives from all third-party pricing services, index providers and broker-dealers, and, with the assistance of BlackRock, to regularly evaluate the values assigned to the
securities and other assets and liabilities held by the Fund. The pricing of all Fair Value Assets is subsequently reported to and, where appropriate, ratified by the Board.
When determining the price for a Fair Value Asset, the
BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) will seek to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on
which the assets or liabilities are being valued, and does not seek to determine the price that the Fund might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability
to maturity. Fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that the Valuation Committee (or Pricing Group) deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BlackRock using
proprietary or third party valuation models.
Fair value
represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. When determining fair value of an asset, one or more of a variety of fair valuation methodologies may be used (depending on certain factors, including the asset type). For
example, the asset may be priced on the basis of the original cost of the investment or, alternatively, using proprietary or third-party models (including models that rely upon direct portfolio management pricing inputs and which reflect the
significance attributed to the various factors and assumptions being considered). Prices of actual, executed or historical transactions in the relevant asset and/or liability (or related or comparable assets and/or liabilities) or, where
appropriate, an appraisal by a third party experienced in the valuation of similar assets and/or liabilities, may also be used as a basis for establishing the fair value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities
may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund’s net asset value. As a result, the Fund’s sale or
redemption of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.
The Fund’s annual audited financial statements, which
are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”), follow the requirements for valuation set forth in Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards
Codification Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), which defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value under US GAAP and expands financial statement disclosure requirements relating
to fair value measurements. Generally, ASC 820 and other accounting rules applicable to funds and various assets in which they invest are evolving. Such changes may adversely affect the Fund. For example, the evolution of rules governing the
determination of the fair market value of assets or liabilities to the extent such rules become more stringent would tend to increase the cost and/or reduce the availability of third-party determinations of fair market value. This may in turn
increase the costs associated with selling assets or affect their liquidity due to the Fund’s inability to obtain a third-party determination of fair market value.
Brokerage Transactions
Subject to policies established by the Board, BFA is primarily
responsible for the execution of the Fund’s portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage. BFA does not execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but seeks to obtain the best net results for the Fund, taking into
account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. While
BFA generally seeks reasonable trade execution costs, the Fund does not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available, and payment of the lowest commission or spread is not necessarily consistent with obtaining the best price and
execution in particular transactions. Subject to applicable legal requirements, BFA may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to BFA and its clients, including the Fund. In return for such services, BFA may cause
the Fund to pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if BFA determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.
In selecting brokers or dealers to execute portfolio
transactions, BFA seeks to obtain the best price and most favorable execution for the Fund and may take into account a variety of factors including: (i) the size, nature and character of the security or instrument being traded and the markets in
which it is purchased or sold; (ii) the desired timing of the
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transaction; (iii) BFA’s knowledge of the expected commission rates and
spreads currently available; (iv) the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular security or instrument, including any anticipated execution difficulties; (v) the full range of brokerage services provided; (vi) the
broker’s or dealer’s capital; (vii) the quality of research and research services provided; (viii) the reasonableness of the commission, dealer spread or its equivalent for the specific transaction; and (ix) BFA’s knowledge of any
actual or apparent operational problems of a broker or dealer. 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, or other
circumstances.
Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act
(“Section 28(e)”) permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for
effecting the same transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer. This includes commissions paid on riskless principal transactions under certain conditions.
From time to time, the Fund may purchase new issues of
securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the broker may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide BFA with research services. FINRA has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of
arrangements under certain circumstances. Generally, the broker will provide research “credits” in these situations at a rate that is higher than that available for typical secondary market transactions. These arrangements may not fall
within the safe harbor of Section 28(e).
The Fund
anticipates that brokerage transactions involving foreign securities generally will be conducted primarily on the principal stock exchanges of the applicable country. Foreign equity securities may be held by the Fund in the form of depositary
receipts, or other securities convertible into foreign equity securities. Depositary receipts may be listed on stock exchanges, or traded in OTC markets in the United States or Europe, as the case may be. American Depositary Receipts, like other
securities traded in the United States, will be subject to negotiated commission rates.
OTC issues, including most fixed income securities such as
corporate debt and U.S. Government securities, are normally traded on a “net” basis without a stated commission, through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers. The Fund will primarily engage in transactions with these
dealers or deal directly with the issuer unless a better price or execution could be obtained by using a broker. Prices paid to a dealer with respect to both foreign and domestic securities will generally include a “spread,” which is the
difference between the prices at which the dealer is willing to purchase and sell the specific security at the time, and includes the dealer’s normal profit.
Under the 1940 Act, persons affiliated with the Fund and
persons who are affiliated with such affiliated persons are prohibited from dealing with the Fund as principal in the purchase and sale of securities unless a permissive order allowing such transactions is obtained from the SEC. Since transactions
in the OTC market usually involve transactions with the dealers acting as principal for their own accounts, the Fund will not deal with affiliated persons, including PNC and its affiliates, in connection with such transactions. The Fund will not
purchase securities during the existence of any underwriting or selling group relating to such securities of which BFA, PNC, BRIL or any affiliated person (as defined in the 1940 Act) thereof is a member except pursuant to procedures adopted by the
Board in accordance with Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act.
Purchases of money market instruments by the Fund are made
from dealers, underwriters and issuers. The Fund does not currently expect to incur any brokerage commission expense on such transactions because money market instruments are generally traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as
principal for their own accounts without a stated commission. The price of the security, however, usually includes a profit to the dealer.
BFA 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 BFA, in conformity with Rule 17e-1 under 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.
Securities purchased in underwritten offerings include a fixed
amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s concession or discount. When securities are purchased or sold directly from or to an issuer, no commissions or discounts are paid.
Investment decisions for the Fund and for other investment
accounts managed by BFA and its affiliates are made independently of each other in light of differing conditions. A variety of factors will be considered in making investment
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allocations. These factors include: (i) investment objectives or strategies
for particular accounts, including sector, industry, country or region and capitalization weightings; (ii) tax considerations of an account; (iii) risk or investment concentration parameters for an account; (iv) supply or demand for a security at a
given price level; (v) size of available investment; (vi) cash availability and liquidity requirements for accounts; (vii) regulatory restrictions; (viii) minimum investment size of an account; (ix) relative size of account; and (x) such other
factors as may be approved by BlackRock’s general counsel. Moreover, investments may not be allocated to one client account over another based on any of the following considerations: (i) to favor one client account at the expense of another;
(ii) to generate higher fees paid by one client account over another or to produce greater performance compensation to BlackRock; (iii) to develop or enhance a relationship with a client or prospective client; (iv) to compensate a client for past
services or benefits rendered to BlackRock or to induce future services or benefits to be rendered to BlackRock; or (v) to manage or equalize investment performance among different client accounts. BFA and its affiliates may deal, trade and invest
for their own account in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest.
Initial public offerings of securities may be over-subscribed
and subsequently trade at a premium in the secondary market. When BFA is given an opportunity to invest in such an initial offering or “new” or “hot” issue, the supply of securities available for client accounts is often less
than the amount of securities the accounts would otherwise take. In order to allocate these investments fairly and equitably among client accounts over time, each portfolio manager or a member of his or her respective investment team will indicate
to BFA’s trading desk their level of interest in a particular offering with respect to eligible clients’ accounts for which that team is responsible. Initial public offerings of U.S. equity securities will be identified as eligible for
particular client accounts that are managed by portfolio teams who have indicated interest in the offering based on market capitalization of the issuer of the security and the investment mandate of the client account and in the case of international
equity securities, the country where the offering is taking place and the investment mandate of the client account. Generally, shares received during the initial public offering will be allocated among participating client accounts within each
investment mandate on a pro rata basis. This pro rata allocation may result in the Fund receiving less of a particular security than if pro-ration had not occurred. All allocations of securities will be subject, where relevant, to share minimums
established for accounts and compliance constraints. In situations where supply is too limited to be allocated among all accounts for which the investment is eligible, portfolio managers may rotate such investment opportunities among one or more
accounts so long as the rotation system provides for fair access for all client accounts over time. Other allocation methodologies that are considered by BFA to be fair and equitable to clients may be used as well.
Because different accounts may have differing investment
objectives and policies, BFA may buy and sell the same securities at the same time for different clients based on the particular investment objective, guidelines and strategies of those accounts. For example, BFA may decide that it may be entirely
appropriate for a growth fund to sell a security at the same time a value fund is buying that security. To the extent that transactions on behalf of more than one client of BFA or its affiliates during the same period may increase the demand for
securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price. For example, sales of a security by BlackRock on behalf of one or more of its clients may decrease the market price of such security,
adversely impacting other BlackRock clients that still hold the security. If purchases or sales of securities arise for consideration at or about the same time that would involve the Fund or other clients or funds for which BFA or an affiliate act
as investment manager, transactions in such securities will be made, insofar as feasible, for the respective funds and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all.
In certain instances, BFA may find it efficient for purposes
of seeking to obtain best execution, to aggregate or “bunch” certain contemporaneous purchases or sale orders of its advisory accounts and advisory accounts of affiliates. In general, all contemporaneous trades for client accounts under
management by the same portfolio manager or investment team will be bunched in a single order if the trader believes the bunched trade would provide each client with an opportunity to achieve a more favorable execution at a potentially lower
execution cost. The costs associated with a bunched order will be shared pro rata among the clients in the bunched order. Generally, if an order for a particular portfolio manager or management team is filled at several different prices through
multiple trades, all accounts participating in the order will receive the average price (except in the case of certain international markets where average pricing is not permitted). While in some cases this practice could have a detrimental effect
upon the price or value of the security as far as the Fund is concerned, in other cases it could be beneficial to the Fund. Transactions effected by BFA or its affiliates on behalf of more than one of its clients during the same period may increase
the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, causing an adverse effect on price. The trader will give the bunched order to the broker-dealer that the trader has identified as being able to provide the best
execution of the order. Orders for purchase or sale of securities will be placed within a reasonable amount of time of the order receipt and bunched orders will be kept bunched only long enough to execute the order.
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The table below sets forth the brokerage commissions paid by
the Predecessor Fund for the fiscal years noted. Any differences in brokerage commissions paid by the Predecessor Fund from year to year are due to increases or decreases in the Predecessor Fund’s assets over those
periods:
| Predecessor Fund Inception Date | Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2013 |
Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2012 | |||
| 11/09/10 | $26,540 | $35,337 | $27,198 |
The Predecessor Fund did not
pay any brokerage commissions to BlackRock, an affiliate of BFA, or a subsidiary of BTC, during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2014.
The Fund's purchase and sale orders for securities may be
combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that BFA or its affiliates manage or advise and for which they have brokerage placement authority. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Fund and one or more other
accounts managed or advised by BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA and its affiliates. 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. BFA and its affiliates may deal, trade and invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest. BFA and its affiliates 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 BFA, 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 rules or regulations, or by SEC exemptive
order.
Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as
well as within a year. High turnover rates may result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses.
The table below sets forth the portfolio turnover rates for
the Predecessor Fund for the fiscal years noted:
| Fiscal
Year Ended August 31, 2014 |
Fiscal
Year Ended August 31, 2013 | |
| 15% | 14% |
Additional Information Concerning
the Company
Capital Stock. The Company currently is comprised of 60 series referred to as funds. Each series issues shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share. The Company has authorized and issued the following funds as separate
series of capital stock: iShares Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, iShares
Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Latin America Bond ETF, iShares MSCI All Country World
Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Australia ETF, iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Canada ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI
Colombia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy
Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Horizon ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI
Emerging Markets Value ETF, iShares MSCI EMU ETF, iShares MSCI France ETF, iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, iShares MSCI Germany ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Gold
Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining
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Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Hong Kong
ETF, iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF,
iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF,
iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Turkey ETF, iShares MSCI USA ETF and iShares MSCI World ETF. The Company has authorized for issuance, but is not currently offering for sale to the public, eleven additional series of shares of common
stock. The Board may designate additional series of common stock and classify shares of a particular series into one or more classes of that series. The Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation confers upon the Board the power to establish the
number of shares which constitute a Creation Unit or by resolution, restrict the redemption right to Creation Units.
Each share issued by a fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of that fund. The Company is currently authorized to issue 33.85 billion shares of common stock. The following number of shares is currently authorized for each of the funds: iShares
Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, 500 million shares;
iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF,
500 million shares; iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Latin America Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Australia ETF, 627.8
million shares; iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, 100 million shares; iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, 136.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Canada ETF, 340.2
million shares; iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, 500 million
shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 2
billion shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Horizon ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI EMU ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI France ETF, 340.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI
Germany ETF, 382.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Metals
& Mining Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, 375 million shares; iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, 295.4
million shares; iShares MSCI Japan ETF, 2.1246 billion shares; iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF, 255 million shares; iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, 255
million shares; iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, 400 million shares; iShares MSCI South Korea Capped
ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, 127.8 million shares; iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, 63.6 million shares; iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, 318.625 million shares; iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, 900 million shares; iShares MSCI
Thailand Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Turkey ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI USA ETF, 500 million shares; and iShares MSCI World ETF, 500 million shares. Fractional shares will not be issued. 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 fund, and in the net distributable assets of
such fund on liquidation. Shareholders are entitled to require the Company to redeem Creation Units of their shares. The Articles of Incorporation confer upon the Board the power, by resolution, to alter the number of shares constituting a Creation
Unit or to specify that shares of common stock of the Company may be individually redeemable.
Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a
stockholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and the Maryland General Corporation Law. Stockholders have no cumulative voting rights with respect to their shares. Shares of all
funds vote together as a single class except that, if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund or, if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on such matter.
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Under Maryland law, the Company is not required to hold an
annual meeting of stockholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Company is not to hold an annual meeting of stockholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. Under Maryland law, Directors of the Company may be
removed by vote of the stockholders.
Following the
creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of shares of a fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in the fund’s shares, a holder of shares may be a “control person” of the fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. The fund
cannot predict the length of time for which one or more stockholders may remain a control person of the fund.
Stockholders may make inquiries by writing to iShares, Inc.,
c/o BlackRock Investments, LLC, 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
Absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or
its staff, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the shares of a 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 or its staff, officers and directors of a fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of the 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 Company or the Fund. The Company or the Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board, or the affirmative vote of a supermajority of the shareholders of the Company or the Fund entitled to vote on termination. Although the
shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the Company's organizational documents provide that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit. In the event of a
termination of the Company or the Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Units or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Company may make
redemptions in-kind, for cash or for a combination of cash or securities.
DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Fund. 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 New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), the NYSE Amex Equities and FINRA. 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. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of
such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications
to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Company and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Company upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Company a listing of the shares of the
Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Company shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Company 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 Company 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 Company. 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 the 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 Company 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 Company at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Company and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Company shall take
action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
General. The Company
issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor or its agent, without a sales load, at a price based on the NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined below), of an
order received by the Distributor or its agent in proper form. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to be placed earlier in the day. The following table sets forth the number of shares of the Fund
that constitute a Creation Unit for the Fund and the value of such Creation Unit as of September 30, 2014:
| Shares
Per Creation Unit |
Value
Per Creation Unit (U.S.$) | |
| 50,000 | $868,500 |
In its discretion, BFA reserves the
right to increase or decrease the number of the Fund’s shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of the Fund, and to make a corresponding
change in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.
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, as observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents'
Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Fund Deposit. The
consideration for purchase of Creation Units of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) (“Deposit
Securities”) and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which, when combined with the Fund's portfolio securities, is intended to
generate performance that has a collective investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index. The Fund Deposit represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund.
The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference
between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities, and serves to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the
Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing the Creation Unit.
BFA makes available through the NSCC on each Business Day
prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange, the list of names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component to be
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included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information as of the end of
the previous Business Day for the Fund). Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to purchases of Creation Units of shares of the Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made available.
The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities
change pursuant to changes in the composition of the Fund's portfolio and as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by BFA with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the
Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the Underlying Index.
The Fund reserves the right to permit or require the
substitution of 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 DTC. The Fund also
reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which (i) the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted
under applicable securities or other local laws or (ii) 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 applicable
securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations.
Cash Purchase Method.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund,
they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a partial or full cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to
provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser.
Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a DTC Participant that has entered into an authorized participant agreement with the Distributor (an “Authorized Participant”). Such Authorized
Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of such authorized participant agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available in
advance of each purchase of shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the net asset value of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fees
described below. An Authorized Participant, acting on behalf of an investor, may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who
are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an authorized participant agreement and
that orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor. The
Company does not expect to enter into an authorized participant agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current Authorized Participants may be obtained from the Distributor. The Distributor has adopted guidelines
regarding Authorized Participants’ transactions in Creation Units that are made available to all Authorized Participants. These guidelines set forth the processes and standards for Authorized Participants to transact with the Distributor and
its agents in connection with creation and redemption transactions.
Purchase Orders. To
initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit to the Distributor or its agent an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund, in proper form, generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day to
receive that day’s NAV. The Distributor or its agent will notify BFA and the custodian of such order. The custodian will then provide such information to any appropriate sub-custodian. Procedures and requirements governing the delivery of the
Fund Deposit are set forth in the procedures handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a creation request to be made through an
Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper
submission of the purchase order to the Distributor or its agent by the Cutoff Time (as defined below) on such Business Day.
The Authorized Participant must also make available on or
before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Fund, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Fund to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with
the applicable purchase transaction fees. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit. Those placing orders should ascertain the deadline for
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cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the broker or
depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the Cutoff Time of the Fund. Investors should be aware that an Authorized Participant may require orders for purchases
of shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual Authorized Participant.
The Authorized Participant is responsible for any and all
expenses and costs incurred by the Fund, including any applicable cash amounts, in connection with any purchase order.
Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Creation Orders must be
transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor or its agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the authorized 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 its agent or an Authorized Participant. Orders to create shares of the Fund that are submitted on the Business Day immediately
preceding a holiday or a day (other than a weekend) when the equity markets in the relevant non-U.S. market are closed may not be accepted. The Fund's deadline specified above for the submission of purchase orders is referred to as the Fund's
“Cutoff Time.” The Distributor or its agent, in their discretion, may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or through an Authorized Participant at any time (including on days on which the Listing Exchange is not open for
business) via communication through the facilities of the Distributor's or its agent's proprietary website maintained for this purpose. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Company, will be processed based on the NAV next
determined after such acceptance in accordance with the Fund's Cutoff Times as provided in the authorized participant agreement and disclosed in this SAI.
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the Authorized Participant (either on its own or another investor's behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Fund
are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Fund will accept the order, subject to the Fund's right (and the right of the Distributor and BFA) to reject any order until acceptance, as set forth
below.
Once the Fund has accepted an order, upon
the next determination of the net asset value of the shares, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such net asset value. The Distributor or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to
the Authorized Participant that placed the order.
The
Fund reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor or its agent 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 do not conform to the identity and number of shares specified, 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, in the discretion of the Fund or BFA, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or
(vii) circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Distributor or its agent and BFA make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Distributor or its agent shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Fund, State Street, the sub-custodian and the Distributor or its agent 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 failure to give such notification.
Issuance of a Creation Unit.
Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the
custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor or its agent and BFA shall be notified of such delivery and
the Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Typically, Creation Units are issued on a “T+3 basis” (i.e., three
Business Days after trade date). However, as discussed in the Regular Holidays section of this SAI, the Fund reserves the right to settle Creation
Unit transactions on a basis other than T+3 in order to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (i.e., the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security) and in certain other
circumstances.
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To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's
agreement with the Distributor, the Fund will issue Creation Units to such Authorized Participant, notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the
Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value at least equal to 105% and up to 115%,
which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Fund's then-effective procedures. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Fund is cash in U.S. dollars.
Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the contractual settlement date. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any,
on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. Information concerning the Fund's current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor or its agent. The authorized
participant agreement will permit the Fund to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such securities and the cash
collateral.
In certain cases, Authorized Participants
may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the Authorized Participants that the creation and redemption
transactions are for separate beneficial owners. 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 Fund and the Fund's determination shall be final and binding.
Costs Associated with Creation Transactions. A standard creation transaction fee is imposed to offset the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized
Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. The Authorized Participant may also be
required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (up to the maximum amount shown below). Authorized Participants will
also bear the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Fund. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
The following table sets forth the Fund's standard creation
transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
| Standard
Creation Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | |
| $2,300 | 3.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit. |
Redemption of Creation Units.
Shares of the Fund may be redeemed by Authorized Participants only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor or its agent and only
on a Business Day. The Fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the secondary market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors
should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a Creation Unit that could be redeemed by an Authorized Participant. Beneficial owners also may sell shares in the
secondary market.
The Fund generally redeems
Creation Units for Fund Securities. Please see the Cash Redemption Method section below and the following discussion summarizing the in-kind method for further information on redeeming Creation Units of the
Fund.
BFA makes available through the NSCC, prior to the
opening of business on the Listing Exchange on each Business Day, the designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or
correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”), and an amount of cash (the “Cash Amount,” as described below). Such Fund Securities and the corresponding Cash
Amount (each subject to possible amendment or correction) are applicable, in order to effect redemptions of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next announced composition of the Fund Securities and Cash Amount is made available. Fund
Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are
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applicable to creations of Creation Units. Procedures and requirements
governing redemption transactions are set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time.
Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for the
Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities, plus the Cash Amount, which is an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after the receipt
of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of Fund Securities, less a redemption transaction fee (as described below).
The Company may, in its sole discretion, substitute a
“cash in lieu” amount to replace any Fund Security. The Company also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which: (i) the delivery of a Fund
Security to the Authorized Participant would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws; or (ii) the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Fund Security due to the
Authorized Participant becoming restricted under applicable securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations. The amount of cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the substituted security listed as a Fund
Security. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than 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
Fund generally redeems Creation Units for Fund Securities, but the Fund reserves the right to utilize a cash option for redemption of Creation Units.
Cash Redemption Method.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in
essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions thereof. In the case of partial or full cash redemption, the Authorized Participant receives the cash equivalent of the Fund Securities it would otherwise receive through an in-kind redemption, plus
the same Cash Amount to be paid to an in-kind redeemer.
Costs Associated with Redemption Transactions. A standard redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on
the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. The Authorized Participant may also be required to cover
certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (up to the maximum amount shown below). Authorized Participants will also bear the
costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Fund to their account on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to dispose of Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
The following table sets forth the Fund's standard redemption
transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
| Standard
Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | |
| $2,300 | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Placement of Redemption
Orders. Redemption requests for Creation Units of the Fund must be submitted to the Distributor by or through an Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable request to redeem
shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an
Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request.
The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for
redemption in the form required by the Fund to the Distributor or its agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the authorized participant agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an authorized
participant agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an authorized participant agreement. At any time, only a limited number of
broker-dealers will have an authorized participant agreement in effect. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified
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by
such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the shares to the Fund's transfer agent; such
investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.
A redemption request is considered to be in “proper
form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Fund's transfer agent the Creation Unit redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Listing Exchange closing time on any
Business Day, (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Fund is received by the Distributor or its agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above and (iii) all other
procedures set forth in the authorized participant agreement are properly followed. If the transfer agent does not receive the investor's shares through DTC's facilities by 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Business Day next following the day that the
redemption request is received, the redemption request shall be rejected. Investors should be aware that the deadline for such transfers of shares through the DTC system may be significantly earlier than the close of business on the Listing
Exchange. Those making redemption requests should ascertain the deadline applicable to transfers of shares through the DTC system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effecting the transfer of the
shares.
Upon receiving a redemption request, the
Distributor or its agent shall notify the Fund and the Fund's transfer agent of such redemption request. The tender of an investor's shares for redemption and the distribution of the securities and/or cash included in the redemption payment made in
respect of Creation Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant Authorized Participant to the Beneficial Owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may
be, or by such other means specified by the Authorized Participant submitting the redemption request.
A redeeming Beneficial Owner or Authorized Participant acting
on behalf of such Beneficial Owner must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the portfolio securities are customarily traded, to which account
such portfolio securities will be delivered.
Deliveries
of redemption proceeds by the Fund generally will be made within three Business Days (i.e., “T+3”). However, as discussed in the Regular Holidays section,
the Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions and deliver redemption proceeds on another basis to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record
dates and dividend ex-dates (i.e., the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold) and in certain other circumstances. The Regular Holidays section hereto identifies the instances, if any, where more than seven days would be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Pursuant to an order of the SEC, the Company will make delivery of
redemption proceeds within the number of days stated in the Regular Holidays section to be the maximum number of days necessary to deliver redemption proceeds.
If neither the redeeming Beneficial Owner nor the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of such redeeming Beneficial Owner has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of Fund Securities in the applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible
to effect deliveries of Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In such
case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the net asset value of its shares based on the NAV the Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charges
specified above to offset the Fund's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities
laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund cannot lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or cannot do so without first
registering the Fund Securities under such laws.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit cash
redemptions of Creation Units, in the event that cash redemptions are permitted or required by the Company, proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming shares as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven
calendar days thereafter, except for the instances listed in the Regular Holidays section in which more than seven calendar days would be needed).
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To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's
agreement with the Distributor or its agent, in the event an Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to the Fund, at or prior to 10:00 a.m.,
Eastern time on the Listing Exchange business day after the date of submission of such redemption request, the Distributor or its agent will accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the
missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash, in U.S. dollars in immediately available funds, having a value at least equal to 105%
and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing shares. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the day after the date of submission of such
redemption request and shall be held by State Street and marked-to-market daily. The fees of State Street and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized
Participant. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. The authorized participant
agreement permits the Fund to acquire shares of the Fund at any time and subjects the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the aggregate of the cost to the Fund of purchasing such shares, plus the value of the Cash Amount,
and the value of the cash collateral.
Because the
portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on exchange(s) on days that the Listing Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of the Fund, or purchase or sell shares of the
Fund on the Listing Exchange on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.
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 Listing Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the Listing Exchange 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's portfolio securities or determination of its net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other
circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Taxation on
Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated
by taking the market value of the Creation Units purchased over the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the IRS may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon
the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units is not currently deductible. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisors.
Current U.S. federal income tax laws dictate that capital gain
or loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were
held for one year or less, if the Creation Units are held as capital assets.
Regular Holidays. For
every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the Russian 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 non-U.S. market due to emergencies may also prevent the Company from delivering securities within the normal settlement period.
The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for
transferring portfolio securities to redeeming investors, coupled with non-U.S. market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days, 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.
In calendar year 2015 (the only year for which holidays are
known at the time of filing this SAI), the dates of regular holidays affecting the Russian securities market are as follows (please note these holiday schedules are subject to potential changes in the Russian securities market):
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2015
| Russia | |||
| January 1 | January 7 | March 9 | June 12 |
| January 2 | January 8 | May 1 | November 4 |
| January 5 | January 9 | May 4 | December 31 |
| January 6 | February 23 | May 11 | |
Redemptions. The longest
redemption cycle for the Fund is a function of the longest redemption cycle in the Russian securities market. In the calendar year 2015 (the only year for which holidays are known at the time of filing this SAI), the dates of regular holidays
affecting the Russian securities market presents the worst-case redemption cycles* for the Fund as follows:
| 2015 | ||||||
| Country | Trade
Date |
Settlement
Date |
Number
of Days to Settle | |||
| Russia | 12/28/15 | 01/13/16** | 16 | |||
| 12/29/15 | 01/14/16** | 16 | ||||
| 12/30/15 | 01/15/16** | 16 | ||||
| * | These worst-case redemption cycles are based on information regarding regular holidays, which may be out of date. Based on changes in holidays, longer (worse) redemption cycles are possible. |
| ** | Based on expected January holidays in 2016 known at the time of filing this SAI. |
Taxes
The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal
income tax considerations regarding the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of the Fund. This summary does not address all of the potential U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be applicable to the Fund or to all categories of
investors, some of which may be subject to special tax rules. Current and prospective shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of investing in the
Fund. The summary is based on the laws in effect on the date of this SAI and existing judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.
Regulated Investment Company Qualifications. The Fund intends to qualify for treatment as a separate 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 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 non-U.S. currencies, other income (including, but not limited to, 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 interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships
(i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive 90% of
their income from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of the Fund'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
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total assets may be invested in the securities (other than U.S. government
securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, of two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the Fund and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or
the securities of one or more qualified publicly-traded partnerships.
The Fund may be able to cure a failure to derive 90% of its
income from the sources specified above or a failure to diversify its holdings in the manner described above by paying a tax and/or by disposing of certain assets. If, in any taxable year, the Fund fails one of these tests and does not timely
cure the failure, the Fund will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders will not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.
Although, in general, the passive loss rules of the Internal
Revenue Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships. The Fund's investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly-traded partnerships,
may result in the Fund being subject to state, local, or non-U.S. 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, provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. To satisfy the
minimum distribution requirement, the Fund must distribute to its shareholders at least the sum of (i) 90% of its “investment company taxable income” (i.e., income other than its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), plus or minus certain adjustments, and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year. The Fund will
be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its shareholders. If the Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC or fails to meet the distribution requirement, 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 be eligible to be treated 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 U.S. federal income taxation to the extent any such income
or gains are not distributed. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a RIC. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than
two taxable years, the Fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets (i.e., the excess of the
aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been liquidated) if it qualifies as a RIC in a subsequent year.
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 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the 12
months ended October 31 of such year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by the Fund that is subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been distributed by year-end. In addition, the
minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any underdistribution or overdistribution, as the case may be, from the previous 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.
Net Capital Loss Carryforwards. Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year, until they have been reduced to zero or until their respective expiration dates, whichever occurs
first. Capital loss carryforwards from taxable years beginning after 2010 are not subject to expiration, and short-term and long-term capital loss carryforwards from such taxable years may only be applied against net realized short-term and
long-term capital gains, respectively.
In the
event that the Fund were to experience an ownership change as defined under the Internal Revenue Code, the loss carryforwards and other favorable tax attributes of the Fund, if any, may be subject to limitation.
As of August 31, 2014, the Predecessor Fund had non-expiring
capital loss carryforwards in the amount of $8,260,181 available to offset future realized capital gains.
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Taxation of U.S. Shareholders.
Dividends and other distributions by the Fund are generally treated under the Internal Revenue Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, any dividend or distribution declared by the Fund
in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year and to have been paid by
the Fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.
The Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders
substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if the Fund retains for investment an
amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (at a maximum rate of 35%) on the amount retained. In
that event, the Fund will designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their
proportionate shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the 35% tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds
to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their shares by an amount equal to 65% of the amount of undistributed capital gains included
in the shareholder’s income. Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid by the Fund upon
filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.
Distributions of net realized long-term capital gains, if any,
that the Fund reports as capital gains dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. All other dividends of the Fund (including dividends
from short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits (“regular dividends”) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income, subject to the discussion of qualified dividend income below. Married couples
filing jointly with income over approximately $450,000 and unmarried individuals with income over approximately $400,000, amounts adjusted annually for inflation, are subject to a 20% tax on any income in excess of those amounts that is long-term
capital gain or qualified dividend income, and generally all other long-term capital gain is taxed at 15% (0% at certain income levels). In addition, the top marginal ordinary income tax rate is 39.6% for income in excess of the above
thresholds.
If an individual receives a regular dividend
qualifying for the long-term capital gains rates and such dividend constitutes an “extraordinary dividend,” and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend
was paid, then the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An “extraordinary dividend” on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of
the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period, or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of
stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.
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 shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the shareholder holds shares of the
Fund as capital assets). Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of
capital. 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. Dividends paid by the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from domestic corporations may qualify for the
U.S. federal dividends received deduction for corporations, although such amounts are not expected to be significant for this Fund.
A 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on
net investment income, including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain from investments, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Investors considering buying shares just prior to a dividend
or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of shares purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such dividend or distribution
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may
nevertheless be taxable to them. If the Fund is the holder of record of any security on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such security, 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 security became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (i.e., the date on which a buyer of the security would not be entitled to receive the declared, but
unpaid, dividends); or (b) the date the Fund acquired such security. 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.
In certain situations, the Fund may, for a taxable year, defer
all or a portion of its net capital loss realized after October and its late-year ordinary loss (defined as the excess of the Fund’s post-October foreign currency and “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) losses
and other post-December ordinary losses over post-October foreign currency and PFIC gains and other post-December ordinary income) until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer
the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.
Sales of Shares. Upon
the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder’s basis in shares of the Fund. 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
or capital gains distributions, or by an option on substantially identical shares 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 Fund shares 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. The Medicare contribution tax described above will apply to the sale of Fund shares.
If a shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring shares of
the Fund, disposes of those shares within 90 days and then, on or before January 31 of the following calendar year, 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 shareholders from immediately deducting the sales charge by shifting their investments within a family of mutual funds.
Back-Up Withholding. In
certain cases, the Fund will be required to withhold at a 28% rate and remit to the U.S. Treasury such amounts withheld from any distributions paid to a shareholder who: (i) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (ii) is
subject to back-up withholding by the IRS; (iii) has failed to certify to the Fund that such shareholder is not subject to back-up withholding; or (iv) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).
Back-up withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability.
Sections 351 and 362.
The Company, 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 the Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Internal Revenue Code, the 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 Company will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Company determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to the Fund or its shareholders. The
Company also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Taxation of Certain Derivatives. The Fund’s transactions in zero coupon securities, non-U.S. currencies, forward contracts, options and futures contracts (including options and futures contracts on non-U.S. currencies), to the extent
permitted, will be subject to special provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (including provisions relating to “hedging transactions” and
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“straddles”) that, among other things, may affect the character
of gains and losses realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer Fund losses. These rules could therefore
affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as
if they were closed out at the end of each year) and (b) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding
income and excise taxes. The Fund will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any zero coupon security, non-U.S. currency, forward contract,
option, futures contract or hedged investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC.
The Fund’s investments in so-called “Section 1256
contracts,” such as regulated futures contracts, most non-U.S. currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most security indexes, are subject to special tax rules. All Section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the
end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund’s income as if each position had been sold for its fair market value at the end of the
taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in Section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets and were not part of a
“hedging transaction” nor part of a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss,
regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund.
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). With respect to certain types of swaps, the
Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss.
Qualified Dividend Income.
Distributions by the Fund of investment company taxable income (including any short-term capital gains), whether received in cash or shares, will be taxable either as ordinary income or as qualified dividend
income, which is eligible to be taxed at long-term capital gain rates to the extent the Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities it holds and the Fund reports the distribution as qualified dividend income. Qualified dividend income
is, in general, dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations (but generally not from U.S. REITs) and certain non-U.S. corporations (e.g., non-U.S.
corporations that are not “passive foreign investment companies” and which are 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 (where the dividends are paid with respect to such stock)). Under current IRS guidance, the United States has appropriate comprehensive income tax treaties with the following
countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (but not with Hong Kong, which is treated as a separate jurisdiction for U.S. tax purposes), Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Russia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela. Substitute payments received by the Fund
for securities lent out by the Fund will not be qualified dividend income.
A dividend from the Fund 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 61 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 or the Fund fails to satisfy those holding period requirements with respect to the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the shareholder (or, in the case of certain preferred stocks, the holding
requirement of 91 days during the 181-day period beginning on the date that is 90 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend); (ii) the Fund or 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.
Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT or another RIC may be treated as qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are attributable to qualified dividend income received by such REIT or other RIC. It is expected that
dividends received by the Fund from a REIT and distributed to a
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shareholder generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income.
Distributions by the Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income.
Excess Inclusion Income.
Under current law, the Fund serves to block unrelated business taxable income from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize unrelated
business taxable income by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Section 514(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. Certain types of
income received by the Fund from REITs, real estate mortgage investment conduits, taxable mortgage pools or other investments may cause the Fund to report some or all of its distributions as “excess inclusion income.” To Fund
shareholders, such excess inclusion income may (i) constitute taxable income, as unrelated business taxable income for those shareholders who would otherwise be tax-exempt such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k) accounts, Keogh plans, pension
plans and certain charitable entities; (ii) not be offset by otherwise allowable deductions for tax purposes; (iii) not be eligible for reduced U.S. withholding for non-U.S. shareholders even from tax treaty countries; and (iv) cause the Fund to be
subject to tax if certain “disqualified organizations,” as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, are Fund shareholders. If a charitable remainder annuity trust or a charitable remainder unitrust (each as defined in Section 664 of the
Internal Revenue Code) has unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) for a taxable year, a 100% excise tax on the UBTI is imposed on the trust.
Non-U.S. Investments.
Under Section 988 of the Internal Revenue Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time the Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities
denominated in a non-U.S. currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses) realized on debt instruments will be treated as
Section 988 gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gains or losses on non-U.S. currency, non-U.S. currency forward
contracts and certain non-U.S. currency options or futures contracts denominated in non-U.S. currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or
loss unless the Fund were to elect otherwise.
The
Fund may be subject to non-U.S. income taxes withheld at the source. The Fund, if permitted to do so, may elect to “pass through” to its investors the amount of non-U.S. income taxes paid by the Fund provided that the Fund held the
security on the dividend settlement date and for at least 15 additional days immediately before and/or thereafter, with the result that each investor with respect to shares of the Fund held for a minimum 16-day holding period at the time of deemed
distribution will (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s non-U.S. income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating U.S.
taxable income, but only for investors who itemize their deductions on their personal tax returns) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal income tax) the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s
non-U.S. income taxes. A non-U.S. person invested in the Fund in a year that the Fund elects to “pass through” its non-U.S. taxes may be treated as receiving additional dividend income subject to U.S. withholding tax. A non-U.S. tax
credit may not exceed the investor’s U.S. federal income tax otherwise payable with respect to the investor’s non-U.S. source income. For this purpose, shareholders must treat as non-U.S. source gross income (i) their proportionate
shares of non-U.S. taxes paid by the Fund and (ii) the portion of any dividend paid by the Fund that represents income derived from non-U.S. sources; the Fund’s gain from the sale of securities will generally be treated as U.S.-source income.
Certain limitations will be imposed to the extent to which the non-U.S. tax credit may be claimed. If your Fund shares are loaned pursuant to securities lending arrangements, you may lose the ability to use any non-U.S. tax credits passed through by
the Fund or to treat Fund dividends (paid while the shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividends. Regarding a short sale with respect to shares of the Fund, substitute payments made to the lender of such shares may not be deductible under
certain circumstances. Consult your financial intermediary or tax advisor.
Passive Foreign Investment Companies. If the Fund purchases shares in PFICs, it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is
distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.
If the Fund were to invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the
PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” under the Internal Revenue Code, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the Fund might be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the
qualified electing fund, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts would be
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subject to the 90% and excise tax distribution requirements described above.
In order to make this election, the Fund would be required to obtain certain annual information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain.
Alternatively, the Fund may make a mark-to-market election
that would result in the Fund being treated as if it had sold and repurchased its PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the Fund would report any such gains as ordinary income and would deduct any such losses as ordinary losses to the
extent of previously recognized gains. The election must be made separately for each PFIC owned by the Fund and, once made, would be effective for all subsequent taxable years, unless revoked with the consent of the IRS. By making the election, the
Fund could potentially ameliorate the adverse tax consequences with respect to its ownership of shares in a PFIC, but in any particular year may be required to recognize income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds
from dispositions of PFIC stock. The Fund may have to distribute this “phantom” income and gain to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax.
The Fund will make the appropriate tax elections, if possible,
and take any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate the effects of these rules.
Reporting. 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 guidance, shareholders of a RIC 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.
Other Taxes. Dividends,
distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and non-U.S. taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.
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. Dividends paid by the Fund from net tax-exempt income or long-term capital gains are generally not subject to such withholding tax. 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, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or other applicable form may be subject to back-up withholding at the appropriate rate.
For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2014,
properly-reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. 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 report
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, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or substitute
Form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports 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.
For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2014,
distributions that the Fund reports as “short-term capital gain dividends” or “long-term capital gain dividends” will not be treated as such to a recipient foreign shareholder if the distribution is attributable to gain
received from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property or an interest in a U.S. real property holding corporation and the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property exceeded certain levels. Instead, if the foreign
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shareholder has not owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund
at any time during the one year period ending on the date of distribution, such distributions will be subject to 30% withholding by the Fund and will be treated as ordinary dividends to the foreign shareholder; if the foreign shareholder owned more
than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of the distribution, such distribution will be treated as real property gain subject to 35% withholding tax and could subject the foreign
shareholder to U.S. filing requirements. Additionally, if the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property were to exceed certain levels, a foreign shareholder realizing gains upon redemption from the Fund on or before December
31, 2013 could be subject to the 35% withholding tax and U.S. filing requirements unless more than 50% of the Fund’s shares were owned by U.S. persons at such time or unless the foreign person had not held more than 5% of the Fund’s
outstanding shares throughout either such person’s holding period for the redeemed shares or, if shorter, the previous five years.
The rules laid out in the previous paragraph, other than the
withholding rules, will apply notwithstanding the Fund’s participation in a wash sale transaction or its payment of a substitute dividend.
Provided that 50% or more of the value of the Fund’s
stock is held by U.S. shareholders, distributions of U.S. real property interests (including securities in a U.S. real property holding corporation, unless such corporation is regularly traded on an established securities market and the Fund has
held 5% or less of the outstanding shares of the corporation during the five-year period ending on the date of distribution) occurring on or before December 31, 2013, in redemption of a foreign shareholder’s shares of the Fund will cause the
Fund to recognize gain. If the Fund is required to recognize gain, the amount of gain recognized will equal to the fair market value of such interests over the Fund’s adjusted bases to the extent of the greatest foreign ownership percentage of
the Fund during the five-year period ending on the date of redemption.
Legislation has been proposed to extend the above expiration
dates, but no assurance can be provided that such legislation will be enacted.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items, and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders; and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect
U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct
and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained; agree to withhold tax on certain payments
made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event an intergovernmental agreement
and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or
provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Shares of the Fund held by a non-U.S. shareholder at death
will be considered situated within the United States and subject to the U.S. estate tax.
The foregoing discussion is a summary of certain material U.S.
federal income tax considerations only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in such shares, including consequences under
state, local and non-U.S. 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.
Financial Statements
The Predecessor Fund’s audited Financial Statements,
including the Financial Highlights, appearing in the Annual Report to Shareholders and the report therein of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, are hereby incorporated by reference in this SAI. The
Predecessor Fund’s Annual Report to Shareholders, which contains the referenced audited financial statements, is available upon request and without charge.
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Miscellaneous Information
Counsel. Willkie Farr
& Gallagher LLP, located at 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, is counsel to the Company.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, located at Three Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111, serves as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Fund's financial statements, and may
perform other services.
Shareholder Communications
to the Board. The Board has established a process for shareholders to communicate with the Board. Shareholders may contact the Board by mail. Correspondence should be addressed to iShares Board of Directors,
c/o BlackRock Fund Advisors, iShares Fund Administration, 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Shareholder communications to the Board should include the following information: (i) the name and address of the shareholder; (ii) the number of
shares owned by the shareholder; (iii) the Fund(s) of which the shareholder owns shares; and (iv) if these shares are owned indirectly through a broker, financial intermediary or other record owner, the name of the broker, financial intermediary or
other record owner. All correspondence received as set forth above shall be reviewed by the Secretary of the Company and reported to the Board.
Investors’ Rights.
The Fund relies on the services of the investment adviser and other service providers, including the distributor, administrator, custodian and transfer agent. Further information about the duties and roles of
these service providers is set out in this SAI. Investors who acquire shares of the Fund are not parties to the relevant agreement with these service providers and do not have express contractual rights against the Fund or its service providers,
except certain institutional investors that are Authorized Participants may have certain express contractual rights with respect to the Distributor under the terms of the relevant authorized participant agreement. Investors may have certain legal
rights under federal or state law against the Fund or its service providers. In the event that an investor considers that it may have a claim against the Fund, or against any service provider in connection with its investment in the Fund, such
investor should consult its own legal advisor.
By
contract, Authorized Participants irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or U.S. federal court sitting in New York City over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to the authorized participant
agreement. Jurisdiction over other claims, whether by investors or Authorized Participants, will turn on the facts of the particular case and the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceeding is brought.
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IS-SAI-ERUS-0615
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iShares®, Inc.
Statement of Additional Information
Dated September 1, 2014
(as revised June 22, 2015)
(as revised June 22, 2015)
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”)
is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the following fund of iShares, Inc. (the “Company”):
| Fund | Ticker | Stock Exchange | ||
| iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (the “Fund”) | DVYE | NYSE Arca |
The Prospectus for the Fund is
dated September 1, 2014, as amended and supplemented from time to time. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. The Financial Statements and Notes contained in the Annual
Report and Semi-Annual Report of the Company for the Fund are incorporated by reference into and are deemed to be part of this SAI. A copy of the Prospectus, Annual Report and Semi-Annual Report for the Fund may be obtained without charge by writing
to the Company’s distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor” or “BRIL”), 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or visiting
www.iShares.com. The Fund's Prospectus is incorporated by reference into this SAI.
References to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the “Investment Company Act” or the “1940 Act”), or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”), SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.
iShares® is a registered trademark of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
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General Description of the Company and the Fund
The Company currently consists of more than 55 investment
series or portfolios. The Company was organized as a Maryland corporation on September 1, 1994 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Company is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940
Act. The offering of the Company's shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). This SAI relates solely to the Fund.
The Fund is managed by BlackRock Fund Advisors
(“BFA”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc., and generally seeks to track the investment results of the specific benchmark index identified in the Fund's Prospectus (the “Underlying Index”).
The Fund offers and issues shares at their net asset value per
share (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (“Creation Unit”), generally in exchange for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted)
included in its Underlying Index (the “Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”). Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”
or the “Listing Exchange”), a national securities exchange. Shares of the Fund are traded in the secondary market and elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above or below the Fund's NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Units,
and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a Cash Component. Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares, generally 50,000 or multiples thereof.
The Company reserves the right to permit or require that
creations and redemptions of shares are effected fully or partially in cash. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities, subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain with the Company a cash deposit equal
to at least 105% and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change from time to time, of the market value of the omitted Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI.
Transaction fees and other costs associated with creations or redemptions that include a cash portion may be higher than the transaction fees and other costs associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, conditions and fees will be
limited in accordance with the requirements of SEC rules and regulations 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 Shareholder Information section of the Fund's Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of
the Prospectus.
Shares of the Fund are listed for
trading, and trade throughout the day, on the Listing Exchange and other secondary markets. Shares of the Fund may also be listed on certain non-U.S. exchanges. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange necessary to
maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met. The 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 Fund shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days, (ii) the value of the Underlying Index on which the Fund is based is no longer calculated or available, (iii) the
“indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”) of the Fund is no longer calculated or available, or (iv) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes further
dealings on the Listing Exchange inadvisable. The Listing Exchange will also remove shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you
buy or sell shares through a broker, you will incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker.
In order to provide additional information regarding the
indicative value of shares of the Fund, the Listing Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association, or through other widely disseminated means, an updated IOPV
for the Fund as calculated by an information provider or
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market data vendor. The Company is not involved in or responsible for any
aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IOPVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IOPVs.
An IOPV has an equity securities component and a cash
component. The equity securities values included in an IOPV are the values of the Deposit Securities for the Fund. While the IOPV reflects the current value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a
Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the Fund may include securities that are not a part of the
current Deposit Securities. Therefore, the Fund’s IOPV disseminated during the Listing Exchange trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the Fund’s NAV, which is calculated only once a day.
The cash component included in an IOPV consists of estimated
accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses. If applicable, each IOPV also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the applicable currency.
The Company 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 or an investor's equity interest
in the Fund.
Investment Strategies and Risks
The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily
in securities issued by issuers that comprise its Underlying Index and through transactions that provide substantially similar exposure to securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund generally will invest at least 90% of its assets in the component
securities of the Underlying Index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of the Underlying index (i.e., depositary receipts
representing securities of the Underlying Index) and may invest up to 10% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates
(“BlackRock Cash Funds”), as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track 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 engages in representative sampling, which is
investing in a sample of securities selected by BFA to have a collective investment profile similar to that of the Fund's 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 Underlying Index. A fund that uses representative sampling generally does not hold all of the
securities that are in its underlying index.
Although
the Fund does not seek leveraged returns, certain instruments used by the Fund may have a leveraging effect as described below.
Borrowing. The Fund may
borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions. Under normal market conditions, any borrowing by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund’s net
assets; however, the Fund generally does not intend to borrow money.
The purchase of securities while borrowings are outstanding
may have the effect of leveraging the Fund. The incurrence of leverage increases the Fund’s exposure to risk, and borrowed funds are subject to interest costs that will reduce net income. Purchasing securities while borrowings are outstanding
creates special risks, such as the potential for greater volatility in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the yield on the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the interest expenses from borrowings may exceed the income generated by the
Fund’s portfolio and, therefore, the amount available (if any) for distribution to shareholders as dividends may be reduced. BFA may determine to maintain outstanding borrowings if it expects that the benefits to the Fund’s shareholders
will outweigh the current reduced return.
Certain types
of borrowings by the Fund may result in the Fund being subject to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage, portfolio composition requirements and other matters. It is not anticipated that observance of such covenants would impede
BFA from managing the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies. However, a breach of any such covenants not cured within the specified cure period may result in acceleration of
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outstanding indebtedness and require the Fund to dispose of portfolio
investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
Currency Transactions.
The Fund does not expect to engage in currency transactions for the purpose of hedging against declines in the value of the Fund's assets that are denominated in a non-U.S. currency. The Fund may enter into non-U.S. currency forward and
non-U.S. currency futures contracts to facilitate local securities settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with its distributions to shareholders, but may not enter into such contracts for speculative purposes.
A forward currency contract is an obligation to purchase or
sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. A currency futures contract is a contract involving an obligation
to deliver or acquire the specified amount of a specific currency, at a specified price and at a specified future time. Currency futures contracts may be settled on a net cash payment basis rather than by the sale and delivery of the underlying
currency. To the extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
Foreign exchange transactions involve a significant degree of
risk and the markets in which foreign exchange transactions are effected are highly volatile, highly specialized and highly technical. Significant changes, including changes in liquidity and prices, can occur in such markets within very short
periods of time, often within minutes. Foreign exchange trading risks include, but are not limited to, exchange rate risk, counterparty risk, maturity gap, interest rate risk, and potential interference by foreign governments through regulation of
local exchange markets, foreign investment or particular transactions in non-U.S. currency. If BFA utilizes foreign exchange transactions at an inappropriate time or judges market conditions, trends or correlations incorrectly, foreign exchange
transactions may not serve their intended purpose of improving the correlation of the Fund's return with the performance of the Underlying Index and may lower the Fund’s return. The Fund could experience losses if the value of its currency
forwards, options or futures positions were poorly correlated with its other investments or if it could not close out its positions because of an illiquid market. In addition, the Fund could incur transaction costs, including trading commissions, in
connection with certain non-U.S. currency transactions.
Diversification Status.
The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” A non-diversified fund is a fund that 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 (or securities of issuers in particular industries) may dominate the underlying index of such a fund 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.
The Fund intends to maintain the required level of
diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for purposes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and to relieve
the Fund of any liability for U.S. federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders, provided that the Fund satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the
Internal Revenue Code may limit the investment flexibility of the Fund and may make it less likely that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
Futures and Options.
Futures contracts and options may be used by the Fund to simulate investment in its Underlying Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Fund may enter into futures contracts and options that are traded on a U.S. or
non-U.S. exchange. The Fund will not use futures or options for speculative purposes. The Fund intend to use futures and options in accordance with Rule 4.5 of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”). BFA, with respect to the Fund, has
claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that BFA, with respect to the Fund, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the
CEA.
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 securities indexes when BFA anticipates purchasing the underlying securities and believes prices will rise before the purchase will be made. To the
extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
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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 an exercise 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. Investments in futures contracts and other investments that contain leverage may require the Fund to maintain liquid assets. Generally, the
Fund maintains an amount of liquid assets equal to its obligations relative to the position involved, adjusted daily on a marked-to-market basis. With respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to “cash-settle,” the
Fund maintains liquid assets in an amount at least equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market obligation (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability, if any), rather than the contracts’ notional
value (i.e., the value of the underlying asset). By maintaining assets equal to its net obligation under cash-settled futures contracts, the Fund may employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund set
aside assets equal to the futures contracts’ full notional value. The Fund bases its asset maintenance policies on methods permitted by the staff of the SEC and may modify these policies in the future to comply with any changes in the guidance
articulated from time to time by the SEC or its staff.
Illiquid Securities. The
Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment). Illiquid securities may include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments
that lack readily available markets, as determined in accordance with SEC staff guidance. The liquidity of a security relates to the ability to readily dispose of the security and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the security, which may
be lower than the price that would be obtained for a comparable, more liquid security. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount to comparable, more liquid securities and may impair the Fund’s ability to dispose of securities in a timely
fashion at their expected price.
Lending Portfolio
Securities. The Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain borrowers determined to be creditworthy by BFA, including borrowers affiliated with BFA. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an
amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned. No securities loan shall be made on behalf of the Fund if, as a result, the aggregate value of all securities loans of the Fund exceeds one-third of the value of the Fund's
total assets (including the value of the collateral received). 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 may 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 the lending Fund or through one or more joint accounts or money market funds, including those affiliated with BFA; such investments are subject to investment risk.
The Fund conducts its securities lending pursuant to an
exemptive order from the SEC permitting it to lend portfolio securities to borrowers affiliated with the Fund and to retain an affiliate of the Fund as lending agent. To the extent that the Fund engages in securities lending, BlackRock Institutional
Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”) acts as securities lending agent for the Fund, subject to the overall supervision of BFA. BTC administers the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the Company's Board of Directors (the
“Board” or the “Directors”).
The
Fund retains a portion of the securities lending income and remits a remaining portion to BTC as compensation for its services as securities lending agent. Securities lending income is equal to the total of income earned from the reinvestment of
cash collateral (and excludes collateral investment fees as defined below), and any fees or other payments to and from borrowers of securities. As securities lending agent, BTC bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending. The
Fund is responsible for fees in connection with the investment of cash collateral received for securities on loan in a money market fund managed by BFA; however, BTC has agreed to reduce the amount of securities lending income it receives in order
to effectively limit the collateral investment fees the Fund bears to an annual rate of 0.04% until December 31, 2014 and 0.05% thereafter (the “collateral investment fees”). Such money market fund shares will not be subject to a sales
load, redemption fee, distribution fee or service fee.
Pursuant to the current securities lending agreement:
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(i) International Equity Funds retain 75% of securities
lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees); however, commencing January 1, 2015 International Equity Funds will retain 70% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees); and (ii) these amounts can never be
less than 65% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
Under the securities lending program, the Fund is categorized
into specific asset classes. The determination of the Fund’s asset class category (fixed income, domestic equity, international equity or fund-of-funds), each of which may be subject to a different fee arrangement, is based on a methodology
agreed to between the Company and BTC.
In addition,
commencing the business day following the date that the aggregate securities lending income earned across the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (as defined under
“Management—Directors and Officers”) in a calendar year exceeds the aggregate securities lending income earned across the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex in
calendar year 2013 (the “Hurdle Date”) (or lesser amount as may be agreed to by the Fund and BTC), the International Equity Fund, pursuant to the securities lending agreement, will receive for the remainder of that calendar year
securities lending income as follows:
(i) 80% of
securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees); however, for the remainder of the calendar year following any Hurdle Date after January 1, 2015, International Equity Funds will retain 75% of securities lending income (which
excludes collateral investment fees) and (ii) these amounts can never be less than 65% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
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. If a securities lending counterparty were to default, the Fund would be subject to the
risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. In the event a borrower does not return the Fund’s securities as agreed, the Fund may experience losses
if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do 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. This event could
trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. The Fund could lose money if its short-term investment of the collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Substitute payments for dividends received by the Fund for securities loaned out
by the Fund will not be considered qualified dividend income. BTC will take into account the tax effects on shareholders of this difference in connection with the Fund’s securities lending program. Substitute payments received on tax-exempt
securities loaned out will not be tax-exempt income.
Non-U.S. Securities. The
Fund intends to purchase publicly-traded common stocks of non-U.S. issuers. To the extent the Fund invests in stocks of non-U.S. issuers, the Fund's investment in such stocks may be in the form of American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”),
Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) (collectively, “Depositary Receipts”). Depositary Receipts are receipts, typically issued by a bank or trust issuer, which evidence
ownership of underlying securities issued by a non-U.S. issuer. For ADRs, the depository is typically a U.S. financial institution and the underlying securities are issued by a non-U.S. issuer. For other forms of Depositary Receipts, the depository
may be a non-U.S. or a U.S. entity, and the underlying securities may be issued by a non-U.S. or a U.S. issuer. Depositary Receipts are not necessarily denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. Generally, ADRs, issued in
registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, issued in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout
the world.
The Fund will not invest in any
unlisted Depositary Receipt or any Depositary Receipt that BFA deems illiquid at the time of purchase or for which pricing information is not readily available. In general, Depositary Receipts must be sponsored, but the Fund may invest in
unsponsored Depositary Receipts under certain limited circumstances. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States. Therefore, there may be less information available regarding
such issuers and there may be no correlation between available information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts.
Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves
special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes
in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental
regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may
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differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as
growth of gross domestic product (“GDP”), rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions.
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 potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to the agreed upon price per share, also known as the “strike price,” less the premium received from writing the put.
The Fund may purchase and write put and call options on
futures contracts that are traded on an 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 instrument or 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 the 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.
Regulation Regarding Derivatives. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if the fund invests more than a prescribed level of its liquidation
value in CFTC-regulated futures, options and swaps , or if the fund markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. To the extent the Fund uses CFTC-regulated futures, options and swaps, it intends to do so below such prescribed
levels and will not market itself as a “commodity pool” or a vehicle for trading such instruments. Accordingly, BFA has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the CEA pursuant to
Rule 4.5 under the CEA. BFA is not, therefore, subject to registration or regulation as a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA in respect of the Fund.
Repurchase Agreements. A
repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires the security and the seller agrees, at the time of the
sale, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans by the purchaser to the seller
secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities will not be considered to be owned by the Fund but only to constitute collateral for the
seller’s obligation to pay the repurchase price, and, in the event of a default by the seller, the Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or losses in connection with the disposition of the collateral.
In any repurchase transaction, the collateral for a repurchase
agreement may include: (i) cash items; (ii) obligations issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities; or (iii) obligations that, at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into, are rated in the highest rating category
generally by at least two nationally-recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”), or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by BFA. Collateral, however, is not limited to the foregoing and may include, for
example, obligations rated below the highest category by NRSROs. Collateral for a repurchase agreement may also include securities that the Fund could not hold directly without the repurchase obligation. Irrespective of the type of collateral
underlying the repurchase agreement, in the case of a repurchase agreement entered
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into by a non-money market fund, the repurchase obligation of a seller must
be of comparable credit quality to securities that are rated in the highest two short-term credit rating categories by at least one NRSRO or, if unrated, deemed by BFA to be of equivalent quality.
Repurchase agreements pose certain risks for the Fund, should
it decide to utilize them. Such risks are not unique to the Fund, but are inherent in repurchase agreements. The Fund seeks to minimize such risks, but because of the inherent legal uncertainties involved in repurchase agreements, such risks cannot
be eliminated. Lower quality collateral and collateral with longer maturities may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with shorter maturities. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to
default, lower quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterparty’s repurchase obligation, the Fund
would retain the status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty (i.e., the position the Fund would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies, other unsecured debt securities
of the defaulting counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, the Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements.
Reverse repurchase agreements 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. 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 advantageous only if the Fund has an opportunity to earn a rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions that is greater 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 BFA believes it will be
advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s assets. The Fund’s exposure to reverse repurchase agreements will be covered by liquid assets having a
value equal to or greater than such commitments. The use of reverse repurchase agreements is a form of leverage because the proceeds derived from reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities.
Securities of Investment Companies. The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) to the extent allowed by law. Pursuant to the 1940 Act, the Fund’s investment in registered investment
companies is generally 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. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, the Fund intends from time to time to invest its assets in the securities of investment companies, including, but not
limited to, money market funds, including those advised by or otherwise affiliated with BFA, in excess of the general limits discussed above. Other investment companies in which the Fund may invest can be expected to incur fees and expenses for
operations, such as investment advisory and administration fees, which would be in addition to those incurred by the Fund. Pursuant to guidance issued by the staff of the SEC, fees and expenses of money market funds used for cash collateral received
in connection with loans of securities are not treated as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which reflect the Fund’s pro rata share of the fees
and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies (as disclosed in the prospectus, as applicable).
Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments. The Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that
may include but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds (including those advised by BFA or otherwise affiliated with BFA); (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including
government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’ acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions;
(iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody's® Investors Service, Inc., “F-1” by Fitch Ratings, Inc., or
“A-1” by Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. (“Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services”), or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by BFA; (v)
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 satisfy the rating requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of BFA, are of
comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks which may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be
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purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are
non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international
transactions.
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 performed on a net basis, with 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 liquid assets having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued
excess will be maintained by the Fund.
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.
Tracking Stocks. A
tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and is designed to “track” the performance of such business unit or division. The tracking
stock may pay dividends to shareholders independent of the parent company. The parent company, rather than the business unit or division, generally is the issuer of tracking stock. However, holders of the tracking stock may not have the same rights
as holders of the company’s common stock.
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 Prospectus, provided they are consistent with the Fund's investment objective and do not violate any of
its investment restrictions or policies.
General
Considerations and Risks
A discussion of some of the
principal risks associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Prospectus.
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 stocks in general, and other factors that affect the
market.
Borrowing Risk.
Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may
reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Custody Risk. Custody
risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and to the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to
complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets,
and thus may be subject to limited or no government oversight. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. The less
developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems. Practices in relation to the settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part
because of the use of brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal
to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being lost. In addition, the laws of certain countries may put limits on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if
a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or an agent of any of the foregoing goes bankrupt. The Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such custody problems and may have no successful claim for compensation.
Cyber Security Risk.
With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional
events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems
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(e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be
carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber
security failures or breaches by the Fund’s adviser, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, index providers, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), market makers, Authorized
Participants (as defined in the Portfolio Holdings Information section of this SAI) and the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations
potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory
fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund has established
business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the
Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund, issuers in which the Fund invests, market makers or Authorized Participants. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a
result.
Dividend Risk.
There is no guarantee that issuers of the stocks held by the Fund will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will either remain at current levels or increase over time.
Dividend-Paying Stock Risk.
The Fund's strategy of investing in dividend-paying stocks involves the risk that such stocks may fall out of favor with investors and underperform the market. Companies that issue dividend-paying stocks are
not required to continue to pay dividends on such stocks. Therefore, there is the possibility that such companies could reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends in the future or the anticipated acceleration of dividends could not occur.
Depending upon market conditions, dividend-paying stocks that meet the Fund’s investment criteria may not be widely available and/or may be highly concentrated in only a few market sectors. This may limit the ability of the Fund to produce
current income while remaining fully diversified.
Operational Risk. BFA
and the Fund’s other service providers may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Fund. While service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, their
methods of operational risk management may differ from the Fund's in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. BFA, through its monitoring and oversight of service providers, seeks to
ensure that service providers take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors. However, it is not possible for BFA or the other Fund service providers to identify all of the operational
risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.
Risk of Derivatives. A
derivative is a financial contract the value of which depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, a commodity (such as gold or silver), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the S&P 500® or the prime lending rate). 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. Derivatives are also subject to
counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations.
Risk of Equity Securities.
An investment in the Fund should 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 stock
markets 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). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to 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 common stocks incur more risks than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders generally
have rights to receive payments from stock issuers that are inferior to the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a
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stated principal amount payable at maturity (the value of which, however, is
subject to market fluctuations prior to maturity), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a
maturity.
Although most of the securities in the
Underlying Index are listed on a national securities exchange, the principal trading market for some of the securities may be in the over-the-counter market. The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether
dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the Fund’s shares
will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
Risk of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. 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.
Futures contracts, by definition, project price levels in the future and not current levels of valuation; therefore, market circumstances may result in a discrepancy between the price of the stock index future and the movement in the Fund's
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 futures 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 the risk exposure to levels comparable to a 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 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 BFA as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.
Because the futures market generally 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.
Risk of Investing in Non-U.S. Equity Securities. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in portfolios of equity securities traded on non-U.S. exchanges. These risks include market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and
political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. Investing in securities issued by issuers domiciled in countries other than the domicile of the investor and denominated in currencies other than an
investor’s local currency entails certain considerations and risks not typically encountered by the investor in making investments in its home country and in that country’s currency. These considerations include favorable or unfavorable
changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates, exchange control regulations and the costs that may be incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies. Investing in the Fund also involves certain risks and considerations not
typically associated with investing in a fund whose portfolio contains exclusively securities of U.S. issuers. These risks include generally less liquid and less efficient securities markets; generally greater price volatility; less publicly
available
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information about issuers; the imposition of withholding or other taxes; the
imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of funds or other assets of the Fund; restrictions on ownership of Indian securities by foreign entities; higher transaction and custody costs; delays and risks attendant in settlement procedures;
difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; lower liquidity and significantly smaller market capitalization; different accounting and disclosure standards; lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; more substantial government
interference with the economy; higher rates of inflation; greater social, economic, and political uncertainty; the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets; and the risk of war.
Risk of Swap Agreements.
The risk of loss with respect to swaps generally is limited to the net amount of payments that the 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 is contractually entitled to receive).
Risk of Investing in Mid-Capitalization Companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund’s share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a
larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments,
and the stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid, making it more difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies
and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.
Risk of Investing in Small-Capitalization Companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and therefore the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of
their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments. The stocks of
small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and may depend on a
small number of essential personnel, making them more vulnerable to loss of personnel. Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse
developments concerning their products.
Risk of
Investing in Africa. Investments in securities of issuers in certain African countries involve heightened risks including, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation,
political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision-making, armed conflict, civil war, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest and, in certain countries,
genocidal warfare.
Certain countries in Africa
generally have less developed capital markets than traditional emerging market countries, and, consequently, the risks of investing in foreign securities are magnified in such countries. Because securities markets of countries in Africa are
generally underdeveloped and are less correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries, securities markets in African countries are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market
capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations and uncertainty regarding the existence of trading markets. Moreover, trading on securities markets may be suspended altogether.
Market volatility may also be heightened by the actions of a
small number of investors. Brokerage firms in certain countries in Africa may be fewer in number and less established than brokerage firms in more developed markets. Since the Fund may need to effect securities transactions through these brokerage
firms, the Fund is subject to the risk that these brokerage firms will not be able to fulfill their obligations to the Fund (i.e., counterparty risk). This risk is magnified to the extent that the Fund effects
securities transactions through a single brokerage firm or a small number of brokerage firms.
Certain governments in African countries restrict or control
to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in those countries. Moreover, certain countries in Africa require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investment by foreign
investors and may limit the amount of investment by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer, and may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes
available for purchase by domestic investors of the countries and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. A delay in obtaining a government approval or a license would delay investments in a particular country, and, as a result, the Fund
may not be able to invest in certain securities while approval is
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pending. The government of a particular country may also withdraw or decline
to renew a license that enables the Fund to invest in such country. These factors make investing in issuers located or operating in countries in Africa significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries,
and any one of these factors could cause a decline in the value of the Fund’s investments.
Issuers located or operating in countries in Africa are not
subject to the same rules and regulations as issuers located or operating in more developed countries. Therefore, there may be less financial and other information publicly-available with regard to issuers located or operating in countries in Africa
and such issuers are not subject to the uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards applicable to issuers located or operating in more developed countries.
In addition, governments of certain countries in Africa in
which the Fund may invest may levy withholding or other taxes on income such as dividends, interest and realized capital gains. Although in certain countries in Africa a portion of these taxes are recoverable, the non-recovered portion of foreign
withholding taxes will reduce the income received from investments in such countries.
Investment in countries in Africa may be subject to a greater
degree of risk associated with governmental approval in connection with the repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors. In addition, there is the risk that if an African country’s
balance of payments declines, such African country may impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances. Consequently, the Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, required governmental approval for
repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Fund of any restrictions on investments. Additionally, investments in countries in Africa may require the Fund to adopt special procedures, seek local government approvals or take other
actions, each of which may involve additional costs to the Fund.
Securities laws in many countries in Africa are relatively new
and unsettled and, consequently, there is a risk of rapid and unpredictable change in laws regarding foreign investment, securities regulation, title to securities and shareholder rights. Accordingly, foreign investors may be adversely affected by
new or amended laws and regulations. In addition, there may be no single centralized securities exchange on which securities are traded in certain countries in Africa and the systems of corporate governance to which issuers located in countries in
Africa are subject may be less advanced than those systems to which issuers located in more developed countries are subject, and therefore, shareholders of issuers located in such countries may not receive many of the protections available to
shareholders of issuers located in more developed countries. In circumstances where adequate laws and shareholder rights exist, it may not be possible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of the law. In addition, the enforcement of systems of
taxation at federal, regional and local levels in countries in Africa may be inconsistent and subject to sudden change.
Certain countries in Africa may be heavily dependent upon
international trade and, consequently, have been and may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries
with which they trade. These countries also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. Certain countries in Africa depend to a significant extent upon exports of primary
commodities such as gold, silver, copper and diamonds. These countries therefore are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices, which may be affected by a variety of factors. In addition, certain issuers located in countries in Africa in which the
Fund invests may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations, and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As a
result, an issuer may sustain damage to its reputation if it is identified as an issuer which operates in, or has dealings with, such countries. The Fund, as an investor in such issuers, will be indirectly subject to those risks.
The governments of certain countries in Africa may exercise
substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in such countries, which could have a negative impact on
private sector companies. There is also the possibility of diplomatic developments that could adversely affect investments in certain countries in Africa. Some countries in Africa may be affected by a greater degree of public corruption and crime,
including organized crime.
In addition, recent political
instability and protests in North Africa and the Middle East have caused significant disruptions to many industries. This instability has demonstrated that political and social unrest can spread quickly through the region, and that developments in
one country can influence the political events in neighboring countries. Some protests have turned violent, and civil war and political reconstruction in certain countries such as Libya poses a risk to investments in the region. Continued political
and social unrest in these regions may negatively affect the value of an investment in the Fund.
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Risk of Investing in Asia.
Investments in securities of issuers in certain Asian countries involve risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in other regions. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or
nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision-making, armed conflict and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or
socio-economic unrest. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid rates of economic growth and industrialization in recent years, and there is no assurance that these rates of economic growth and industrialization will be maintained.
Certain Asian countries have democracies with relatively short
histories, which may increase the risk of political instability. These countries have faced political and military unrest, and further unrest could present a risk to their local economies and securities markets. Indonesia and the Philippines have
each experienced violence and terrorism, which has negatively impacted their economies. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two countries present the risk of war; in the recent
past, these tensions have escalated. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy and securities market. Increased political and social unrest in these geographic areas could
adversely affect the performance of investments in this region.
Certain governments in this region administer prices on
several basic goods, including fuel and electricity, within their respective countries. Certain governments may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector in their respective countries and may own or control many
companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in this region, which in turn could have a negative impact on private sector companies. There is also the possibility of diplomatic developments
adversely affecting investments in the region.
Corruption and the perceived lack of a rule of law in dealings
with international companies in certain Asian countries may discourage foreign investment and could negatively impact the long-term growth of certain economies in this region. In addition, certain countries in the region are experiencing high
unemployment and corruption, and have fragile banking sectors.
Some economies in this region are dependent on a range of
commodities, including oil, natural gas and coal. Accordingly, they are strongly affected by international commodity prices and particularly vulnerable to any weakening in global demand for these products. The market for securities in this region
may also be directly influenced by the flow of international capital, and by the economic and market conditions of neighboring countries. Adverse economic conditions or developments in neighboring countries may increase investors' perception of the
risk of investing in the region as a whole, which may adversely impact the market value of the securities issued by companies in the region.
Risk of Investing in Central and South America. The economies of certain countries in which the Fund invests are affected by the economies of other Central and South American countries, some of which have experienced high interest rates, economic volatility,
inflation, currency devaluations, government defaults and high unemployment rates. In addition, commodities (such as oil, gas and minerals) represent a significant percentage of the region's exports and many economies in this region are particularly
sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices. Adverse economic events in one country may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the countries to which the Fund has exposure.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market countries may be subject to greater risks than investments in developed countries. These risks include: (i) less social, political, and economic stability; (ii) greater illiquidity
and price volatility due to smaller or limited local capital markets for such securities, or low or non-existent trading volumes; (iii) foreign exchanges and broker-dealers may be subject to less scrutiny and regulation by local authorities; (iv)
local governments may decide to seize or confiscate securities held by foreign investors and/or local governments may decide to suspend or limit an issuer's ability to make dividend or interest payments; (v) local governments may limit or entirely
restrict repatriation of invested capital, profits, and dividends; (vi) capital gains may be subject to local taxation, including on a retroactive basis; (vii) issuers facing restrictions on dollar or euro payments imposed by local governments may
attempt to make dividend or interest payments to foreign investors in the local currency; (viii) investors may experience difficulty in enforcing legal claims related to the securities and/or local judges may favor the interests of the issuer over
those of foreign investors; (ix) bankruptcy judgments may only be permitted to be paid in the local currency; (x) limited public information regarding the issuer may result in greater difficulty in determining market valuations of the securities,
and (xi) lack of financial reporting on a regular basis, substandard disclosure and differences in accounting standards may make it difficult to ascertain the financial health of an issuer.
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Emerging market securities markets are typically marked by a
high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of ownership of such securities by a limited number of investors. In addition,
brokerage and other costs associated with transactions in emerging markets securities markets can be higher, sometimes significantly, than similar costs incurred in securities markets in developed countries. Although some emerging markets have
become more established and tend to issue securities of higher credit quality, the markets for securities in other emerging countries are in the earliest stages of their development, and these countries issue securities across the credit spectrum.
Even the markets for relatively widely traded securities in emerging countries may not be able to absorb, without price disruptions, a significant increase in trading volume or trades of a size customarily undertaken by institutional investors in
the securities markets of developed countries. The limited size of many of these securities markets can cause prices to be erratic for reasons apart from factors that affect the soundness and competitiveness of the securities issuers. For example,
prices may be unduly influenced by traders who control large positions in these markets. Additionally, market making and arbitrage activities are generally less extensive in such markets, which may contribute to increased volatility and reduced
liquidity of such markets. The limited liquidity of emerging country securities may also affect the Fund's ability to accurately value its portfolio securities or to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time it wishes to do so or in
order to meet redemption requests.
Many emerging market
countries suffer from uncertainty and corruption in their legal frameworks. Legislation may be difficult to interpret and laws may be too new to provide any precedential value. Laws regarding foreign investment and private property may be weak or
non-existent. Sudden changes in governments may result in policies which are less favorable to investors such as policies designed to expropriate or nationalize “sovereign” assets. Certain emerging market countries in the past have
expropriated large amounts of private property, in many cases with little or no compensation, and there can be no assurance that such expropriation will not occur in the future.
Investment in the securities markets of certain emerging
countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions may limit the Fund's investment in certain emerging countries and may increase the expenses of the Fund. Certain emerging countries require governmental approval prior to
investments by foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuer's outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of
the company available for purchase by nationals.
Many
emerging market countries lack the social, political, and economic stability characteristic of the United States. Political instability among emerging market countries can be common and may be caused by an uneven distribution of wealth, social
unrest, labor strikes, civil wars, and religious oppression. Economic instability in emerging market countries may take the form of: (i) high interest rates; (ii) high levels of inflation, including hyperinflation; (iii) high levels of unemployment
or underemployment; (iv) changes in government economic and tax policies, including confiscatory taxation; and (v) imposition of trade barriers.
The Fund's income and, in some cases, capital gains from
foreign securities will be subject to applicable taxation in certain of the emerging market countries in which it invests, and treaties between the United States and such countries may not be available in some cases to reduce the otherwise
applicable tax rates.
Emerging markets also have
different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain of these emerging markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such
transactions.
In the past, certain governments in
emerging market countries have become overly reliant on the international capital markets and other forms of foreign credit to finance large public spending programs, which in the past have caused huge budget deficits. Often, interest payments have
become too overwhelming for a government to meet, representing a large percentage of total GDP. These foreign obligations have become the subject of political debate and served as fuel for political parties of the opposition, which pressure the
government not to make payments to foreign creditors, but instead to use these funds for, among other things, social programs. Either due to an inability to pay or submission to political pressure, foreign governments have been forced to seek a
restructuring of their loan and/or bond obligations, have declared a temporary suspension of interest payments or have defaulted. These events have adversely affected the values of securities issued by foreign governments and corporations domiciled
in those countries and have negatively affected not only their cost of borrowing, but their ability to borrow in the future as well.
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Risk of Investing in Russia.
Investing in the Russian securities market involves a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the U.S. securities market, and should be considered highly
speculative. Risks include: the absence of developed legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property; the possibility of the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in Russia as a
result of expropriation; certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including, without limitation, restrictions on investing in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests; and
potentially greater price volatility in, significantly smaller capitalization of, and relative illiquidity of, the Russian market. There can also be no assurance that the Fund’s investments in the Russian securities market would not be
expropriated, nationalized or otherwise confiscated. In the event of the settlement of any such claims or such expropriation, nationalization or other confiscation, the Fund could lose its entire investment. In addition, it may be difficult and more
costly to obtain and enforce a judgment in the Russian court system.
Russia may also be subject to a greater degree of economic,
political and social instability than is the case in other developed countries. Such instability may result from, among other things, the following: (i) an authoritarian government or military involvement in political and economic decision-making,
including changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries;
and (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection.
The
Russian economy is heavily dependent upon the export of a range of commodities including most industrial metals, forestry products and oil and gas. Accordingly, it is strongly affected by international commodity prices and is particularly vulnerable
to any weakening in global demand for these products. Any acts of terrorism or armed conflicts in Russia or internationally could have an adverse effect on the financial and commodities markets and the global economy. As Russia produces and exports
large amounts of crude oil and gas, any acts of terrorism or armed conflict causing disruptions of Russian oil and gas exports could negatively affect the Russian economy and, thus, adversely affect the financial condition, results of operations or
prospects of related companies.
The Russian government
may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in Russia, which could have a negative impact on
private sector companies. There is also the possibility of diplomatic developments that could adversely affect investments in Russia. In recent years, the Russian government has begun to take bolder steps to re-assert its regional geopolitical
influence (including military steps). Such steps may increase tensions between Russia and its neighbors and Western countries and may negatively affect economic growth.
The United States and the European Union (the
“EU”), along with the regulatory bodies of a number of countries including Japan, Australia and Canada (collectively, “Sanctioning Bodies”), have imposed economic sanctions, which consist of asset freezes and sectorial
sanctions on certain Russian individuals and Russian corporate entities. The Sanctioning Bodies could also institute broader sanctions on Russia. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and
liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions could also result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive
or deliver those securities.
The sanctions against
certain Russian issuers include prohibitions on transacting in or dealing in new debt of longer than 30 or 90 days maturity or new equity of such issuers. Securities held by the Fund issued prior to the date of the sanctions being imposed are not
currently subject to any restrictions under the sanctions. However, compliance with each of these sanctions may impair the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, hold, receive or deliver the affected securities or other securities of such issuers. If it
becomes impracticable or unlawful for the Fund to hold securities subject to, or otherwise affected by, sanctions (collectively, “affected securities”), or if deemed appropriate by the Fund’s investment adviser, the Fund may
prohibit in-kind deposits of the affected securities in connection with creation transactions and instead require a cash deposit, which may also increase the Fund's transaction costs.
Also, if an affected security is included in the Fund’s Underlying Index, the Fund may, where practicable, seek to eliminate its holdings of the affected security by employing or augmenting its representative sampling strategy to seek to track the investment results of its Underlying Index. The use of (or increased use of) a representative sampling strategy may increase the Fund’s tracking error risk. If the affected securities constitute a significant percentage of the Underlying Index, the Fund may not be able to effectively implement a representative sampling strategy, which may result in significant tracking error between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its Underlying Index.
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Current or future sanctions may result in Russia taking
counter measures or retaliatory actions, which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These retaliatory measures may include the immediate freeze of Russian assets held by the Fund. In the event of such a freeze of any
fund assets, including depositary receipts, the Fund may need to liquidate non-restricted assets in order to satisfy any fund redemption orders. The liquidation of fund assets during this time may also result in the Fund receiving substantially
lower prices for its securities.
These sanctions may
also lead to changes in the Fund’s Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider may remove securities from the Underlying Index or implement caps on the securities of certain issuers that have been subject to recent economic sanctions. In
such an event, it is expected that the Fund will rebalance its portfolio to bring it in line with the Underlying Index as a result of any such changes, which may result in transaction costs and increased tracking error. These sanctions, the
volatility that may result in the trading markets for Russian securities and the possibility that Russia may impose investment or currency controls on investors may cause the Fund to invest in, or increase the Fund’s investments in, depositary
receipts that represent the securities of the Underlying Index. These investments may result in increased transaction costs and increased tracking error.
Risk of Investing in Taiwan.
Investment in Taiwanese issuers may subject the Fund to loss in the event of adverse political, economic, regulatory and other developments that affect Taiwan, including fluctuations of the New Taiwan dollar
versus the U.S. dollar. Taiwan has few natural resources. Any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a negative impact on the Taiwanese economy. Appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar, rising labor costs, and increasing
environmental consciousness have led some labor-intensive industries to relocate to other countries with cheaper work forces. Continued labor outsourcing may adversely affect the Taiwanese economy. Taiwanese firms are among the world’s largest
suppliers of computer monitors and leaders in personal computer manufacturing. A slowdown in global demand for these products will likely have an adverse impact on the Taiwanese economy. The Chinese government views Taiwan as a renegade province and
continues to contest Taiwan’s sovereignty. The outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities will likely adversely impact the Taiwanese economy. Such risks, among others, may adversely affect
the value of the Fund’s investments.
U.S.
Economic Trading Partners Risk. The United States is a significant trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain countries in which the Fund invests, and the economies of these countries may be
particularly affected by changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate or an economic slowdown in the United States may have a material adverse effect on economies of the
countries in which the Fund invests and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Risk of Investing in Eastern Europe. Investing in the securities of issuers located or operating in Eastern Europe is highly speculative and involves risks not usually associated with investing in the more developed markets of Western Europe.
Political and economic reforms are too recent to establish a definite trend away from centrally planned economies and state-owned industries. In the past, some Eastern European governments have expropriated substantial amounts of private property,
and many claims of the property owners have never been fully settled.
Many Eastern European countries continue to move toward market
economies at different paces with different characteristics. Most Eastern European securities markets suffer from thin trading activity, dubious investor protections, and often a dearth of reliable corporate information. Information and transaction
costs, differential taxes, and sometimes political or transfer risk give a comparative advantage to the domestic investor rather than the foreign investor. In addition, these markets are particularly sensitive to social, political, economic, and
currency events in Russia and may suffer heavy losses as a result of their trading and investment links to the Russian economy and currency. Russia also may attempt to assert its influence in the region through economic or even military measures, as
it did with Georgia in the summer of 2008 and Ukraine in 2014. Eastern European economies may also be particularly susceptible to changes in the international credit markets due to their reliance on bank related inflows of capital. The global
economic crisis has restricted international credit supplies, and several Eastern European economies have faced significant credit and economic crises. Although some Eastern European economies are expanding again, major challenges are still present
as a result of their continued dependence on the Western European zone for credit.
Risk of Investing in Europe.
Investing in European countries may expose the Fund to the economic and political risks of Europe and of the European countries in which it invests. The economies and markets of European countries are often
closely connected and interdependent, and events in one European country can have an adverse impact on other European countries. The Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled, or have significant operations, in
member
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countries of the Economic and Monetary Union (the “EMU”) of the
EU, which requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or
exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic
recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. Although certain European countries do not use the euro, many of these countries are obliged to meet the
criteria for joining the euro zone. Consequently, these countries must comply with many of the restrictions noted above. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic
downturns, rising government debt levels and the possible default of government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. In order to prevent further economic deterioration, certain countries, without
prior warning, can institute “capital controls.” Countries may use these controls to restrict volatile movements of capital entering and exiting their country. Such controls may negatively affect the Fund’s investments. A default
or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country's debt and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country's creditworthiness, which may be located in countries other than those listed above. In
addition, the credit ratings of certain European countries were recently downgraded. These downgrades may result in further deterioration of investor confidence. These events have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may
continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including
austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other
entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact of these actions,
especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
Risk of Investing in the Middle East. Many Middle Eastern countries have little or no democratic tradition, and the political and legal systems in such countries may have an adverse impact on the Fund. Many economies in the Middle East are highly
reliant on income from the sale of oil or trade with countries involved in the sale of oil, and their economies are therefore vulnerable to changes in the market for oil and foreign currency values. As global demand for oil fluctuates, many Middle
Eastern economies may be significantly impacted.
In addition, many Middle Eastern governments have exercised
and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In certain cases, a Middle Eastern country’s government may own or control many companies, including some of the largest companies in the country.
Accordingly, governmental actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in Middle Eastern countries. This could affect private sector companies and the Fund, as well as the value of securities in the Fund's
portfolio.
Certain Middle Eastern markets are in the
earliest stages of development. As a result, there may be a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and
financial intermediaries. Brokers in Middle Eastern countries typically are fewer in number and less well capitalized than brokers in the United States.
The legal systems in certain Middle Eastern countries also may
have an adverse impact on the Fund. For example, the potential liability of a shareholder in a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation generally is limited to the amount of the shareholder’s investment. However, the notion of
limited liability is less clear in certain Middle Eastern countries. The Fund therefore may be liable in certain Middle Eastern countries for the acts of a corporation in which it invests for an amount greater than its actual investment in that
corporation. Similarly, the rights of investors in Middle Eastern issuers may be more limited than those of shareholders of a U.S. corporation. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain and/or enforce a legal judgment in a Middle Eastern country.
Some Middle Eastern countries prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on investments in their capital markets, particularly their equity markets, by foreign entities such as the Fund. For example, certain countries may require governmental
approval prior to investment by foreign persons or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular issuer. Certain Middle Eastern countries may also limit the investment by foreign persons to only a specific class of securities of
an issuer that may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the issuer available for purchase by nationals.
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The manner in which foreign investors may invest in companies
in certain Middle Eastern countries, as well as limitations on those investments, may have an adverse impact on the operations of the Fund. For example, in certain of these countries, the Fund may be required to invest initially through a local
broker or other entity and then have the shares that were purchased re-registered in the name of the Fund. Re-registration in some instances may not be possible on a timely basis. This may result in a delay during which the Fund may be denied
certain of its rights as an investor, including rights as to dividends or to be made aware of certain corporate actions. There also may be instances where the Fund places a purchase order but is subsequently informed, at the time of re-registration,
that the permissible allocation of the investment to foreign investors has been filled.
Substantial limitations may exist in certain Middle Eastern
countries with respect to the Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income or capital gains. The Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as
by the application to the Fund of any restrictions on investment.
Certain Middle Eastern countries may be heavily dependent upon
international trade and, consequently, have been and may continue to be negatively affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries
with which they trade. These countries also have been and may continue to be adversely impacted by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade. In addition, certain issuers located in Middle Eastern countries in which the Fund invests
may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations, and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As a result, an issuer
may sustain damage to its reputation if it is identified as an issuer which operates in, or has dealings with, such countries. The Fund, as an investor in such issuers, will be indirectly subject to those risks.
Certain Middle Eastern countries have strained relations with
other Middle Eastern countries due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or defense concerns, which may adversely affect the economies of these Middle Eastern countries. Certain Middle Eastern countries experience significant unemployment,
as well as widespread underemployment. Recently, many Middle Eastern countries have experienced political, economic and social unrest as protestors have called for widespread reform. These protests may adversely affect the economies of these Middle
Eastern countries.
Risk of Investing in the Basic
Materials Industry Group. Issuers in the basic materials industry group could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls and increased competition. Companies in the
basic materials industry group may be subject to swift fluctuations in supply and demand. Fluctuations may be caused by events relating to political and economic developments, the environmental impact of basic materials operations, and the success
of exploration projects. Production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Issuers in the basic materials industry group are at risk for environmental
damage and product liability claims and may be adversely affected by depletion of resources, delays in technical progress, labor relations, tax and government regulations related to changes to, among other things, energy and environmental
policies.
Risk of Investing in the Capital Goods
Industry Group. The capital goods industry group may be affected by fluctuations in the business cycle and by other factors affecting manufacturing demands. The capital goods industry group depends heavily on
corporate spending. The capital goods industry group may perform well during times of economic expansion, and as economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods may decrease due to weakening demand, worsening business cash flows, tighter
credit controls and deteriorating profitability. During times of economic volatility, corporate spending may fall and adversely affect the capital goods industry group. This industry group may also be affected by changes in interest rates, corporate
tax rates and other government policies. Many capital goods are sold internationally and such companies are subject to market conditions in other countries and regions.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sector. Companies engaged in the design, production or distribution of products or services for the consumer discretionary sector (including, without limitation, television and radio broadcasting, manufacturing,
publishing, recording and musical instruments, motion pictures, photography, amusement and theme parks, gaming casinos, sporting goods and sports arenas, camping and recreational equipment, toys and games, apparel, travel-related services,
automobiles, hotels and motels, and fast food and other restaurants) are subject to the risk that their products or services may become obsolete quickly. The success of these companies can depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer
spending. During periods of an expanding economy, the consumer discretionary sector may outperform the consumer staples sector, but may underperform when economic conditions worsen. Moreover, the
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consumer discretionary sector can be significantly affected by several
factors, including, without limitation, the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, changing consumer preferences, demographics, marketing campaigns, cyclical revenue generation, consumer confidence, commodity price
volatility, labor relations, interest rates, import and export controls, intense competition, technological developments and government regulation.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Goods Industry. The success of the consumer goods industry is tied closely to the performance of the domestic and international economy, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, consumer confidence and consumer disposable
income. The consumer goods industry may be strongly affected by trends, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. Governmental regulation affecting the use of various food additives may affect the profitability of certain
companies in the consumer goods industry. Moreover, international events may affect food and beverage companies that derive a substantial portion of their net income from foreign countries. In addition, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by
new laws, regulations and litigation. Many consumer goods may be marketed globally, and consumer goods companies may be affected by the demand and market conditions in other countries and regions. Companies in the consumer goods industry may be
subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability. Changes in demographics and consumer preferences may affect the success of consumer products.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Services Industry. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers (including food and drug retailers, general retailers, media, and travel and leisure) is tied closely to the performance of the domestic and international
economy, interest rates, exchange rates, competition and consumer confidence. The consumer services industry depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Companies in the consumer services industry may be subject to severe
competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability. Changes in demographics and consumer preferences may affect the success of consumer service providers.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Staples Sector. Companies in the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the
consumer staples sector may also be affected by changes in global economic, environmental and political events, economic conditions, the depletion of resources, and government regulation. For instance, government regulations may affect the
permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. In addition, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by the adoption of proposed legislation
and/or by litigation. Companies in the consumer staples sector also may be subject to risks pertaining to the supply of, demand for and prices of raw materials. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including,
without limitation, changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies, and seasonal and weather conditions. Companies in the consumer staples
sector may be subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. Companies in the energy sector are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, government regulations and policies, energy production and conservation efforts,
technological change, and other factors that a company cannot control. These companies may also lack resources and have limited business lines. The energy sector is cyclical and is highly dependent on commodity prices; prices and supplies of energy
may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to, among other things, national and international political changes, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) policies, changes in relationships among
OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economy of the key energy-consuming countries.
Companies in the energy sector may be adversely affected by
terrorism, natural disasters or other catastrophes. Companies in the energy sector are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims. Disruptions in the oil
industry or shifts in fuel consumption may significantly impact companies in this sector. Significant oil and gas deposits are located in emerging markets countries where corruption and security may raise significant risks, in addition to the other
risks of investing in emerging markets. Additionally, the Middle East, where many companies in the energy sector may operate, has historically and recently experienced widespread social unrest.
Companies in the energy sector may also be adversely affected
by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, negative perception, efforts at energy conservation and
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world events in the regions in which the companies operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence or labor
unrest). Because a significant portion of revenues of companies in this sector is derived from a relatively small number of customers that are largely composed of governmental entities and utilities, governmental budget constraints may have a
significant impact on the stock prices of companies in this sector. The energy sector is highly regulated. Entities operating in the energy sector are subject to significant regulation of nearly every aspect of their operations by federal, state and
local governmental agencies. Such regulation can change rapidly or over time in both scope and intensity. Stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future which would likely increase compliance costs and may
materially adversely affect the financial performance of companies in the energy sector.
Risk of Investing in the Financials Sector. Companies in the financials sector include regional and money center banks, securities brokerage firms, asset management companies, savings banks and thrift institutions, specialty finance companies (e.g., credit card, mortgage providers), insurance and insurance brokerage firms, financial conglomerates and foreign banking and financial companies. The global
financial markets have experienced very difficult conditions and volatility as well as significant adverse trends. The conditions in these markets have resulted in a decrease in availability of corporate credit, capital and liquidity and have led
indirectly to the insolvency, closure or acquisition of a number of financial institutions. These conditions have also contributed to consolidation within the financial industry. In addition, the global financial industry has been materially and
adversely affected by a significant decline in the value of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, and by the sovereign debt crisis. The prospects of many financial companies are questionable and continue to evolve as financial companies
revise their outlooks and write down assets that they hold.
Most financial companies are subject to extensive governmental
regulation, which limits their activities and may affect their ability to earn a profit from a given line of business. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector,
including effects not intended by the regulation. Direct governmental intervention in the operations of financial companies and financial markets may materially and adversely affect the companies in which the Fund invests, including legislation in
many countries that may increase government regulation, repatriation and other intervention. The impact of governmental intervention and legislative changes on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. The valuation of financial companies has been and continues to be subject to unprecedented volatility and may be influenced by unpredictable factors, including interest rate risk and sovereign debt default. Certain financial businesses
are subject to intense competitive pressures, including market share and price competition. Financial companies in foreign countries are subject to market specific and general regulatory and interest rate concerns. In particular, government
regulation in certain foreign countries may include taxes and controls on interest rates, credit availability, minimum capital requirements, ban on short sales, prices and currency transfers.
The profitability of banks, savings and loan associations and
financial companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change; for instance, when interest rates go up, the value of securities issued by many types of companies in
the financials sector generally goes down. In other words, financial companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including, without limitation, during periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and
increase the cost of capital, and during periods of declining economic conditions, which may cause, among other things, credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers.
In addition, general economic conditions are important to the
operations of these companies, and financial difficulties of borrowers may have an adverse effect on the profitability of financial companies. Financial companies can be highly dependent upon access to capital markets and any impediments to such
access, such as adverse overall economic conditions or a negative perception in the capital markets of a financial company’s financial condition or prospects, could adversely affect its business. Deterioration of credit markets, as experienced
in 2008 and 2009, can have an adverse impact on a broad range of financial markets, causing certain financial companies to incur large losses. In these conditions, companies in the financials sector may experience significant declines in the
valuation of their assets, take actions to raise capital and even cease operations. Some financial companies may also be required to accept or borrow significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government imposed
restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. In addition, there is no guarantee that governments will provide any such relief in the future. These actions may cause the securities of many companies in the financials sector
to decline in value.
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Risk of Investing in the Healthcare Sector. Companies in the healthcare sector are often issuers whose profitability may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising or falling costs of
medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on
patent protection and the actual or perceived safety and efficiency of their products.
Patents have a limited duration and, upon expiration, other
companies may market substantially similar “generic” products that are typically sold at a lower price than the patented product, causing the original developer of the product to lose market share and/or reduce the price charged for the
product, resulting in lower profits for the original developer. As a result, the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
In addition, because the products and services of many
companies in the healthcare sector affect the health and well-being of many individuals, these companies are especially susceptible to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to
competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and
costly, resulting in increased development costs, delayed cost recovery and loss of competitive advantage to the extent that rival companies have developed competing products or procedures, adversely affecting the company’s revenues and
profitability. In other words, delays in the regulatory approval process may diminish the opportunity for a company to profit from a new product or to bring a new product to market, which could have a material adverse effect on a company’s
business. Healthcare companies may also be strongly affected by scientific biotechnology or technological developments and their products may quickly become obsolete. Also, many healthcare companies offer products and services that are subject to
governmental regulation and may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies or laws. Legislation introduced or considered by certain governments on any individual healthcare company or on the healthcare sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. These laws and proposals span a wide range of topics, including cost control, national health insurance, incentives for compensation in the provision of healthcare services, tax incentives and penalties related to healthcare insurance
premiums, and promotion of prepaid healthcare plans. No one can predict what proposals will be enacted or what potentially adverse effect they may have on healthcare-related or biotechnology-related companies.
Additionally, the expansion of facilities by healthcare
related providers is subject to “determinations of need” by certain government authorities. This process not only increases the time and costs involved in these expansions, but also makes expansion plans uncertain, limiting the revenue
and profitability growth potential of healthcare related facilities operators and negatively affecting the prices of their securities. Moreover, in recent years both local and national governmental budgets have come under pressure to reduce spending
and control healthcare costs, which could both adversely affect regulatory processes and public funding available for healthcare products, services and facilities.
Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be affected by supply and demand both for their specific products or services and for industrials sector products in general. The products
of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events and economic conditions affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrials sector, can be
significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely, to a significant extent, on government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in,
aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by governmental defense spending policies, which are typically under pressure from efforts to control government budgets. Transportation stocks, a component of the industrials sector, are
cyclical and can be significantly affected by economic changes, fuel prices, labor relations and insurance costs. Transportation companies in certain countries may also be subject to significant government regulation and oversight, which may
adversely affect their businesses. For example, commodity price declines and unit volume reductions resulting from an over-supply of materials used in the industrials sector can adversely affect the sector. Furthermore, companies in the industrials
sector may be subject to liability for environmental damage, product liability claims, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control.
Risk of Investing in the Information Technology Sector. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology
companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products
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of
information technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Technology
companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and
intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the information
technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses. These risks are heightened for information
technology companies in foreign markets.
Risk of Investing
in the Materials Sector. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical
progress, labor relations and government regulations, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control, among other factors. Also, companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability
claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. These risks are heightened for companies in the materials sector located in foreign markets.
Risk of Investing in the Oil and Gas Industry. Companies in the oil and gas industry are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, oil and gas supply and demand, government regulations and policies, oil and gas production and
conservation efforts and technological change. The oil and gas industry is cyclical and from time to time may experience a shortage of drilling rigs, equipment, supplies or qualified personnel, or due to significant demand such services may not be
available on commercially reasonable terms. Prices and supplies of oil and gas may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to national and international political changes, OPEC policies, changes in relationships among OPEC
members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economies of key energy-consuming countries. Disruptions in the oil sub-industry or shifts in energy consumption may significantly impact
companies in this industry. For instance, significant oil and gas deposits are located in emerging markets countries where corruption and security may raise significant risks, in addition to the other risks of investing in emerging markets. In
addition, the Middle East, where many companies in the oil and gas industry may operate, has recently experienced widespread social unrest. Oil and gas companies operate in a highly competitive industry, with intense price competition. A significant
portion of their revenues may depend on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. Companies that own or operate gas pipelines are subject to certain risks, including pipeline and equipment leaks and
ruptures, explosions, fires, unscheduled downtime, transportation interruptions, discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous gases and other environmental risks.
Risk of Investing in the Technology Sector. Technology companies are characterized by periodic new product introductions, innovations and evolving industry standards, and, as a result, face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which
may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the technology sector are often smaller and less experienced companies and may be subject to greater risks than larger companies; these risks may be heightened for technology companies in
foreign markets. Technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product
introduction, changes in consumer and business purchasing patterns, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. In addition, a rising interest rate environment tends to negatively affect companies
in the technology sector because, in such an environment, those companies with high market valuations may appear less attractive to investors, which may cause sharp decreases in the companies’ market prices. Companies in the technology sector
are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. The technology sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in
commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and
potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
Risk of Investing in the Telecommunications Sector. The telecommunications sector of a country’s economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory
approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be
arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sector may experience
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distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet
increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete. Finally, while all companies may be
susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the telecommunications sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material
adverse effect on their businesses.
Risk of Investing in
the Utilities Sector. The utilities sector may be adversely affected by changing commodity prices, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, increased tariffs, changes in tax laws, interest
rate fluctuations and changes in the cost of providing specific utility services. The utilities industry is also subject to potential terrorist attacks, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, as well as regulatory and operational burdens
associated with the operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict a
company’s access to new markets, thereby diminishing the company’s long-term prospects.
There are substantial differences among the regulatory
practices and policies of various jurisdictions, and any regulatory agency may make major shifts in policy from time to time. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will, in the future, grant rate increases. Additionally, existing and
possible future regulatory legislation may make it even more difficult for utilities to obtain adequate relief. Certain of the issuers of securities held in the Fund's portfolio may own or operate nuclear generating facilities. Governmental
authorities may from time to time review existing policies and impose additional requirements governing the licensing, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. Prolonged changes in climate conditions can also have a significant impact on
both the revenues of an electric and gas utility as well as the expenses of a utility, particularly a hydro-based electric utility.
The rates that traditional regulated utility companies may
charge their customers generally are subject to review and limitation by governmental regulatory commissions. Rate changes may occur only after a prolonged approval period or may not occur at all, which could adversely affect utility companies when
costs are rising. The value of regulated utility debt securities (and, to a lesser extent, equity securities) tends to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial
deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions
and their traditional lines of business. As a result, some companies may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable.
Proxy Voting Policy
The Company has adopted proxy voting policies for the Fund
that incorporate and amplify the proxy voting guidelines of BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund. The Company has delegated to BFA 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 BFA’s role in implementing such guidelines.
BFA votes (or refrains from voting) proxies for the Fund in a
manner that BFA, in the exercise of its independent business judgment, concludes is in the best economic interests of the Fund. In some cases, BFA 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 on certain non-U.S. securities that might impose costly or time-consuming in-person voting requirements). With regard to the relationship between securities lending and proxy voting,
BFA’s approach is also driven by the Fund's 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 BFA recalling loaned securities in order to ensure they are voted. Periodically, BFA 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. BFA will normally vote on specific proxy issues in accordance with its proxy voting guidelines. BFA’s proxy voting guidelines provide detailed guidance as to
how to vote proxies on certain important or commonly raised issues. BFA 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
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Fund. BFA 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), BFA or BFA’s affiliates, or the Distributor or the Distributor’s affiliates. When voting proxies, BFA attempts
to encourage issuers 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; |
| • | When a director has committed himself or herself to service on more than four public company boards (but no more than six public company boards in most circumstances), the Fund will consider such director’s individual circumstances in determining whether the director will be able to commit sufficient focus and time to a particular company; |
| • | The Fund generally defers to an issuer’s choice of auditors so long as the corporate auditors represent the interests of shareholders and provide an independent view of the propriety of financial reporting decisions of management; |
| • | The Fund generally favors disclosure of a company’s compensation and benefits policies and opposes excessive compensation, but believes that compensation matters are normally best determined by a company’s board of directors; |
| • | The Fund generally expects to support capital structure requests that it believes enhance the rights of common shareholders and oppose requests that appear to be unreasonably dilutive; |
| • | 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. |
BFA 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), BFA or BFA’s affiliates (if any) or the Distributor or the Distributor’s
affiliates, from having undue influence on BFA’s proxy voting activity. In certain instances, BFA 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 BFA with instructions as to how to vote such proxies. In the latter case, BFA votes the proxy in accordance with the independent fiduciary’s
determination.
Information with respect to how BFA voted
proxies relating to the Fund's portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 is available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) 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 Board 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: (i) is consistent with applicable legal requirements and in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders; (ii) does not put the interests
of BFA, the Distributor or any affiliated person of BFA or the Distributor, above those of Fund shareholders; (iii) 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 discussed below, and certain information may be provided to personnel of BFA and its affiliates who manage funds that invest a significant percentage of their assets in shares of the Fund for the purpose of facilitating risk
management and hedging activities; and (iv) 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 (iii) above are generally limited to National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) members, subscribers to various fee-based subscription services,
large institutional investors (known as “Authorized Participants”) that have been authorized by the Distributor to purchase and redeem large blocks of shares pursuant to legal requirements and market makers and other institutional market
participants and entities that provide information or transactional services.
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Each business day, the Fund's portfolio holdings information
is 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 market
makers and 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 or evaluating such
potential transactions. 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; and (ii) to other personnel of
the Fund's investment adviser, the Distributor and their affiliates, and the administrator, custodian and fund accountant who deal directly with or assist in, functions related to investment management, distribution, administration, custody,
securities lending and fund accounting, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with agreements with the Fund and the terms of the Fund's current registration statement. In addition, the Fund discloses
its portfolio holdings and the percentages they represent of the Fund's net assets at least monthly, and as often as each day the Fund is open for business, at www.iShares.com. More information about this
disclosure is available at www.iShares.com.
Portfolio holdings information made available in connection
with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Fund in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC. From time to time, information concerning portfolio holdings
other than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Fund, including rating or ranking organizations, in the
ordinary course of business, no earlier than one business day following the date of the information.
The Fund discloses its complete portfolio holdings schedule in
public filings with the SEC within 70 days after the end of each fiscal quarter and will provide that information to shareholders as required by federal securities laws and regulations thereunder. The Fund may, however, 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 contemporaneously.
The
Company's Chief Compliance Officer may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information pursuant to the above policy and procedures.
The Board reviews the policy and procedures for disclosure of
portfolio holdings information at least annually.
Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Index
A description of the Underlying Index is provided below.
The Dow Jones Indexes
Component Selection Criteria.
Stocks in the selection pool are ranked in descending order by indicated annual dividend yield, defined as a stock’s unadjusted indicated annual dividend (not including any special dividends) divided by its
unadjusted price. The top 100 stocks are selected as index components. No more than 30 stocks can be selected from any single country. Selections are subject to the following buffers: (i) for countries that reach the 30-stock limit, non-components
will replace current components if they are ranked among the top six within that country, and for countries that have not reached the 30-stock limit, non-components will replace current components if they are ranked among the top fourteen
collectively; (ii) if no country reaches the 30-stock limit, non-components will replace current components if they are ranked among the top 20; and (iii) existing components are selected top-down from each list until the target component number is
reached. Component weightings are assigned based on indicated annual yield. No single country can represent more than 25% of the Underlying Index. The Underlying Index is reviewed annually in December.
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To be included in the selection pool, stocks in the Underlying
Index must satisfy the following conditions: (i) have a non-negative trailing 12-month earnings per share (EPS); (ii) indicated annual dividend yield greater than 0%; (iii) have paid dividends during each of the past three years; (iv) float-adjusted
market capitalization of at least $250 million; (v) minimum 3-month daily average trading volume of at least $2 million for new components, or at least $500,000 for current components; and (vi) in the case of multiple classes of securities, only the
most liquid class is eligible.
Float-adjusted Market
Capitalization. Free-float market capitalization is calculated by taking the security's price and multiplying it by the number of shares readily available in the market rather than the total number of shares
outstanding.
Dow Jones Emerging Markets Select
Dividend Index
Number of Components:
approximately 100
Index Description. The Underlying Index measures the performance of a selected group of equity securities issued by companies in emerging market countries that have provided relatively high dividend yields on a consistent basis over time.
Dividend yield is calculated using a stock's unadjusted indicated annual dividend (not including any special dividends) divided by its unadjusted price. The starting universe for the index is the Dow Jones Emerging Markets Total Stock Market
Specialty Index, excluding countries classified as frontier markets.
Additional Information. The
Dow Jones Emerging Markets Select Dividend Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (“SPDJI”), and has been licensed for use by BFA and its affiliates. S& P® is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“SPFS”); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”); and these trademarks have been licensed for use by SPDJI and sublicensed for
certain purposes by BFA or its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, SPFS or their respective affiliates or third party licensors and none of such parties make any representation regarding the
advisability of investing in such product(s) nor do they have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of the Dow Jones Indexes.
Investment Limitations
The Board has adopted as a non-fundamental policy the
investment objective of the Fund. Therefore, the Fund may change its investment objective and its Underlying Index without a shareholder vote. The Board has adopted as fundamental policies the following numbered investment restrictions, which 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 and (b) more than 50% of outstanding voting securities of the fund.
The Fund will not:
| 1. | Concentrate its investments (i.e., invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries), except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of a 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. |
| 3. | Issue any senior security, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
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| 4. | Make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| 5. | Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this restriction shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or securities or other instruments backed by real estate or mortgages), or 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 1933 Act, in disposing of portfolio securities. |
In addition to the investment restrictions adopted as
fundamental policies set forth above, the Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy not to 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 (calculated at the time of investment).
BFA monitors the liquidity of restricted securities in the
Fund’s portfolio. In reaching liquidity decisions, BFA 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, except that certain percentage limitations will be observed
continuously in accordance with applicable law.
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 of the Underlying Index or in Depositary Receipts representing securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund also has adopted a non-fundamental 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.
The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental limitation such that,
under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund's net assets.
The Fund may not purchase securities of other investment
companies, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. As a matter of policy, however, the Fund will not purchase shares of any registered open-end investment company or registered unit investment trust, in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G)
(the “fund of funds” provisions) of the 1940 Act, at any time the Fund has knowledge that its shares are purchased by another investment company investor in reliance on the provisions of subparagraph (G) of Section 12(d)(1).
Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may
raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the
prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed
a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units 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 new shares with an active
selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand
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for
shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act must take into account all of 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(a)(3) of
the 1933 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 1933
Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 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 available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Management
Directors and Officers.
The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Company, including general supervision of the duties performed by BFA and other service providers. Each Director serves until he or
she resigns, is removed, dies, retires or becomes incapacitated. The President, Chief Compliance Officer, Treasurer and Secretary shall each hold office until their successors are chosen and qualify, and all other officers shall hold office until he
or she resigns or is removed. Directors who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company are referred to as independent directors (“Independent Directors”).
The registered investment companies advised by BFA or its
affiliates (the “BlackRock-advised Funds”) are organized into one complex of closed-end funds, two complexes of open-end funds and one complex of exchange-traded funds (“Exchange-Traded Fund Complex”) (each, a
“BlackRock Fund Complex”). The Fund is included in the BlackRock Fund Complex referred to as the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. Each Director also serves as a Trustee of iShares Trust, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc.
and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust and, as a result, oversees a total of 312 funds within the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. With the exception of Robert S. Kapito and Mark Wiedman, the address of each Director and officer is c/o BlackRock,
Inc., 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. The address of Mr. Kapito and Mr. Wiedman is c/o BlackRock, Inc., Park Avenue Plaza, 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY
10055. The Board has designated Robert H. Silver as its Independent Chairman. Additional information about the Fund's Directors and officers may be found in this SAI, which is available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free
1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737).
Interested Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
S. Kapito1 (57) |
Director
(since 2009). |
President and Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. and Head of BlackRock, Inc.’s Portfolio Management Group (since its formation in 1998) and BlackRock, Inc.’s predecessor entities (since 1988); Trustee, University of Pennsylvania (since 2009); President of Board of Directors, Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund (since 2002); President of the Board of Directors, Periwinkle Theatre for Youth (since 1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2009); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006). |
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| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Mark
Wiedman2 (43) |
Director (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2007); Global Head of iShares (since 2011); Head of Corporate Strategy, BlackRock, Inc. (2009-2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2013); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2013); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2013); Director of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (since 2008). |
| 1 | Robert S. Kapito is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. |
| 2 | Mark Wiedman is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. |
Independent Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
H. Silver (59) |
Director
(since 2007); Independent Chairman (since 2012). |
President and Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group, Inc. (since 2006); Director and Vice Chairman of the YMCA of Greater NYC (2001-2011); Broadway Producer (2006-2011); Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. (since 2008); Director and Member of the Audit and Compensation Committee of EPAM Systems, Inc. (2006-2009); President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly Paine Webber Inc.) (2003-2005) and various executive positions with UBS and its affiliates (1988-2005); CPA and Audit Manager of KPMG, LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) (1977-1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2007); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Independent Chairman of iShares Trust, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. and iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2012). | |||
| John
E. Martinez (53) |
Director
(since 2003); Securities Lending Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.) (since 2005). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2003); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). |
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| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Cecilia
H. Herbert (65) |
Director
(since 2005); Nominating and Governance Committee Chair and Equity Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director (1998-2013) and President (2007-2011) of the Board of Directors, Catholic Charities CYO; Trustee (2002-2011) and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee (2006-2010) of the Thacher School; Member (since 1992) and Chair (1994-2005) of the Investment Committee, Archdiocese of San Francisco; Trustee and Member of the Investment Committee, WNET, the New York public broadcasting/media company (since 2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of Forward Funds (34 portfolios) (since 2009). | |||
| Charles
A. Hurty (70) |
Director
(since 2005); Audit Committee Chair (since 2006). |
Retired; Partner, KPMG LLP (1968-2001). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund (1 portfolio) (since 2002); Director of SkyBridge Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (2 portfolios) (since 2002). | |||
| John
E. Kerrigan (59) |
Director
(since 2005); Fixed Income Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University (since 2002). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Madhav
V. Rajan (50) |
Director
(since 2011); 15(c) Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Head of MBA Program, Stanford University Graduate School of Business (since 2001); Professor of Law (by courtesy), Stanford Law School (since 2005); Visiting Professor, University of Chicago (2007-2008). | Trustee
of iShares Trust (since 2011); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2011); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director, Cavium, Inc. (since 2013). | |||
| Jane
D. Carlin (59) |
Director
(since 2015). |
Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group (2006-2012). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2015); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2015); Director of PHH Corporation (mortgage solutions) (since 2012). |
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Officers
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Manish
Mehta (43) |
President (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Chief Operating Officer for iShares (since 2009); Head of Strategy and Corporate Development, BGI (2005-2009); Chief of Staff to the CEO, BGI (2005-2009). | ||
| Jack
Gee (54) |
Treasurer
and Chief Financial Officer (since 2008). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Senior Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2009); Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2004-2009). | ||
| Eilleen
M. Clavere (62) |
Secretary
(since 2007). |
Director of Global Fund Administration, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Director of Legal Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2006-2009); Legal Counsel and Vice President of Atlas Funds, Atlas Advisers, Inc. and Atlas Securities, Inc. (2005-2006); Counsel at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP (2001-2005). | ||
| Edward
B. Baer (45) |
Vice
President and Chief Legal Officer (since 2012). |
Managing Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (2004-2006). | ||
| Scott
Radell (45) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2012). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BGI (2007-2009); Credit Portfolio Manager, BGI (2005-2007); Credit Research Analyst, BGI (2003-2005). | ||
| Amy
Schioldager (51) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2007). |
Senior Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Global Head of Index Equity, BGI (2008-2009); Global Head of U.S. Indexing, BGI (2006-2008); Head of Domestic Equity Portfolio Management, BGI (2001-2006). |
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| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Ira
P. Shapiro (51) |
Vice
President (since 2007). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Strategic Product Initiatives for iShares (since 2012); Chief Legal Officer, Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (2007-2012); Associate General Counsel, BGI (2004-2009). |
The Board has concluded that, based on each Director’s
experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Directors, each Director should serve as a Director of the Board. Among the attributes common to all Directors are their ability to
review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the Fund's investment adviser, other service providers, counsel and the independent registered public accounting firm, and to exercise
effective business judgment in the performance of their duties as Directors. A Director’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively may have been attained through the Director’s educational background or professional training;
business, consulting, public service or academic positions; experience from service as a Board member of the Fund and the other funds in the Company (and any predecessor funds), other investment funds, public companies, or non-profit entities or
other organizations; and/or other life experiences. Also, set forth below is a brief discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each Director that led the Board to conclude that he or she should serve as a
Director.
Robert Kapito has been a Director of the
Company since 2009. Mr. Kapito has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2009, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and a Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006. In
addition, he has over 20 years of experience as part of BlackRock, Inc. and BlackRock, Inc.’s predecessor entities. Mr. Kapito serves as President and Director of BlackRock, Inc., and is the Chairman of the Operating Committee, a member of the
Office of the Chairman, the Leadership Committee and the Corporate Council. He is responsible for day-to-day oversight of BlackRock, Inc.'s key operating units, including the Account Management and Portfolio Management Groups, Real Estate Group and
BlackRock Solutions®. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2007, Mr. Kapito served as Head of BlackRock, Inc.'s Portfolio Management Group. In that role,
he was responsible for overseeing all portfolio management within BlackRock, Inc., including the Fixed Income, Equity, Liquidity, and Alternative Investment Groups. Mr. Kapito serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of
Pennsylvania. He has also been President of the Board of Directors for the Hope & Heroes Children's Cancer Fund since 2002 and President of the Board of Directors for Periwinkle Theatre for Youth, a national non-profit arts-in-education
organization, since 1983. Mr. Kapito earned a BS degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School in 1983.
Mark Wiedman has been a Director of the Company since 2013.
Mr. Wiedman has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2013, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2013 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2013. Mr. Wiedman is the Global Head and Managing Director of iShares. In
addition, he is a member of BlackRock, Inc.'s Global Executive Committee and Global Operating Committee. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2011, Mr. Wiedman was the head of Corporate Strategy for BlackRock, Inc. Mr. Wiedman joined
BlackRock, Inc. in 2004 to help start the advisory business, which evolved into the Financial Markets Advisory Group in BlackRock Solutions. This group advises financial institutions and governments on managing their capital markets exposures and
businesses. Prior to BlackRock, Inc., he served as senior advisor and chief of staff for the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and also was a management consultant at McKinsey & Co., advising financial
institutions in the United States, Europe, and Japan. He has taught as an adjunct associate professor of law at Fordham University in New York and Renmin University in Beijing. Mr. Wiedman serves on the board of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc., a
publicly-traded U.S. mortgage banking and investment management firm started in 2008, with BlackRock, Inc. as a sponsor. Mr. Wiedman earned an AB degree, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, in social studies from
Harvard College in 1992 and a JD degree from Yale Law School in 1996.
Robert H. Silver has been a Director of the Company since 2007
and Chairman of the Company's Board since 2012. Mr. Silver has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2007, Chairman of iShares Trust's Board since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chairman of iShares MSCI
Russia Capped ETF, Inc.'s Board since 2012, a Trustee of
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iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chairman of iShares U.S. ETF Trust's
Board since 2012. Mr. Silver is President and a Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group Inc., a firm dedicated to advising and investing in emerging business enterprises and to supporting philanthropic activities that benefit under-served urban youth.
Previously, Mr. Silver served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly Paine Webber Inc.), the registered broker dealer comprising the Wealth Management USA business unit of UBS AG, including the
following responsibilities: President of Paine Webber Services, Director of Retail Products and Marketing, Director of Private Client Group Branch Offices, Director of Finance and Controls for Paine Webber, Inc. and Chief Administrative Officer for
Paine Webber Private Client Group. Mr. Silver also served on the Board of Directors of EPAM Systems, Inc., a provider of software engineering outsourcing services in Central and Eastern Europe, served on the Board and Executive Committee of the
Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), chaired the National Securities Clearing Corporations’ Membership and Risk Committee and served as Governor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. In addition, Mr. Silver was a Vice Chairman and a
Member of the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greater New York and chaired its Fund Development Committee from 2001 until 2011 and Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. since 2008. Mr. Silver began his career as a CPA and Audit
Manager at KPMG LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) from 1977 until 1983. Mr. Silver has a BS degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina.
John E. Martinez has been a Director of the Company since 2003
and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Martinez has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2003, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since
2012. Mr. Martinez is a Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.), providing governance oversight and consulting services to this privately held firm that develops products and strategies for homeowners in managing the equity
in their homes. Mr. Martinez previously served as Director of Barclays Global Investors (BGI) UK Holdings, where he provided governance oversight representing BGI’s shareholders (Barclays PLC, BGI management shareholders) through oversight of
BGI’s worldwide activities. Mr. Martinez also previously served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Global Index and Markets Group of BGI, Chairman of Barclays Global Investor Services and Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Markets Group
of BGI. From 2003-2012, he was a Director and Executive Committee Member for Larkin Street Youth Services, providing governance oversight and strategy development to an agency that provides emergency and transitional housing, healthcare, education,
job and life skills training to homeless youth. He now serves on the Larkin Street Honorary Board. Since 2012, Mr. Martinez has served as a Director for Reading Partners, an organization committed to making all children literate through one-on-one
tutoring of students in grades K-4 who are not yet reading at grade level. Mr. Martinez has an AB degree in economics from The University of California, Berkeley and holds an MBA degree in finance and statistics from The University of Chicago Booth
School of Business.
Cecilia H. Herbert has been a
Director of the Company since 2005 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Ms. Herbert has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Nominating and Governance
Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF,
Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. From 1998-2013, she served as Director of the Board of the
Catholic Charities CYO, one of the Bay Area’s largest private social services organizations serving the homeless, poor, aged, families, children and AIDS/HIV victims. Ms. Herbert is a member of the Investment Committee of the Archdiocese of
San Francisco since 1992, which she chaired from 1994 to 2005. She has served on numerous non-profit boards. Ms. Herbert is also a Director and Advisory Board Member since 2009 of the Forward Funds. Ms. Herbert previously served as a Trustee for the
Pacific Select Funds and The Montgomery Funds. Ms. Herbert previously served as Managing Director of J.P. Morgan/Morgan Guaranty Trust Company responsible for product development, marketing and credit for U.S. multinational corporations and as head
of its San Francisco office. Ms. Herbert has a BA degree in economics and communications from Stanford University and an MBA degree in finance from Harvard Business School.
Charles A. Hurty has been a Director of the Company since 2005
and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Company since 2006. Mr. Hurty has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares Trust since 2006, a Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010 and a Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011. In addition, Mr. Hurty serves as Director of the GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund since 2002, Director of the SkyBridge Alternative
Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (formerly, Citigroup Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC) since 2002 and was a
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Director of the CSFB Alternative Investment Funds from 2005 to December 2009,
when the funds were liquidated. Mr. Hurty was formerly a Partner at KPMG, LLP from 1968 to 2001. Mr. Hurty has a BS degree in accounting from the University of Kansas.
John E. Kerrigan has been a Director of the Company since 2005
and Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Kerrigan served as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Company from 2010 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005,
Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares Trust from 2010 until 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Fixed Income
Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. from 2010 until 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011, Chair of the Fixed
Income Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust from 2011 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan serves as Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University since 2002. Mr.
Kerrigan was formerly a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch & Co., including the following responsibilities: Global Manager of Institutional Client Division eCommerce and Global Manager of Technology Specialists Sales. Mr. Kerrigan is a Trustee,
since 2008, of Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton, CA, and Director, since 1999, of The BASIC Fund (Bay Area Scholarships for Inner City Children). Mr. Kerrigan has a BA degree from Boston College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst
Charterholder.
Madhav V. Rajan has been a Director of
the Company since 2011 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Rajan has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2011, Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF,
Inc. since 2011, Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. Mr. Rajan is the Robert K.
Jaedicke Professor of Accounting at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He has taught accounting for over 20 years to undergraduate, MBA and law students, as well as to senior executives. Mr. Rajan serves as the Senior Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs and head of the MBA Program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Rajan served as editor of “The Accounting Review” from 2002 to 2008 and is co-author of “Cost Accounting: A
Managerial Emphasis,” a leading cost accounting textbook. Mr. Rajan holds MS, MBA and Ph.D. degrees in accounting from Carnegie Mellon University.
Jane D. Carlin has been a Director of the Company since 2015.
Ms. Carlin has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2015 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2015. Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of
Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group from 2006 to 2012. In addition, Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of the Bank Operational Risk Oversight Department of Credit Suisse Group from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, Ms.
Carlin served as Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of Morgan Stanley Group. Ms. Carlin has over 30 years of experience in the financial sector and has served in a number of legal, regulatory, and risk management positions. Ms. Carlin has
served as an Independent Director on the Board of PHH Corporation since 2012. She previously served as a Director on the Boards of Astoria Financial Corporation and Astoria Bank. Ms. Carlin was appointed by the United States Treasury to the
Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security, where she served as Chairperson from 2010 to 2012 and Vice Chair and Chair of the Cyber Security Committee from 2009 to 2010. Ms. Carlin has
a BA degree in political science from State University of New York at Stony Brook and a JD degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Board –
Leadership Structure and Oversight Responsibilities
Overall responsibility for oversight of the Fund rests with
the Board. The Board has engaged BFA to manage the Fund on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing BFA and other service providers in the operations of the Fund in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, applicable
provisions of state and other laws and the Company’s charter. The Board is currently composed of nine members, seven of whom are Independent Directors. The Board currently conducts regular meetings five times a year. In addition, the Board
frequently holds special in-person or telephonic meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may arise or require action between regular meetings. The Independent Directors meet regularly outside the presence of
management, in executive session or with other service providers to the Company.
The Board has appointed an Independent Director to serve in
the role of Chairman. The Chairman’s role is to preside at all meetings of the Board and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Directors generally between meetings. The Chairman may also perform such other
functions as may be delegated by the Board from time to time. The
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Board has established six standing Committees: a Nominating and Governance
Committee, an Audit Committee, a 15(c) Committee, a Securities Lending Committee, an Equity Plus Committee and a Fixed Income Plus Committee to assist the Board in the oversight and direction of the business and affairs of the Fund, and from time to
time may establish ad-hoc committees or informal working groups to review and address the policies and practices of the Fund with respect to certain specified matters. The Chair of each standing Committee is an Independent Director. The role of the
Chair of each Committee is to preside at all meetings of the Committee and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys and other Directors between meetings. Each Committee meets regularly to conduct the oversight functions
delegated to the Committee by the Board and reports its finding to the Board. The Board and each standing Committee conduct annual assessments of their oversight function and structure. The Board has determined that the Board’s leadership
structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise independent judgment over management and it allocates areas of responsibility among committees of Independent Directors and the full Board to enhance effective oversight.
Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Fund is the
responsibility of BFA or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to the supervision of BFA. The Fund is subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance, operational, counterparty and valuation risks,
among others. While there are a number of risk management functions performed by BFA and other service providers, as applicable, it is not possible to eliminate all of the risks applicable to the Fund. The Directors have an oversight role in this
area, satisfying themselves that risk management processes and controls are in place and operating effectively. Risk oversight forms part of the Board’s general oversight of the Fund and is addressed as part of various Board and committee
activities. The Board, directly or through a committee, also reviews reports from, among others, management and the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Fund and
management’s risk functions. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who oversees the implementation and testing of the Company's compliance program, including assessments by independent third parties, and reports to the Board
regarding compliance matters for the Company and its principal service providers. In testing and maintaining the compliance program, the Chief Compliance Officer (and his or her delegates) assesses key compliance risks affecting the Fund, and
addresses them in periodic reports to the Board. The Independent Directors have engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities.
Committees of the Board of Directors. Each Independent Director serves on the Audit Committee. The Chair of the Audit Committee is Charles A. Hurty. The purposes of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board (i) in its oversight of the Company's
accounting and financial reporting principles and policies and related controls and procedures maintained by or on behalf of the Company; (ii) in its oversight of the Company's financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (iii) 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); (iv) in evaluating the independence of the
independent accountants; (v) in complying with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Company's accounting and financial reporting, internal controls, compliance controls and independent audits; and (vi) to assume such other
responsibilities as may be delegated by the Board. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2014.
The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are
Cecilia H. Herbert (Chair), Charles A. Hurty, Madhav V. Rajan and John E. Kerrigan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The Nominating and Governance Committee nominates individuals for Independent Director membership on the Board. The Nominating
and Governance Committee functions include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) reviewing the qualifications of any person properly identified or nominated to serve as an Independent Director; (ii) recommending to the Board and current
Independent Directors the nominee(s) for appointment as an Independent Director by the Board and current Independent Directors and/or for election as Independent Directors by shareholders to fill any vacancy for a position of Independent Director(s)
on the Board; (iii) recommending to the Board and current Independent Directors the size and composition of the Board and Board committees and whether they comply with applicable laws and regulations; (iv) recommending a current Independent Director
to the Board and current Independent Directors to serve as Lead Independent Director; (v) periodic review of the Board's retirement policy; and (vi) recommending an appropriate level of compensation for the Independent Directors for their services
as Directors, members or chairpersons of committees of the Board, Lead Independent Director, Chairperson of the Board and any other positions as the Nominating and Governance Committee considers appropriate. The Nominating and Governance Committee
does not consider Board nominations recommended by shareholders (acting solely in their capacity as a shareholder and not in any other capacity). The Nominating and Governance Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended April 30,
2014.
Each Independent Director serves on the 15(c)
Committee. The Chair of the 15(c) Committee is Madhav V. Rajan. The principal responsibilities of the 15(c) Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for
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the
annual review and renewal of the Company's advisory and sub-advisory agreements. These responsibilities include: (i) meeting with BlackRock, Inc. in advance of the Board meeting at which the Company's advisory and sub-advisory agreements are to be
considered to discuss generally the process for providing requested information to the Board and the format in which information will be provided; and (ii) considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be
necessary and appropriate for the Board to evaluate the investment advisory and sub-advisory agreements of the Company. The 15(c) Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2014.
The members of the Securities Lending Committee are John E.
Martinez (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and John E. Kerrigan all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Securities Lending Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
the Company's securities lending activities. These responsibilities include: (i) requesting that certain information be provided to the Committee for its review and consideration prior to such information being provided to the Board; (ii)
considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to oversee the Company's securities lending activities and make required findings and approvals; and (iii) providing
a recommendation to the Board regarding the annual approval of the Company's Securities Lending Guidelines and the required findings with respect to, and annual approval of, the Company's agreement with the lending agent. The Securities Lending
Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2014.
The members of the Equity Plus Committee are Cecilia H.
Herbert (Chair), John E. Martinez and Madhav V. Rajan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Equity Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for equity funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters that should be
brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board as appropriate. The
Equity Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2014.
The members of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are John E.
Kerrigan (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and Charles A. Hurty, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for fixed income or multi-asset funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters
that should be brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board as
appropriate. The Fixed Income Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2014.
As the Chairman of the Board, Robert H. Silver may participate
in each Committee's meetings.
The following table sets
forth, as of December 31, 2013, the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Director in the Fund and in other registered investment companies overseen by the Director within the same family of investment companies as the
Company. If a fund is not listed below, the Director did not own any securities in that fund as of the date indicated above:
| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| Robert S. Kapito | None | None | None | |||
| Mark Wiedman1 | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| Robert H. Silver | iShares iBonds Sep 2015 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2016 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2017 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2018 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI BRIC ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 3000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financial Services ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| George G.C. Parker | iShares California AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares S&P 100 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| John E. Martinez | iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Emerging Markets Infrastructure ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares TIPS Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares International Select Dividend ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| Charles A. Hurty | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 |
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Table of Contents
| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Global Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares North American Tech-Multimedia Networking ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financials ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| John E. Kerrigan | iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Short-Term National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Jane D. Carlin2 | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $50,001-$100,000 |
1 Appointed to serve as an Interested Director effective December 31, 2013.
2 Appointed to serve as an Independent Director effective February 3, 2015. The funds held and dollar range of equity securities
beneficially owned by Jane D. Carlin are as of December 31, 2014.
As of December 31, 2013, none of the Independent Directors or
their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities of BFA (the Fund's investment adviser), the Distributor or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with BFA or the Distributor.
Remuneration of Directors.
Each current Independent Director is paid an annual retainer of $300,000 for his or her services as a Board member to the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, together with
out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board's policy on travel and other business expenses relating to attendance at meetings. For the period from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013, each current Independent Director was paid an
annual retainer of $275,000 for his or her services as a Board member to the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, together with out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board’s policy on travel and other business
expenses relating to attendance at meetings. The Independent Chairman of the Boards is paid an additional annual retainer of $50,000. The Chair of the Audit Committees is paid an additional annual retainer of $40,000. The Chair of each of the
Nominating and Governance Committees, Equity Plus Committees, Fixed Income Plus Committees, Securities Lending Committees and 15(c)
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Committees is paid an additional annual retainer of $15,000. Each Independent
Director that serves as a director of subsidiaries of the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex is paid an additional annual retainer of $10,000 (plus an additional $1,765 paid annually to compensate for taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection
with such Director’s service on the boards of certain Mauritius-based subsidiaries). Additionally, any Independent Director who travels to the Republic of Mauritius to attend board meetings is paid an additional $12,000 (plus an additional
$2,117 paid annually to compensate for taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Director’s service on the boards of certain Mauritius-based subsidiaries).
The table below sets forth the compensation earned by each
Independent Director and Interested Director from the Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2014 and the aggregate compensation paid to them by the Exchange-Traded Complex for the calendar year ended December 31, 2013.
| Name of Director | iShares
Emerging Markets Dividend ETF |
Pension
or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Company Expenses5 |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement5 |
Total
Compensation From the Fund and Fund Complex6 | ||||
| Independent Directors:1 | ||||||||
| Robert H. Silver | $ 337 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 325,000 | ||||
| George G.C. Parker2 | 285 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 275,000 | ||||
| John E. Kerrigan | 301 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 315,882 | ||||
| Charles A. Hurty | 327 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 315,000 | ||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 317 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 305,000 | ||||
| John E. Martinez | 301 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 290,000 | ||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 301 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 301,765 | ||||
| Interested Directors: | ||||||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $ 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 0 | ||||
| Mark Wiedman3 | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 0 | ||||
| Michael Latham4 | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 0 | ||||
| 1 | Compensation is not shown for Jane D. Carlin because she was appointed to serve as an Independent Director of the Company effective February 3, 2015. |
| 2 | Served as an Interested Director through December 31, 2014. |
| 3 | Appointed to serve as an Interested Director effective December 31, 2013. |
| 4 | Served as an Interested Director through December 31, 2013. |
| 5 | No Director or officer is entitled to any pension or retirement benefits from the Company. |
| 6 | Includes compensation for service on the Boards of Trustees for iShares Trust and iShares U.S. ETF Trust and the Board of Directors of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. |
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities.
The Directors and officers of the Company collectively owned
less than 1% of the Fund's outstanding shares as of July 31, 2014.
Although the Company does not have information concerning the
beneficial ownership of shares held in the names of Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participants (as defined below), as of July 31, 2014, the name and percentage ownership of each DTC participant that owned of record 5% or more of the
outstanding shares of the Fund were as follows:
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| Name and Address | Percentage
of Ownership | |
| National
Financial Services LLC 200 Liberty Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10281 |
34.76% | |
| Merrill
Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith Safekeeping 101 Hudson Street 8th Floor Jersey City, NJ 07302 |
14.67% | |
| Morgan
Stanley & Co. Harborside Financial Center Plaza 3, 1st Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
7.25% | |
| Charles
Schwab & Co., Inc. 111 Pavonia Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
6.08% |
Potential Conflicts of Interest. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (“PNC”) has a significant economic interest in BlackRock, Inc., the parent of BFA, the Fund's investment adviser. PNC is considered to be an affiliate of
BlackRock, Inc. under the 1940 Act. Certain activities of BFA, BlackRock, Inc. and their affiliates (collectively, “BlackRock”) and PNC and its affiliates (collectively, “PNC” and together with BlackRock,
“Affiliates”), with respect to the Fund and/or other accounts managed by BlackRock or PNC, may give rise to actual or perceived conflicts of interest such as those described below.
BlackRock is one of the world's largest asset management
firms. PNC is a diversified financial services organization spanning the retail, business and corporate markets. BlackRock and PNC are affiliates of one another under the 1940 Act. BlackRock and PNC and their respective affiliates (including, for
these purposes, their directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees), including the entities and personnel who may be involved in the investment activities and business operations of the Fund, are engaged worldwide in
businesses, including equity, fixed-income, cash management and alternative investments. These are considerations of which investors in the Fund should be aware, and which may cause conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its
shareholders. These activities and interests include potential multiple advisory, transactional, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments that may be purchased or sold by the Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates have proprietary interests in,
and may manage or advise with respect to, accounts or funds (including separate accounts and other funds and collective investment vehicles) that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in transactions in the same
types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. One or more Affiliates are also major participants in the global currency, equities, swap and fixed-income markets, in each case both on a proprietary basis and for the accounts of
customers. As such, one or more Affiliates are or may be actively engaged in transactions in the same securities, currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests. Such activities could affect the prices and availability of the securities,
currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests, which could have an adverse impact on the Fund's performance. Such transactions, particularly in respect of most proprietary accounts or customer accounts, will be executed independently of the
Fund's transactions and thus at prices or rates that may be more or less favorable than those obtained by the Fund. When BlackRock and its Affiliates purchase or sell the same assets for their managed accounts, including the Fund, the assets
actually purchased or sold may be allocated among the accounts on a basis determined in their good faith discretion to be equitable. In some cases, this system may adversely affect the amount or price of the assets purchased or sold for the Fund. In
addition, transactions in investments by one or more other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund, particularly, but not
limited to, with respect to small capitalization, emerging market or less liquid strategies. This may occur when investment decisions regarding the Fund are based on research or other information that is also used to support decisions for other
accounts. When BlackRock or its Affiliates implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of another account ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar decisions or strategies for the Fund, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other
factors could result in the Fund receiving less favorable trading results and the costs of implementing such decisions or strategies could be increased or the Fund could otherwise be disadvantaged.
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BlackRock or its Affiliates may, in certain cases, elect to implement
internal policies and procedures designed to limit such consequences, which may cause the Fund to be unable to engage in certain activities, including purchasing or disposing of securities, when it might otherwise be desirable for it to do so.
Conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions regarding
the Fund may benefit other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position by the Fund may impair the price of the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) one
or more Affiliates or their other accounts, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security by the Fund may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) one or more Affiliates or their other
accounts.
In certain circumstances, BFA, on behalf of
the Fund, may seek to buy from or sell securities to another fund or account advised by BFA or an affiliate. BFA may (but is not required to) effect purchases and sales between BFA clients or clients of affiliates (“cross trades”),
including the Fund, if BFA believes such transactions are appropriate based on each party's investment objectives and guidelines, subject to applicable law and regulation. There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to
these transactions which could limit BFA’s decision to engage in these transactions for the Fund. BFA may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions. On any occasion when the
Fund participates in a cross trade, BFA will comply with procedures adopted pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and applicable SEC guidance.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their clients may pursue or
enforce rights with respect to an issuer in which the Fund has invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Fund. As a result, prices, availability, liquidity and terms of the Fund's investments may be negatively impacted by the
activities of BlackRock or its Affiliates or their clients, and transactions for the Fund may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.
The results of the Fund's investment activities may differ
significantly from the results achieved by BlackRock and its Affiliates for their proprietary accounts or other accounts (including investment companies or collective investment vehicles) managed or advised by them. It is possible that one or more
Affiliate-managed accounts and such other accounts will achieve investment results that are substantially more or less favorable than the results achieved by the Fund. Moreover, it is possible that the Fund will sustain losses during periods in
which one or more Affiliate-managed accounts achieve significant profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible. The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their proprietary accounts and
accounts under their management may also limit the investment opportunities for the Fund in certain emerging and other markets in which limitations are imposed upon the amount of investment, in the aggregate or in individual issuers, by affiliated
foreign investors.
From time to time, the Fund's
activities may also be restricted because of regulatory restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. As a result, there may be periods, for example, when BlackRock,
and/or one or more Affiliates, will not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions in certain securities or instruments with respect to which BlackRock and/or one or more Affiliates are performing services or when position limits have been
reached.
In connection with its management of the Fund,
BlackRock may have access to certain fundamental analysis and proprietary technical models developed by one or more Affiliates. BlackRock will not be under any obligation, however, to effect transactions on behalf of the Fund in accordance with such
analysis and models. In addition, neither BlackRock nor any of its Affiliates will have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts
managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Fund and it is not anticipated that BlackRock will have access to such information for the purpose of managing the Fund. The proprietary activities or portfolio strategies of BlackRock and
its Affiliates, or the activities or strategies used for accounts managed by them or other customer accounts could conflict with the transactions and strategies employed by BlackRock in managing the Fund.
The Fund may be included in investment models developed by BFA
and its affiliates for use by clients and financial advisors. The price, availability and liquidity of the Fund may be impacted by purchases and redemptions of the Fund by model-driven investment portfolios.
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In addition, certain principals and certain employees of
BlackRock are also principals or employees of Affiliates. As a result, the performance by these principals and employees of their obligations to such other entities may be a consideration of which investors in the Fund should be aware.
BlackRock may enter into transactions and invest in
securities, instruments and currencies on behalf of the Fund in which customers of BlackRock or its Affiliates, or, to the extent permitted by the SEC, BlackRock or another Affiliate, serves as the counterparty, principal or issuer. In such cases,
such party's interests in the transaction will be adverse to the interests of the Fund, and such party may have no incentive to assure that the Fund obtains the best possible prices or terms in connection with the transactions. In addition, the
purchase, holding and sale of such investments by the Fund may enhance the profitability of BlackRock or its Affiliates. One or more Affiliates may also create, write or issue derivatives for their customers, the underlying securities, currencies or
instruments of which may be those in which the Fund invests or which may be based on the performance of the Fund. The Fund may, subject to applicable law, purchase investments that are the subject of an underwriting or other distribution by one or
more Affiliates and may also enter into transactions with other clients of an Affiliate where such other clients have interests adverse to those of the Fund.
At times, these activities may cause departments of BlackRock
or its Affiliates to give advice to clients that may cause these clients to take actions adverse to the interests of the Fund. To the extent affiliated transactions are permitted, the Fund will deal with BlackRock and its Affiliates on an
arms-length basis. BlackRock or its Affiliates may also have an ownership interest in certain trading or information systems used by the Fund. The Fund's use of such trading or information systems may enhance the profitability of BlackRock and its
Affiliates.
One or more Affiliates may act as broker,
dealer, agent, lender or adviser or in other commercial capacities for the Fund. It is anticipated that the commissions, mark-ups, mark-downs, financial advisory fees, underwriting and placement fees, sales fees, financing and commitment fees,
brokerage fees, other fees, compensation or profits, rates, terms and conditions charged by an Affiliate will be in its view commercially reasonable, although each Affiliate, including its sales personnel, will have an interest in obtaining fees and
other amounts that are favorable to the Affiliate and such sales personnel.
Subject to applicable law, the Affiliates (and their personnel
and other distributors) will be entitled to retain fees and other amounts that they receive in connection with their service to the Fund as broker, dealer, agent, lender, adviser or in other commercial capacities and no accounting to the Fund or its
shareholders will be required, and no fees or other compensation payable by the Fund or its shareholders will be reduced by reason of receipt by an Affiliate of any such fees or other amounts.
When an Affiliate acts as broker, dealer, agent, adviser or in
other commercial capacities in relation to the Fund, the Affiliate may take commercial steps in its own interests, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund. The Fund will be required to establish business relationships with its counterparties
based on the Fund's own credit standing. Neither BlackRock nor any of the Affiliates will have any obligation to allow their credit to be used in connection with the Fund's establishment of its business relationships, nor is it expected that the
Fund's counterparties will rely on the credit of BlackRock or any of the Affiliates in evaluating the Fund's creditworthiness.
Lending on behalf of the Fund is done by BTC pursuant to SEC
exemptive relief, enabling BTC to act as securities lending agent to, and receive a share of securities lending revenues from, the Fund. BFA may also receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of the cash collateral from securities lending.
There is a potential conflict of interest in that BTC as a lending agent may have an incentive to increase the amount of securities on loan or to lend riskier assets in order to generate additional revenue for BTC and its affiliates. However,
BTC’s SEC exemptive relief sets forth certain conditions designed to assist in mitigating such conflicts of interest.
Purchases and sales of securities for the Fund may be bunched
or aggregated with orders for other BlackRock client accounts. BlackRock, however, is not required to bunch or aggregate orders if portfolio management decisions for different accounts are made separately, or if it determines that bunching or
aggregating is not practicable or required, or in cases involving client direction.
Prevailing trading activity frequently may make impossible the
receipt of the same price or execution on the entire volume of securities purchased or sold. When this occurs, the various prices may be averaged, and the Fund will be charged or credited with the average price. Thus, the effect of the aggregation
may operate on some occasions to the disadvantage of the Fund. In addition, under certain circumstances, the Fund will not be charged the same commission or commission equivalent rates in connection with a bunched or aggregated order.
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BlackRock may select brokers (including, without limitation,
Affiliates) that furnish BlackRock, the Fund, other BlackRock client accounts or other Affiliates or personnel, directly or through correspondent relationships, with research or other appropriate services which provide, in BlackRock's view,
appropriate assistance to BlackRock in the investment decision-making process (including with respect to futures, fixed-price offerings and over-the-counter (“OTC”) transactions). Such research or other services may include, to the
extent permitted by law, research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; proxy analysis; trade industry seminars; computer data bases; research-oriented software and other services and
products. Research or other services obtained in this manner may be used in servicing any or all of the Fund and other BlackRock client accounts, including in connection with BlackRock client accounts other than those that pay commissions to the
broker relating to the research or other service arrangements. Such products and services may disproportionately benefit other BlackRock client accounts relative to the Fund based on the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund and such
other BlackRock client accounts. For example, research or other services that are paid for through one client's commissions may not be used in managing that client's account. In addition, other BlackRock client accounts may receive the benefit,
including disproportionate benefits, of economies of scale or price discounts in connection with products and services that may be provided to the Fund and to such other BlackRock client accounts. To the extent that BlackRock uses soft dollars, it
will not have to pay for those products and services itself.
BlackRock may receive research that is bundled with the trade
execution, clearing, and/or settlement services provided by a particular broker-dealer. To the extent that BlackRock receives research on this basis, many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist. For example, the research
effectively will be paid by client commissions that also will be used to pay for the execution, clearing, and settlement services provided by the broker-dealer and will not be paid by BlackRock.
BlackRock may endeavor to execute trades through brokers who,
pursuant to such arrangements, provide research or other services in order to ensure the continued receipt of research or other services BlackRock believes are useful in its investment decision-making process. BlackRock may from time to time choose
not to engage in the above described arrangements to varying degrees. BlackRock may also enter into commission sharing arrangements under which BlackRock may execute transactions through a broker-dealer, including, where permitted, an Affiliate, and
request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to BlackRock. To the extent that BlackRock engages in commission sharing arrangements, many of the same conflicts
related to traditional soft dollars may exist.
BlackRock
may utilize certain electronic crossing networks (“ECNs”) in executing client securities transactions for certain types of securities. These ECNs may charge fees for their services, including access fees and transaction fees. The
transaction fees, which are similar to commissions or mark-ups/mark-downs, will generally be charged to clients and, like commissions and mark-ups/mark-downs, would generally be included in the cost of the securities purchased. Access fees may be
paid by BlackRock even though incurred in connection with executing transactions on behalf of clients, including the Fund. In certain circumstances, ECNs may offer volume discounts that will reduce the access fees typically paid by BlackRock.
BlackRock will only utilize ECNs consistent with its obligation to seek to obtain best execution in client transactions.
BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to
prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Fund, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with BlackRock's fiduciary obligations to its
clients. Nevertheless, notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of BlackRock may have the effect of favoring the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of BlackRock and/or
its Affiliates, provided that BlackRock believes such voting decisions to be in accordance with its fiduciary obligations. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the Proxy Voting
Policy section of this SAI.
It is also possible
that, from time to time, BlackRock or its Affiliates may, although they are not required to, purchase and hold shares of the Fund. Increasing the Fund's assets may enhance liquidity, investment flexibility and diversification and may contribute to
economies of scale that tend to reduce the Fund's expense ratio. BlackRock and its Affiliates reserve the right to sell or redeem at any time some or all of the shares of the Fund acquired for their own accounts. A large sale or redemption of shares
of the Fund by BlackRock or its Affiliates could significantly reduce the asset size of the Fund, which might have an adverse effect on the Fund's liquidity, investment flexibility, portfolio diversification and expense ratio. BlackRock will
consider the effect of redemptions on the Fund and other shareholders in deciding whether to redeem its shares.
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It is possible that the Fund may invest in securities of
companies with which an Affiliate has or is trying to develop investment banking relationships as well as securities of entities in which BlackRock or its Affiliates has significant debt or equity investments or in which an Affiliate makes a market.
The Fund also may invest in securities of companies to which an Affiliate provides or may someday provide research coverage. Such investments could cause conflicts between the interests of the Fund and the interests of BlackRock, other clients of
BlackRock or its Affiliates. In making investment decisions for the Fund, BlackRock is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information acquired by any division, department or Affiliate of BlackRock in the course of these activities.
In addition, from time to time, the activities of an Affiliate may limit the Fund's flexibility in purchases and sales of securities. When an Affiliate is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of an entity, BlackRock may be
prohibited from purchasing or recommending the purchase of certain securities of that entity for the Fund. As indicated below, BlackRock or its Affiliates may engage in transactions with companies in which BlackRock-advised funds or other clients
have an investment.
BlackRock and Ace Limited
(“ACE”), a public company whose securities are held by BlackRock-advised funds and other accounts, partially funded the creation of a re-insurance company (“Re Co”) pursuant to which each has approximately a 9.9% ownership
interest and each has representation on the board of directors. Certain employees and executives of BlackRock will also have a less than ½ of 1% ownership interest in Re Co. BlackRock will manage the investment portfolio of Re Co, which will be
held in a wholly-owned subsidiary. Re Co will participate as a reinsurer with reinsurance contracts underwritten by subsidiaries of ACE. An independent director of certain BlackRock-advised funds also serves as an independent director of ACE and has
no interest or involvement in the Re Co transaction.
BlackRock and its Affiliates, their personnel and other
financial service providers may have interests in promoting sales of the Fund. With respect to BlackRock and its Affiliates and their personnel, the remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of the Fund or other products may
be greater than remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of certain funds or other products that might be provided or offered. BlackRock and its Affiliates and their sales personnel may directly or indirectly receive a
portion of the fees and commissions charged to the Fund or its shareholders. BlackRock and its advisory or other personnel may also benefit from increased amounts of assets under management. Fees and commissions may also be higher than for other
products or services, and the remuneration and profitability to BlackRock or its Affiliates and such personnel resulting from transactions on behalf of or management of the Fund may be greater than the remuneration and profitability resulting from
other funds or products.
BlackRock and its Affiliates
and their personnel may receive greater compensation or greater profit in connection with an account for which BlackRock serves as an adviser than with an account advised by an unaffiliated investment adviser. Differentials in compensation may be
related to the fact that BlackRock may pay a portion of its advisory fee to its Affiliate, or relate to compensation arrangements, including for portfolio management, brokerage transactions or account servicing. Any differential in compensation may
create a financial incentive on the part of BlackRock or its Affiliates and their personnel to recommend BlackRock over unaffiliated investment advisers or to effect transactions differently in one account over another.
Third parties, including service providers to BFA or the Fund,
may sponsor events (including, but not limited to, marketing and promotional activities and presentations, educational training programs and conferences) for registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors. There is a
potential conflict of interest as such sponsorships may defray the costs of such activities to BFA, and may provide an incentive to BFA to retain such third parties to provide services to the Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may provide valuation assistance
to certain clients with respect to certain securities or other investments and the valuation recommendations made for their clients' accounts may differ from the valuations for the same securities or investments assigned by the Fund's pricing
vendors, especially if such valuations are based on broker-dealer quotes or other data sources unavailable to the Fund's pricing vendors. While BlackRock will generally communicate its valuation information or determinations to the Fund's pricing
vendors and/or fund accountants, there may be instances where the Fund's pricing vendors or fund accountants assign a different valuation to a security or other investment than the valuation for such security or investment determined or recommended
by BlackRock.
As disclosed in more detail in the Determination of Net Asset Value section of the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI, when 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 procedures adopted by the Board. When determining an asset’s “fair value,” the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) seeks to determine
the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on which the
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assets or liabilities are being valued and does not seek to determine the
price that the Fund might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. While fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors
that BlackRock’s Pricing Group deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third-party valuation models, fair value represents only a good faith
approximation of the value of a security. The fair value of one or more securities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the
Fund’s net asset value. As a result, the Fund’s sale or redemption of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued by BlackRock (pursuant to Board-adopted procedures) at fair value, may have the effect
of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders and BlackRock receiving additional revenue.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Fund may invest
all or some of its short-term cash investments in any money market fund or similarly-managed private fund advised or managed by BlackRock. In connection with any such investments, the Fund, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, may pay its share
of expenses of a money market fund in which it invests, which may result in the Fund bearing some additional expenses.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their directors, officers and
employees, may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts, and may have conflicts of interest with respect to investments made on behalf of the Fund. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints,
positions may be taken by directors, officers, employees and Affiliates of BlackRock that are the same, different from or made at different times than positions taken for the Fund. To lessen the possibility that the Fund will be adversely affected
by this personal trading, the Fund, BFA and BlackRock each has adopted a code of ethics in compliance with Section 17(j) of the 1940 Act that restricts securities trading in the personal accounts of investment professionals and others who normally
come into possession of information regarding the Fund's portfolio transactions. Each code of ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be
obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Each code of ethics is also available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov
or by writing the SEC's Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-1520.
BlackRock and its Affiliates will not purchase securities or
other property from, or sell securities or other property to, the Fund, except that the Fund may in accordance with rules adopted under the 1940 Act engage in transactions with accounts that are affiliated with the Fund as a result of common
officers, directors, or investment advisers or pursuant to exemptive orders granted to the Fund and/or BlackRock by the SEC. These transactions would be effected in circumstances in which BlackRock determined that it would be appropriate for the
Fund to purchase and another client of BlackRock to sell, or the Fund to sell and another client of BlackRock to purchase, the same security or instrument on the same day. From time to time, the activities of the Fund may be restricted because of
regulatory requirements applicable to BlackRock or its Affiliates and/or BlackRock's internal policies designed to comply with, limit the applicability of, or otherwise relate to such requirements. A client not advised by BlackRock would not be
subject to some of those considerations. There may be periods when BlackRock may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise restrict or limit their advice in certain securities or instruments issued by or related to
companies for which an Affiliate is performing investment banking, market making or other services or has proprietary positions. For example, when an Affiliate is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of, or advisory
services for, a company, the Fund may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling securities of that company. Similar situations could arise if personnel of BlackRock or its Affiliates serve as directors of companies the securities of
which the Fund wishes to purchase or sell. However, if permitted by applicable law, the Fund may purchase securities or instruments that are issued by such companies or are the subject of an underwriting, distribution, or advisory assignment by an
Affiliate, or in cases in which personnel of BlackRock or its Affiliates are directors or officers of the issuer.
The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their
proprietary accounts and for client accounts may also limit the investment strategies and rights of the Fund. For example, in certain regulated industries, in certain emerging or international markets, in corporate and regulatory ownership
definitions, and in certain futures and derivative transactions, there may be limits on the aggregate amount of investment by affiliated investors that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent or,
if exceeded, may cause BlackRock, the Fund or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions.
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If certain aggregate ownership thresholds are reached or
certain transactions undertaken, the ability of BlackRock on behalf of clients (including the Fund) to purchase or dispose of investments, or exercise rights or undertake business transactions, may be restricted by regulation or otherwise impaired.
As a result, BlackRock, on behalf of clients (including the Fund), may limit purchases, sell existing investments, or otherwise restrict or limit the exercise of rights (including voting rights) when BlackRock, in its sole discretion, deems it
appropriate in light of potential regulatory or other restrictions on ownership or other consequences resulting from reaching investment thresholds.
In those circumstances where ownership thresholds or
limitations must be observed, BlackRock seeks to allocate limited investment opportunities equitably among clients (including the Fund), taking into consideration benchmark weight and investment strategy. When ownership in certain securities nears
an applicable threshold, BlackRock may limit purchases in such securities to the issuer's weighting in the applicable benchmark used by BlackRock to manage the Fund. If client (including Fund) holdings of an issuer exceed an applicable threshold and
BlackRock is unable to obtain relief to enable the continued holding of such investments, it may be necessary to sell down these positions to meet the applicable limitations. In these cases, benchmark overweight positions will be sold prior to
benchmark positions being reduced to meet applicable limitations.
In addition to the foregoing, other ownership thresholds may
trigger reporting requirements to governmental and regulatory authorities, and such reports may entail the disclosure of the identity of a client or BlackRock’s intended strategy with respect to such security or asset.
To the extent permitted by applicable laws, BlackRock and its
Affiliates may maintain securities indexes as part of their product offerings. Index based funds seek to track the performance of securities indexes and may use the name of the index in the fund name. Index providers, including BlackRock and its
Affiliates may be paid licensing fees for use of their index or index name. BlackRock and its Affiliates will not be obligated to license their indexes to BlackRock, and BlackRock cannot be assured that the terms of any index licensing agreement
with BlackRock and its Affiliates will be as favorable as those terms offered to other index licensees.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may serve as Authorized
Participants in the creation and redemption of exchange-traded funds, including funds advised by Affiliates of BlackRock or third-party funds. As described in greater detail in the Creations and Redemptions section of the Prospectus, BlackRock and its Affiliates may therefore be deemed to be participants in a distribution of iShares funds that could render them statutory underwriters.
BlackRock may enter into contractual arrangements with
third-party service providers to the Fund (e.g., custodians and administrators) pursuant to which BlackRock receives fee discounts or concessions in recognition of BlackRock’s overall relationship with
such service providers. To the extent that BlackRock is responsible for paying these service providers out of its management fee, the benefits of any such fee discounts or concessions may accrue, in whole or in part, to BlackRock. BlackRock will
disclose any material benefits it receives as a result of such fee discounts or concessions to the Board.
Present and future activities of BlackRock and its Affiliates,
including BFA, in addition to those described in this section, may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.
Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution
Services
Investment Adviser. BFA serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Company, on behalf of the Fund, and BFA. BFA is a California corporation indirectly owned by BlackRock, Inc. and
is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Under the investment advisory agreement, BFA, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of the Fund,
manages and administers the Company and the investment of the Fund’s assets. BFA is responsible for placing purchase and sale orders and providing continuous supervision of the investment portfolio of the Fund.
Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, BFA may, from
time to time, in its sole discretion and to the extent permitted by applicable law, appoint one or more sub-advisers, including, without limitation, affiliates of BFA, to perform investment advisory or other services with respect to the Fund. In
addition, BFA may delegate certain of its investment advisory functions under the investment advisory agreement to one or more of its affiliates to the extent permitted by applicable law. BFA may
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terminate any or all sub-advisers or such delegation arrangements in its sole
discretion upon appropriate notice at any time to the extent permitted by applicable law.
BFA is responsible, under the investment advisory agreement,
for substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services. BFA is not responsible for, and the Fund will bear the cost of, interest expense, taxes, brokerage
expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio securities transactions, distribution fees and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA received
a management fee at the annual rate (as a percentage of the Fund's average net assets) set forth below for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2014. BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount equal to the
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund's direct investments in other iShares funds until August 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to August 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. BFA has
contractually agreed to waive any additional portion of its management fees necessary to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of the average daily net assets until August 31, 2015. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to
August 31, 2015 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. For the fiscal years ended April 30, 2014, April 30, 2013 and April 30, 2012, BFA waived $316,738, $106,899 and $4,150 of management fees, respectively.
The following table sets forth the management fees paid by the
Fund to BFA for the fiscal years noted:
| Management
Fee |
Fund
Inception Date |
Management
Fees Paid for Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2014 |
Management
Fees Paid for Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2013 |
Management
Fees Paid for Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2012 | ||||
| 0.68% | 02/23/12 | $1,133,588 | $382,587 | $14,853 |
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 members 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 BFA and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Portfolio Managers. As
of April 30, 2014, the individuals named as Portfolio Managers in the Fund's Prospectus were also primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of other iShares funds and certain other types of portfolios and/or accounts as
follows:
| Matthew Goff | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 248 | $544,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 3 | 13,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 2 | 185,500,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
| Diane Hsiung | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 252 | $546,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 6 | 89,300,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 1 | 19,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
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| Jennifer Hsui | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 252 | $546,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 0 | N/A | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
| Greg Savage | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 319 | $609,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 91 | 89,300,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 2 | 185,500,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 0 | N/A |
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 constitute those indexes or through a representative sampling of the securities that constitute those indexes based on objective criteria and data. Pursuant to BFA’s policy, investment opportunities are allocated equitably
among the Fund and other portfolios and accounts. For example, under certain circumstances, an investment opportunity may be restricted due to limited supply in 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 it
would have if the Portfolio Managers and BFA 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 BFA or its affiliates, as applicable, for its advisory services. One or more of those other portfolios or accounts, however, may
pay BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA or its affiliates a portion of that portfolio’s or
account’s gains, or would pay BFA or its affiliates more for its services than would otherwise be the case if BFA or any of its affiliates meets or exceeds specified performance targets. By their nature, incentive-based fee arrangements could
present an incentive for BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA and each of its affiliates have an obligation to allocate resources and opportunities equitably among portfolios and accounts and intend 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 Managers' favoring
those portfolios or accounts with incentive-based fee arrangements.
The tables below show, for each Portfolio Manager, the number
of portfolios or accounts of the types set forth in the above tables and the aggregate of total assets in those portfolios or accounts with respect to which the investment management fees are based on the performance of those portfolios or
accounts as of April 30, 2014:
| Matthew Goff | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | N/A | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | N/A | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | N/A | N/A |
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| Diane Hsiung | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | N/A | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | N/A | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | N/A | N/A |
| Jennifer Hsui | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | N/A | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | N/A | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | N/A | N/A |
| Greg Savage | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | N/A | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | N/A | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | N/A | N/A |
The discussion below describes the
Portfolio Managers' compensation as of April 30, 2014.
Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview
BlackRock, Inc.'s financial arrangements with its portfolio
managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of
factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock, Inc.
Base compensation. Generally,
portfolio managers receive base compensation based on their position with the firm.
Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is a function of several components: the performance of BlackRock, Inc., the performance of the portfolio manager's group within BlackRock, Inc. and the individual's performance and
contribution to the overall performance of these portfolios and BlackRock, Inc.
Distribution of Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash and BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units which vest ratably over a number of years. The BlackRock, Inc. restricted
stock units, if properly vested, will be settled in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. Typically, the cash bonus, when combined with base salary, represents more than 60% of total compensation for the portfolio managers. Paying a portion of annual
bonuses in stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year “at risk” based on BlackRock, Inc.'s ability to sustain and improve its performance over future periods.
Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards — From time to time, long-term incentive equity awards are granted to certain key employees to aid in retention, align their interests with long-term shareholder interests and motivate performance. Equity awards are
generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock.
Other Compensation Benefits.
In addition to base compensation and discretionary incentive compensation, portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:
Incentive Savings Plans
— BlackRock, Inc. has created a variety of incentive savings plans in which BlackRock, Inc. employees are eligible to participate, including a 401(k) plan, the BlackRock Retirement Savings Plan (“RSP”), and the
BlackRock
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Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”). The employer contribution
components of the RSP include a company match equal to 50% of the first 8% of eligible pay contributed to the plan capped at $5,000 per year, and a company retirement contribution equal to 3-5% of eligible compensation up to the U.S. Internal
Revenue Service (the “IRS”) limit ($260,000 for 2014). The RSP offers a range of investment options, including registered investment companies and collective investment funds managed by the firm. BlackRock, Inc. contributions follow the
investment direction set by participants for their own contributions or, absent participant investment direction, are invested into an index target date fund that corresponds to, or is closest to, the year in which the participant attains age 65.
The ESPP allows for investment in BlackRock, Inc. common stock at a 5% discount on the fair market value of the stock on the purchase date. Annual participation in the ESPP is limited to the purchase of 1,000 shares of common stock or a dollar value
of $25,000 based on its fair market value on the Purchase Date. Matthew Goff, Diane Hsiung, Jennifer Hsui and Greg Savage are each eligible to participate in these plans.
As of April 30, 2014, the Portfolio Managers did not
beneficially own shares of the Fund.
Codes of Ethics. The Company, BFA and the Distributor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of 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.
Anti-Money Laundering Requirements. The Fund is subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the “Patriot Act”). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other illicit
activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, the Fund may request information from Authorized Participants to enable it to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its Authorized Participants. This information will
be used to verify the identity of Authorized Participants or, in some cases, the status of financial professionals; it will be used only for compliance with the requirements of the Patriot Act.
The Fund reserves the right to reject purchase orders from
persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. The Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in the Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the
Fund's policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.
Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund under the Master Services Agreement and related Service Schedule (the
“Service Module”). State Street’s principal address is 1 Iron Street, Boston, MA 02210. Pursuant to the Service Module for Fund Administration and Accounting Services with the Company, State Street provides necessary
administrative, legal, tax and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Company and the Fund. In addition, State Street makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to
provide such services. Pursuant to the Service Module for Custodial Services with the Company, State Street maintains, in separate accounts, cash, securities and other assets of the Company and the Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records and
provides other services. State Street is required, upon the order of the Company, to deliver securities held by State Street and to make payments for securities purchased by the Company for the Fund. State Street is authorized to appoint certain
foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. Pursuant to the Service Module for Transfer Agency Services with the Company, State Street acts as a transfer agent for the Fund’s authorized and
issued shares of beneficial interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Company. As compensation for these services, State Street receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid
monthly by BFA from its management fee.
The
following table sets forth the administration, custodian and transfer agency expenses of the Fund paid by BFA to State Street for the fiscal years noted:
| Fund
Inception Date |
Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2014 |
Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2013 |
Administration,
Custodian, Transfer Agency Expenses Paid During Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2012 | |||
| 02/23/12 | $57,635 | $30,238 | $5,628 |
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Distributor. The
Distributor's principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor or its agent only in Creation Units, as described in the Prospectus and below in
the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
section of this SAI. Fund shares in amounts less than Creation Units are generally not distributed by the Distributor or its agent. The Distributor or its agent will arrange for the delivery of the Prospectus
and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it or its agents and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it or its agents. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
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 following (i) the vote of a majority of the Independent Directors, or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the 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 Units of Fund shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as described below), Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participants
and/or investor services organizations.
BFA or its
affiliates 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.
The Distributor has served as the Funds' distributor since
April 1, 2012. Prior to that date, SEI Investments Distribution Co. (“SEI”), located at One Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456, served as the distributor to the Funds. The following table sets forth the compensation paid by BFA to SEI
for certain services, not primarily intended to result in the sale of Fund shares, provided to the Fund during the fiscal years noted:
| Fund
Inception Date |
Distributor
Compensation Paid During Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2014 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid During Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2013 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From April 1, 2012 to April 30, 20121 |
Distributor
Compensation Paid From February 23, 2012 to March 31, 20122 | ||||
| 02/23/12 | $7,660 | $7,457 | $827 | $1,712 |
| 1 | BRIL serves as the distributor to the Fund effective April 1, 2012. These fees reflect payments made to SEI, acting as an agent of the Distributor. |
| 2 | SEI served as the distributor to the Fund through March 31, 2012. |
Payments by BFA and its Affiliates. BFA and/or its affiliates (“BFA Entities”) pay certain broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities
related to the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products in general. BFA Entities make these payments from their own assets and not from the assets of the Fund. Although a portion of BFA Entities’ revenue comes directly or
indirectly in part from fees paid by the Fund and other iShares funds, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, the Fund or other iShares funds. BFA Entities make payments for
Intermediaries’ participation in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such
as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems (“Education Costs”). BFA Entities also make payments to Intermediaries
for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Fund or materials relating to exchange-traded products in general (“Publishing Costs”). In addition, BFA Entities make payments to Intermediaries that make shares of
the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their clients, develop new products that feature iShares or otherwise promote the Fund and other iShares funds. BFA Entities may also reimburse expenses or make payments from their own assets to
Intermediaries or other persons in consideration of services or other activities that the BFA Entities believe may benefit the iShares business or facilitate investment in iShares funds. Payments of the type described above are sometimes referred to
as revenue-sharing payments.
Payments to an
Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because an Intermediary may
make decisions about which investment options it will recommend or make available to its
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clients or what services to provide for various products based on payments it
receives or is eligible to receive, such payments may create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund and other iShares funds over other
investments. The same conflicts of interest and financial incentives exist with respect to your salesperson or other investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
As of March 1, 2013, BFA Entities have contractual
arrangements to make payments (in addition to payments for Education Costs or Publishing Costs) to one Intermediary, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (“FBS”). Pursuant to this special, long-term and significant arrangement (the
“Marketing Program”), FBS and certain affiliates (collectively “Fidelity”) have agreed, among other things, to actively promote iShares funds to customers and investment professionals and in advertising campaigns as the
preferred exchange-traded product, to offer certain iShares funds in certain Fidelity platforms and investment programs, in some cases at a reduced commission rate or commission free, and to provide marketing data to BFA Entities. BFA Entities have
agreed to facilitate the Marketing Program by, among other things, making certain payments to FBS for marketing and implementing certain brokerage and investment programs. Upon termination of the arrangement, the BFA Entities will make additional
payments to FBS based upon a number of criteria, including the overall success of the Marketing Program and the level of services provided by FBS during the wind-down period.
Any additions, modifications, or deletions to Intermediaries
listed above that have occurred since the date noted above are not included in the list. Further, BFA Entities make Education Costs and Publishing Costs payments to other Intermediaries that are not listed above. BFA Entities may determine to make
such payments based on any number of metrics. For example, BFA Entities may make payments at year-end or other intervals in a fixed amount, an amount based upon an Intermediary’s services at defined levels or an amount based on the
Intermediary’s net sales of one or more iShares funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed-upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. As of the date of this SAI, BFA anticipates
that the payments paid by BFA Entities in connection with the Fund, iShares funds and exchange-traded products in general will be immaterial to BFA Entities in the aggregate for the next year. Please contact your
salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by the BFA Entities to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to
encourage customers to buy shares of iShares funds.
The Fund may participate in certain market maker incentive
programs of a national securities exchange in which an affiliate of the Fund would pay a fee to the exchange used for the purpose of incentivizing one or more market makers in the securities of the Fund to enhance the liquidity and quality of the
secondary market of securities of the Fund. The fee would then be credited by the exchange to one or more market makers that meet or exceed liquidity and market quality standards with respect to the securities of the Fund. Each market maker
incentive program is subject to approval from the SEC. Any such fee payments made to an exchange will be made by an affiliate of the Fund solely for the benefit of the Fund and will not be paid from any Fund assets.
Determination of Net Asset Value
Valuation of Shares. The NAV
for the Fund is generally calculated as of the close of regular trading hours on the NYSE (currently 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on each business day the NYSE is open. Valuation of securities held by the Fund is as follows:
Equity Investments. Equity
securities traded on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), separate trading boards of a securities exchange or through a market system that
provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (each, an “Exchange”) are valued using information obtained via independent pricing services, generally the Exchange closing price, or if an Exchange closing price is not
available, the last traded price on that Exchange prior to the time as of which the Fund’s assets or liabilities are valued. However, under certain circumstances, other means of determining current market value may be used. If an equity
security is traded on more than one Exchange, the current market value of the security where it is primarily traded generally will be used. In the event that there are no sales involving an equity security held by the Fund on a day on which the Fund
values such security, the prior day’s price will be used, unless, in accordance with valuation procedures approved by the Fund’s Board (the “Valuation Procedures”), BlackRock determines in good faith that such prior
day’s price no longer reflects the fair value of the security, in which case such asset would be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below).
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Fixed Income Investments. In
accordance with the Valuation Procedures, fixed income securities for which market quotations are readily available are generally valued using such securities’ most recent bid prices provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market
makers, or independent third-party pricing services, each of which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market transactions for the same or similar assets to derive values. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used
with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value. Loan participation notes are generally valued at the mean of the last available
bid prices from one or more brokers or dealers as obtained from independent third-party pricing services. Certain fixed income investments, including asset-backed and mortgage-related securities, may be valued based on valuation models that consider
the estimated cash flows of each tranche of the entity, establish a benchmark yield and develop an estimated tranche specific spread to the benchmark yield based on the unique attributes of the tranche. Fixed income securities for which market
quotations are not readily available may be valued by third-party pricing services that make a valuation determination by securing transaction data (e.g., recent representative bids), credit quality information, perceived market movements, news, and other relevant information and by other methods, which may include consideration of yields or prices of securities of
comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; and general market conditions.
Options, Futures, Swaps and Other Derivatives. Exchange-traded equity options for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask prices as quoted on the Exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded. In
the event that there is no mean price available for an exchange traded equity option held by the Fund on a day on which the Fund values such option, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the
value of such option. If no such bid or ask price is available on a day on which the Fund values such option, the prior day’s price will be used, unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such prior day’s price no longer reflects
the fair value of the option in which case such option will be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below). Over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives may be valued using a mathematical model which may incorporate a number of market data
factors. Financial futures contracts and options thereon, which are traded on exchanges, are valued at their settle price as of the close of such exchanges. Swap agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon quotations from
market makers or by a pricing service in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
Underlying Funds. Shares of
underlying exchange-traded funds will be valued at their most recent closing price on an Exchange. Shares of underlying money market funds will be valued at their net asset value.
General Valuation Information.
In determining the market value of portfolio investments, the Fund may employ independent third-party pricing services, which may use, without limitation, a matrix or formula method that takes into consideration
market indexes, matrices, yield curves and other specific adjustments. This may result in the securities being valued at a price different from the price that would have been determined had the matrix or formula method not been used. All cash,
receivables and current payables are carried on the Fund’s books at their face value.
Prices obtained from independent third-party pricing services,
broker-dealers or market makers to value the Fund’s securities and other assets and liabilities are based on information available at the time the Fund values its assets and liabilities. In the event that a pricing service quotation is revised
or updated subsequent to the day on which the Fund valued such security or other asset or liability, the revised pricing service quotation generally will be applied prospectively. Such determination will be made considering pertinent facts and
circumstances surrounding the revision.
Certain types of
securities, including many fixed income securities, trade infrequently and there may be no current market transactions or recent representative bids for such securities. To the extent that prices for such securities are not reflective of current
market transactions or recent representative bids, the Fund will value such securities in good faith in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
In the event that application of the methods of valuation
discussed above result in a price for a security which is deemed not to be representative of the fair market value of such security, the security will be valued by, under the direction of or in accordance with a method specified by the Fund’s
Board as reflecting fair value. All other assets and liabilities (including securities for which market quotations are not readily available) held by the Fund (including restricted securities) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by
the Fund’s Board or by BlackRock (its delegate) pursuant to the Valuation Procedures. Any assets and liabilities which are denominated in a foreign currency are converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation
as quoted by one or more data service providers.
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Certain of the securities acquired by the Fund may be traded
on foreign exchanges or over-the-counter markets on days on which the Fund’s net asset value is not calculated. In such cases, the net asset value of the Fund’s shares may be significantly affected on days when investors can neither
purchase nor redeem shares of the Fund.
Use of fair
value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used in the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the
Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.
Fair Value. When market
quotations are not readily available or are believed in good faith by BlackRock to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value (“Fair Value Assets”). Fair Value Assets are valued by BlackRock in accordance with
the Valuation Procedures. BlackRock may reasonably conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if, among other things, a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of trading, if
BlackRock believes in good faith that a market quotation from a broker-dealer or other source is unreliable (e.g., where it varies significantly from
a recent trade, or no longer reflects the fair value of the security or other asset or liability subsequent to the most recent market quotation), where the security or other asset or liability is only thinly traded or due to the occurrence of a
significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. For this purpose, a “significant event” is deemed to occur if BlackRock determines, in its reasonable business judgment, that an event has occurred after the close of
trading for an asset or liability but prior to or at the time of pricing the Fund’s assets or liabilities, and that the event is likely to cause a material change to the closing market price of the assets or liabilities held by the Fund.
Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets (e.g., ADRs, GDRs or
ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued. On any day the NYSE is open and a foreign market or the primary exchange on which a foreign asset or liability is traded is closed, such asset or liability
will be valued using the prior day’s price, provided that BlackRock is not aware of any significant event or other information that would cause such price to no longer reflect the fair value of the asset or liability, in which case such asset
or liability would be treated as a Fair Value Asset.
BlackRock, with input from the BlackRock Investment Strategy
Group, will submit its recommendations regarding the valuation and/or valuation methodologies for Fair Value Assets to BlackRock’s Valuation Committee. The Valuation Committee may accept, modify or reject any recommendations. In addition, the
Fund’s accounting agent periodically endeavors to confirm the prices it receives from all third-party pricing services, index providers and broker-dealers, and, with the assistance of BlackRock, to regularly evaluate the values assigned to the
securities and other assets and liabilities held by the Fund. The pricing of all Fair Value Assets is subsequently reported to and, where appropriate, ratified by the Board.
When determining the price for a Fair Value Asset, the
BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) will seek to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on
which the assets or liabilities are being valued, and does not seek to determine the price that the Fund might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability
to maturity. Fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that the Valuation Committee (or Pricing Group) deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BlackRock using
proprietary or third party valuation models.
Fair value
represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. When determining fair value of an asset, one or more of a variety of fair valuation methodologies may be used (depending on certain factors, including the asset type). For
example, the asset may be priced on the basis of the original cost of the investment or, alternatively, using proprietary or third-party models (including models that rely upon direct portfolio management pricing inputs and which reflect the
significance attributed to the various factors and assumptions being considered). Prices of actual, executed or historical transactions in the relevant asset and/or liability (or related or comparable assets and/or liabilities) or, where
appropriate, an appraisal by a third party experienced in the valuation of similar assets and/or liabilities, may also be used as a basis for establishing the fair value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities
may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund’s net asset value. As a result, the Fund’s sale or
redemption of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.
The Fund’s annual audited financial statements, which
are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”), follow the requirements for valuation set forth in Financial
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Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820,
“Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), which defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value under US GAAP and expands financial statement disclosure requirements relating to fair value
measurements. Generally, ASC 820 and other accounting rules applicable to funds and various assets in which they invest are evolving. Such changes may adversely affect the Fund. For example, the evolution of rules governing the determination of the
fair market value of assets or liabilities to the extent such rules become more stringent would tend to increase the cost and/or reduce the availability of third-party determinations of fair market value. This may in turn increase the costs
associated with selling assets or affect their liquidity due to the Fund’s inability to obtain a third-party determination of fair market value.
Brokerage Transactions
Subject to policies established by the Board, BFA is primarily
responsible for the execution of the Fund’s portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage. BFA does not execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but seeks to obtain the best net results for the Fund, taking into
account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. While
BFA generally seeks reasonable trade execution costs, the Fund does not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available, and payment of the lowest commission or spread is not necessarily consistent with obtaining the best price and
execution in particular transactions. Subject to applicable legal requirements, BFA may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to BFA and its clients, including the Fund. In return for such services, BFA may cause
the Fund to pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if BFA determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.
In selecting brokers or dealers to execute portfolio
transactions, BFA seeks to obtain the best price and most favorable execution for the Fund and may take into account a variety of factors including: (i) the size, nature and character of the security or instrument being traded and the markets in
which it is purchased or sold; (ii) the desired timing of the transaction; (iii) BFA’s knowledge of the expected commission rates and spreads currently available; (iv) the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular
security or instrument, including any anticipated execution difficulties; (v) the full range of brokerage services provided; (vi) the broker’s or dealer’s capital; (vii) the quality of research and research services provided; (viii) the
reasonableness of the commission, dealer spread or its equivalent for the specific transaction; and (ix) BFA’s knowledge of any actual or apparent operational problems of a broker or dealer. 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, or other circumstances.
Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act (“Section 28(e)”)
permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the same transaction
in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer. This includes commissions paid on riskless principal transactions under certain conditions.
From time to time, the Fund may purchase new issues of
securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the broker may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide BFA with research services. FINRA has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of
arrangements under certain circumstances. Generally, the broker will provide research “credits” in these situations at a rate that is higher than that available for typical secondary market transactions. These arrangements may not fall
within the safe harbor of Section 28(e).
The Fund
anticipates that brokerage transactions involving foreign securities generally will be conducted primarily on the principal stock exchanges of the applicable country. Foreign equity securities may be held by the Fund in the form of depositary
receipts, or other securities convertible into foreign equity securities. Depositary receipts may be listed on stock exchanges, or traded in over-the-counter markets in the United States or Europe, as the case may be. American Depositary Receipts,
like other securities traded in the United States, will be subject to negotiated commission rates.
OTC issues, including most fixed income securities such as
corporate debt and U.S. Government securities, are normally traded on a “net” basis without a stated commission, through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers. The Fund will primarily engage in transactions with these
dealers or deal directly with the issuer unless a better price or execution could be obtained by using a broker. Prices paid to a dealer with respect to both foreign and domestic securities will generally
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include a “spread,” which is the difference between the prices at
which the dealer is willing to purchase and sell the specific security at the time, and includes the dealer’s normal profit.
Under the 1940 Act, persons affiliated with the Fund and
persons who are affiliated with such affiliated persons are prohibited from dealing with the Fund as principal in the purchase and sale of securities unless a permissive order allowing such transactions is obtained from the SEC. Since transactions
in the OTC market usually involve transactions with the dealers acting as principal for their own accounts, the Fund will not deal with affiliated persons, including PNC and its affiliates, in connection with such transactions. The Fund will not
purchase securities during the existence of any underwriting or selling group relating to such securities of which BFA, PNC, BRIL or any affiliated person (as defined in the 1940 Act) thereof is a member except pursuant to procedures adopted by the
Board in accordance with Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act.
Purchases of money market instruments by the Fund are made
from dealers, underwriters and issuers. The Fund does not currently expect to incur any brokerage commission expense on such transactions because money market instruments are generally traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as
principal for their own accounts without a stated commission. The price of the security, however, usually includes a profit to the dealer.
BFA 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 BFA, in conformity with Rule 17e-1 under 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.
Securities purchased in underwritten offerings include a fixed
amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s concession or discount. When securities are purchased or sold directly from or to an issuer, no commissions or discounts are paid.
Investment decisions for the Fund and for other investment
accounts managed by BFA and its affiliates are made independently of each other in light of differing conditions. A variety of factors will be considered in making investment allocations. These factors include: (i) investment objectives or
strategies for particular accounts, including sector, industry, country or region and capitalization weightings; (ii) tax considerations of an account; (iii) risk or investment concentration parameters for an account; (iv) supply or demand for a
security at a given price level; (v) size of available investment; (vi) cash availability and liquidity requirements for accounts; (vii) regulatory restrictions; (viii) minimum investment size of an account; (ix) relative size of account; and (x)
such other factors as may be approved by BlackRock’s general counsel. Moreover, investments may not be allocated to one client account over another based on any of the following considerations: (i) to favor one client account at the expense of
another; (ii) to generate higher fees paid by one client account over another or to produce greater performance compensation to BlackRock; (iii) to develop or enhance a relationship with a client or prospective client; (iv) to compensate a client
for past services or benefits rendered to BlackRock or to induce future services or benefits to be rendered to BlackRock; or (v) to manage or equalize investment performance among different client accounts. BFA and its affiliates may deal, trade and
invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest.
Initial public offerings of securities may be over-subscribed
and subsequently trade at a premium in the secondary market. When BFA is given an opportunity to invest in such an initial offering or “new” or “hot” issue, the supply of securities available for client accounts is often less
than the amount of securities the accounts would otherwise take. In order to allocate these investments fairly and equitably among client accounts over time, each portfolio manager or a member of his or her respective investment team will indicate
to BFA’s trading desk their level of interest in a particular offering with respect to eligible clients’ accounts for which that team is responsible. Initial public offerings of U.S. equity securities will be identified as eligible for
particular client accounts that are managed by portfolio teams who have indicated interest in the offering based on market capitalization of the issuer of the security and the investment mandate of the client account and in the case of international
equity securities, the country where the offering is taking place and the investment mandate of the client account. Generally, shares received during the initial public offering will be allocated among participating client accounts within each
investment mandate on a pro rata basis. This pro rata allocation may result in the Fund receiving less of a particular security than if pro-ration had not occurred. All allocations of securities will be subject, where relevant, to share minimums
established for accounts and compliance constraints. In situations where supply is too limited to be allocated among all accounts for which the investment is eligible, portfolio managers may rotate such investment opportunities
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among one or more accounts so long as the rotation system provides for fair
access for all client accounts over time. Other allocation methodologies that are considered by BFA to be fair and equitable to clients may be used as well.
Because different accounts may have differing investment
objectives and policies, BFA may buy and sell the same securities at the same time for different clients based on the particular investment objective, guidelines and strategies of those accounts. For example, BFA may decide that it may be entirely
appropriate for a growth fund to sell a security at the same time a value fund is buying that security. To the extent that transactions on behalf of more than one client of BFA or its affiliates during the same period may increase the demand for
securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price. For example, sales of a security by BlackRock on behalf of one or more of its clients may decrease the market price of such security,
adversely impacting other BlackRock clients that still hold the security. If purchases or sales of securities arise for consideration at or about the same time that would involve the Fund or other clients or funds for which BFA or an affiliate act
as investment manager, transactions in such securities will be made, insofar as feasible, for the respective funds and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all.
In certain instances, BFA may find it efficient for purposes
of seeking to obtain best execution, to aggregate or “bunch” certain contemporaneous purchases or sale orders of its advisory accounts and advisory accounts of affiliates. In general, all contemporaneous trades for client accounts under
management by the same portfolio manager or investment team will be bunched in a single order if the trader believes the bunched trade would provide each client with an opportunity to achieve a more favorable execution at a potentially lower
execution cost. The costs associated with a bunched order will be shared pro rata among the clients in the bunched order. Generally, if an order for a particular portfolio manager or management team is filled at several different prices through
multiple trades, all accounts participating in the order will receive the average price except in the case of certain international markets where average pricing is not permitted. While in some cases this practice could have a detrimental effect
upon the price or value of the security as far as the Fund is concerned, in other cases it could be beneficial to the Fund. Transactions effected by BFA or its affiliates on behalf of more than one of its clients during the same period may increase
the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, causing an adverse effect on price. The trader will give the bunched order to the broker-dealer that the trader has identified as being able to provide the best
execution of the order. Orders for purchase or sale of securities will be placed within a reasonable amount of time of the order receipt and bunched orders will be kept bunched only long enough to execute the order.
The table below sets forth the brokerage commissions paid by
the Fund for the fiscal years noted. Any differences in brokerage commissions paid by the Fund from year to year are due to increases or decreases in the Fund’s assets over those periods:
| Fund
Inception Date |
Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2014 |
Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2013 |
Brokerage
Commissions Paid During Fiscal Year Ended April 30, 2012 | |||
| 02/23/12 | $106,226 | $72,996 | $4,318 |
The Fund did not pay any brokerage
commissions to BlackRock, an affiliate of BFA, and a subsidiary of BTC, during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2014.
The Fund's purchase and sale orders for securities may be
combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that BFA or its affiliates manage or advise and for which they have brokerage placement authority. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Fund and one or more other
accounts managed or advised by BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA and its affiliates. 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. BFA and its affiliates may deal, trade and invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest. BFA and its affiliates 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 BFA, 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 rules or regulations, or by SEC exemptive
order.
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Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as
within a year. High turnover rates may result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses. The table below sets forth the portfolio turnover rates of the Fund for the fiscal years noted:
| Fiscal Year ended April 30, 2014 | Fiscal Year ended April 30, 2013 | |||
| 44% | 41% |
Creation or redemption transactions, to the extent consisting
of cash, may require the Fund to contemporaneously transact with broker-dealers for purchases of Deposit Securities (as defined below under Fund Deposit) or sales of Fund Securities (as defined below under Redemption of Creation Units), as applicable. Such transactions with a particular broker-dealer may be conditioned upon the broker-dealer's agreement to transact at guaranteed price levels in order to reduce
transaction costs the Fund would otherwise incur as a consequence of settling creation or redemption baskets in cash rather than in-kind.
Following the Fund’s receipt of an order to purchase or
redeem creation or redemption baskets, to the extent such purchases or redemptions consist of a cash portion, the Fund will enter an order with a broker or dealer to purchase or sell the Deposit Securities or Fund Securities, as applicable. The
terms of such order may, depending on the timing of the transaction and certain other factors, require the broker or dealer to guarantee that the Fund will achieve execution of its order at a price at least as favorable to the Fund as the
Fund’s valuation of the Deposit Securities/Fund Securities used for purposes of calculating the NAV applied to the creation or redemption transaction giving rise to the order (the “Execution Performance Guarantee”). Such orders may
be placed with the purchasing or redeeming Authorized Participant in its capacity as a broker-dealer or with its affiliated broker-dealer. The amount payable to the Fund in respect of any Execution Performance Guarantee will depend on the results
achieved by the executing firm and will vary depending on market activity, timing and a variety of other factors.
To ensure that an Execution Performance Guarantee will be
honored on orders arising from creation transactions executed by an Authorized Participant or its affiliate as broker-dealer, an Authorized Participant is required to deposit an amount with the Fund (the “Execution Performance Deposit”).
If the broker-dealer executing the order achieves executions in market transactions at a price equal to or more favorable than the Fund’s valuation of the Deposit Securities, the Fund receives the benefit of the favorable executions and
returns to the Authorized Participant the Execution Performance Deposit. If, however, the broker-dealer executing the order is unable to achieve executions in market transactions at a price at least equal to the Fund’s valuation of the
securities, the Fund retains the portion of the Execution Performance Deposit equal to the full amount of the execution shortfall (including any taxes, brokerage commissions or other costs) and may require the Authorized Participant to deposit any
additional amount required to cover the full amount of the actual Execution Performance Guarantee.
To ensure that an Execution Performance Guarantee will be
honored for brokerage orders arising from redemption transactions executed by an Authorized Participant or its affiliate as broker-dealer, an Authorized Participant agrees to pay the shortfall amount (the “Execution Performance Offset”).
If the broker-dealer executing the order achieves executions in market transactions at a price equal to or more favorable than the Fund’s valuation of the Fund Securities, the Fund receives the benefit of the favorable executions and the
Authorized Participant is not called upon to honor the Execution Performance Offset. If, however, the broker-dealer is unable to achieve executions in market transactions at a price at least equal to the Fund’s valuation of the securities, the
Fund will be entitled to the portion of the Execution Performance Offset equal to the full amount of the execution shortfall (including any taxes, brokerage commissions or other costs).
The circumstances under which the Execution Performance
Guarantee will be used and the expected amount of any Execution Performance Deposit or Execution Performance Offset for the Fund will be disclosed in the procedures handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time based on the
actual experience of the Fund.
Additional Information
Concerning the Company
Capital Stock. The Company currently is comprised of 59 series referred to as funds. Each series issues shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share. The Company has authorized and issued the following funds as separate
series of capital stock: iShares Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, iShares
Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Latin America Bond ETF, iShares MSCI All
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Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Australia ETF, iShares
MSCI Austria Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Canada ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI
Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF, iShares MSCI EMU ETF, iShares MSCI France ETF, iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF,
iShares MSCI Germany ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF,
iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, iShares
MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, iShares
MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Turkey ETF, iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF, iShares MSCI USA ETF and iShares MSCI World ETF. The Company has authorized for issuance, but is not currently offering for sale to the public, twelve additional
series of shares of common stock. The Board may designate additional series of common stock and classify shares of a particular series into one or more classes of that series. The Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation confers upon the Board
the power to establish the number of shares which constitute a Creation Unit or by resolution, restrict the redemption right to Creation Units.
Each share issued by a fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of that fund. The Company is currently authorized to issue 33.85 billion shares of common stock. The following number of shares is currently authorized for each of the funds: iShares
Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, 500 million shares;
iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF,
500 million shares; iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Latin America Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Australia ETF, 627.8
million shares; iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, 100 million shares; iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, 136.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Canada ETF, 340.2
million shares; iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, 500 million
shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 2
billion shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
Value ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI EMU ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI France ETF, 340.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Germany ETF, 382.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Agriculture
Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global
Silver Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, 375 million shares; iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, 295.4 million shares; iShares MSCI Japan ETF, 2.1246 billion shares; iShares
MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF, 255 million shares; iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, 255 million shares; iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF, 1 billion shares;
iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, 400 million shares; iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, 127.8 million shares; iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, 63.6 million
shares; iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, 318.625 million shares; iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, 900 million shares; iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Turkey ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF,
934.2 million shares; iShares MSCI USA ETF, 500 million shares; and iShares MSCI World ETF, 500 million shares. Fractional shares will not be issued. 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 fund, and in the net distributable assets of such fund on liquidation. Shareholders are entitled to require the Company
to redeem Creation Units of their shares. The Articles of Incorporation confer upon the Board the power, by resolution, to alter the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that shares of common stock of the Company may be
individually redeemable.
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Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a
stockholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and the Maryland General Corporation Law. Stockholders have no cumulative voting rights with respect to their shares. Shares of all
funds vote together as a single class except that, if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund or, if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on such matter.
Under Maryland law, the Company is not required to hold an
annual meeting of stockholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Company is not to hold an annual meeting of stockholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. Under Maryland law, Directors of the Company may be
removed by vote of the stockholders.
Following the
creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of shares of a fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in the fund’s shares, a holder of shares may be a “control person” of the fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. The fund
cannot predict the length of time for which one or more stockholders may remain a control person of the fund.
Stockholders may make inquiries by writing to iShares, Inc.,
c/o BlackRock Investments, LLC, 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
Absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or
its staff, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the shares of a 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 or its staff, officers and directors of a fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of the 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 Company or the Fund. The Company or the Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board, or the affirmative vote of a supermajority of the shareholders of the Company or the Fund entitled to vote on termination. Although the
shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the organizational documents provide that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit. In the event of a termination
of the Company or the Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Units or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Company may make redemptions
in-kind, for cash or for a combination of cash or securities.
DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Fund. 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 New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), the NYSE Amex Equities and FINRA. 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. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of
such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications
to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Company and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Company upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Company a listing of the shares of the
Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Company shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through
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such DTC Participant. The Company 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 Company 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.
Share distributions shall be
made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Company. 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 the 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 Company 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 Company at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Company and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the
Company shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
General. The Company
issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor or its agent, without a sales load, at a price based on the Fund's NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined
below), of an order received by the Distributor or its agent in proper form. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to be placed earlier in the day. The following table sets forth the number of
shares of the Fund that constitute a Creation Unit for the Fund and the value of such Creation Unit as of May 31, 2014:
| Shares
Per Creation Unit |
Value
Per Creation Unit (U.S.$) | |
| 50,000 | $2,443,500 |
In its discretion, BFA reserves the
right to increase or decrease the number of the Fund’s shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of the Fund, and to make a corresponding
change in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.
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, as observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents'
Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Fund Deposit. The
consideration for purchase of Creation Units of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) (“Deposit
Securities”) and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which, when combined with the Fund’s portfolio securities is designed to
generate performance that has a collective investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index. The Fund Deposit represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund.
The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the
difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities, and serves to compensate for any
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differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount. Payment
of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing the Creation Unit. The Fund generally offers Creation
Units partially for cash, but may, in certain circumstances, offer Creation Units solely for cash.
BFA makes available through the NSCC on each Business Day
prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange, the list of names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information as of the
end of the previous Business Day for the Fund). Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to purchases of Creation Units of shares of the Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made
available.
The identity and number of shares of the
Deposit Securities change pursuant to changes in the composition of the Fund's portfolio and as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by BFA with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The
composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the Underlying Index.
The Fund reserves the right to permit or require the
substitution of 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 DTC. The Fund also
reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which (i) the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted
under applicable securities or other local laws or (ii) 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 applicable
securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations.
Cash Purchase Method.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified (Creation
Units of the Fund are generally offered partially for cash), they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a partial or full cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent
of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser. The Authorized Participant will also be required to pay certain transaction
fees and charges for cash purchases, as described below, and, if transacting as broker with the Fund, may be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution and market impact costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as
described in the Brokerage Transactions section of this SAI.
Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a DTC Participant that has entered into an authorized participant agreement with the Distributor (an “Authorized Participant”). Such Authorized
Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of such authorized participant agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available in
advance of each purchase of shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the net asset value of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fees
described below. An Authorized Participant, acting on behalf of an investor, may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who
are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an authorized participant agreement and
that orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor. The
Company does not expect to enter into an authorized participant agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current Authorized Participants may be obtained from the Distributor. The Distributor has adopted guidelines
regarding Authorized Participants’ transactions in Creation Units that are made available to all Authorized Participants. These guidelines set forth the processes and standards for Authorized Participants to transact with the Distributor and
its agents in connection with creation and redemption transactions.
Purchase Orders. To
initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit to the Distributor or its agent an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund, in proper form, generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day to
receive that day’s NAV. The Distributor or its agent will notify BFA and the custodian of such order. The custodian will then provide such information to any appropriate sub-custodian. Procedures and requirements governing the
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delivery of the Fund Deposit are set forth in the procedures handbook for
Authorized Participants and may change from time to time. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a creation request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will
provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor or
its agent by the Cutoff Time (as defined below) on such Business Day.
The Authorized Participant must also make available on or
before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Fund, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Fund to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with
the applicable purchase transaction fees. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit. Those placing orders should ascertain the deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the
broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the Cutoff Time of the Fund. Investors should be aware that an Authorized Participant may require orders for
purchases of shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual Authorized Participant.
The Authorized Participant is responsible for any and all
expenses and costs incurred by the Fund, including any applicable cash amounts, in connection with any purchase order.
Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Creation Orders must be
transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor or its agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the authorized 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 its agent or an Authorized Participant. Orders to create shares of the Fund that are submitted on the Business Day immediately
preceding a holiday or a day (other than a weekend) when the equity markets in the relevant non-U.S. market are closed may not be accepted. The Fund's deadline specified above for the submission of purchase orders is referred to as the Fund's
“Cutoff Time.” The Distributor or its agent, in their discretion, may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or through an Authorized Participant at any time (including on days on which the Listing Exchange is not open for
business) via communication through the facilities of the Distributor's or its agent's proprietary website maintained for this purpose. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Company, will be processed based on the NAV next
determined after such acceptance in accordance with the Fund's Cutoff Times as provided in the authorized participant agreement and disclosed in this SAI.
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the Authorized Participant (either on its own or another investor's behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Fund
are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Fund will accept the order, subject to the Fund's right (and the right of the Distributor and BFA) to reject any order until acceptance, as set forth
below.
Once the Fund has accepted an order, upon
the next determination of the net asset value of the shares, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such net asset value. The Distributor or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to
the Authorized Participant that placed the order.
The
Fund reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor or its agent 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 do not conform to the identity and number of shares specified, 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, in the discretion of the Fund or BFA, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or
(vii) circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Distributor or its agent and BFA make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Distributor or its agent shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Fund, State Street, the sub-custodian and the Distributor or its agent 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 failure to give such notification.
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Issuance of a Creation Unit.
Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the
custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor or its agent and BFA shall be notified of such delivery and
the Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Creation Units typically are issued on a “T+3 basis” (i.e., three
Business Days after trade date). However, as discussed in the Regular Holidays section of this SAI, the Fund reserves the right to settle Creation
Unit transactions on a basis other than T+3 in order to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (i.e., the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security) and in certain other
circumstances.
To the extent contemplated by an
Authorized Participant's agreement with the Distributor, the Fund will issue Creation Units to such Authorized Participant, notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the
undertaking of the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value at least equal to 105%
and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Fund's then-effective procedures. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Fund is cash
in U.S. dollars. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the contractual settlement date. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and
income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. Information concerning the Fund's current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor or its agent. The
authorized participant agreement will permit the Fund to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such securities and the
cash collateral.
In certain cases, Authorized
Participants may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the Authorized Participants that the creation
and redemption transactions are for separate beneficial owners. 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 Fund and the Fund's determination shall be final and binding.
Costs Associated with Creation Transactions. A standard creation transaction fee is imposed to offset the transfer, processing and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee is charged on
each Creation Unit created by an Authorized Participant on the day of the transaction. The standard creation transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being purchased, but may be
reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses associated with the creation are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a purchase consists of a cash portion, the Authorized Participant may also be required to pay an additional
transaction charge (up to the maximum amount shown below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to the creation transaction. Authorized Participants will also bear the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Fund. Investors
who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
The following table sets forth the Fund's standard creation
transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
| Standard
Creation Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | |
| $3,000 | 3.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit. |
If a
purchase consists of a cash portion and the Fund places a brokerage transaction to purchase portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be
required, in its capacity as broker-dealer with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the Brokerage Transactions section of this SAI.
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Redemption of Creation Units.
Shares of the Fund may be redeemed by Authorized Participants only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor or its agent and only
on a Business Day. The Fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the secondary market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors
should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a Creation Unit that could be redeemed by an Authorized Participant. Beneficial owners also may sell shares in the
secondary market.
The Fund generally redeems
Creation Units partially for cash. Please see the Cash Redemption Method section below and the following discussion summarizing the in-kind method for further information on redeeming Creation Units of the
Fund.
BFA makes available through the NSCC, prior to the
opening of business on the Listing Exchange on each Business Day, the designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or
correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”), and an amount of cash (the “Cash Amount,” as described below). Such Fund Securities and the corresponding Cash
Amount (each subject to possible amendment or correction) are applicable, in order to effect redemptions of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next announced composition of the Fund Securities and Cash Amount is made available. Fund
Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. Procedures and requirements governing redemption transactions are set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants
and may change from time to time.
If redemptions are not
paid in cash, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities, plus the Cash Amount, which is an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after the
receipt of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of Fund Securities, less a redemption transaction fee (as described below).
The Company may, in its sole discretion, substitute a
“cash in lieu” amount to replace any Fund Security. The Company also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which: (i) the delivery of a Fund
Security to the Authorized Participant would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws; or (ii) the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Fund Security by the Authorized
Participant becoming restricted under applicable securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations. The amount of cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the substituted security listed as a Fund Security. In the
event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than 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 Fund generally
redeems Creation Units partially for cash.
Cash Redemption
Method. Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified
(Creation Units of the Fund are generally redeemed partially for cash), they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions thereof. In the case of partial or full cash redemption, the Authorized Participant receives the cash
equivalent of the Fund Securities it would otherwise receive through an in-kind redemption, plus the same Cash Amount to be paid to an in-kind redeemer. The Authorized Participant will also be required to pay certain transaction fees and charges for
cash redemptions, as described below, and, if transacting as broker with the Fund, may be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution and market impact costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the
Brokerage Transactions section of this SAI.
Costs Associated with Redemption Transactions. A redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee is charged on each Creation Unit redeemed
by an Authorized Participant on the day of the transaction. The standard redemption transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table regardless of the number of Creation Units being redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if
transfer and processing expenses associated with the redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a redemption consists of a cash portion, the Authorized Participant may also be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up
to the maximum amount shown below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to the redemption transaction. Authorized Participants will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Fund to their account on their order.
Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to dispose of Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
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The following table sets forth the Fund's standard redemption
transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
| Standard
Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | |
| $3,000 | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
If a redemption consists of a cash portion and the Fund places
a brokerage transaction to sell portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant or its affiliated broker-dealer, the Authorized Participant (or its affiliated broker-dealer) may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer with respect to that
transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and market impact costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the Brokerage Transactions section of this
SAI.
Placement of Redemption Orders. Redemption requests for Creation Units of the Fund must be submitted to the Distributor or its agent by or through an Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable request to redeem
shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an
Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request.
The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for
redemption in the form required by the Fund to the Distributor or its agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the authorized participant agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an authorized
participant agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an authorized participant agreement. At any time, only a limited number of
broker-dealers will have an authorized participant agreement in effect. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem
Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the shares to the Fund's transfer agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to
effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.
A redemption request is considered to be in “proper
form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Fund's transfer agent the Creation Unit redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Listing Exchange closing time on any
Business Day, (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Fund is received by the Distributor or its agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above and (iii) all other
procedures set forth in the authorized participant agreement are properly followed. If the transfer agent does not receive the investor's shares through DTC's facilities by 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Business Day next following the day that the
redemption request is received, the redemption request shall be rejected. Investors should be aware that the deadline for such transfers of shares through the DTC system may be significantly earlier than the close of business on the Listing
Exchange. Those making redemption requests should ascertain the deadline applicable to transfers of shares through the DTC system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effecting the transfer of the
shares.
Upon receiving a redemption request, the
Distributor or its agent shall notify the Fund and the Fund's transfer agent of such redemption request. The tender of an investor's shares for redemption and the distribution of the securities and/or cash included in the redemption payment made in
respect of Creation Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant Authorized Participant to the Beneficial Owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may
be, or by such other means specified by the Authorized Participant submitting the redemption request.
A redeeming Beneficial Owner or Authorized Participant acting
on behalf of such Beneficial Owner must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the portfolio securities are customarily traded, to which account
such portfolio securities will be delivered.
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Deliveries of redemption proceeds by the Fund generally will
be made within three Business Days (i.e., “T+3”). However, as discussed in the Regular Holidays section, the Fund reserves the right to settle redemption
transactions and deliver redemption proceeds on another basis to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and dividend ex-dates (i.e., the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold) and in certain other circumstances. The Regular
Holidays section hereto identifies the instances, if any, where more than seven days would be needed to deliver redemption proceeds. Pursuant to an order of the SEC, the Company will make delivery of redemption proceeds within the number of
days stated in the Regular Holidays section to be the maximum number of days necessary to deliver redemption proceeds.
If neither the redeeming Beneficial Owner nor the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of such redeeming Beneficial Owner has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of Fund Securities in the applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible
to effect deliveries of Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Company may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In
such case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the net asset value of its shares based on the NAV of the Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional
charges specified above to offset the Company's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state
securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund cannot lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or cannot do so
without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit cash
redemptions of Creation Units (except that, as noted above, Creation Units of the Fund generally will be redeemed partially for cash), in the event that cash redemptions are permitted or required by the Company, proceeds will be paid to the
Authorized Participant redeeming shares as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven calendar days thereafter, except for the instances listed in the Regular Holidays section in which more
than seven calendar days would be needed).
To the extent
contemplated by an Authorized Participant's agreement with the Distributor or its agent, in the event an Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be
redeemed to the Fund, at or prior to 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Listing Exchange business day after the date of submission of such redemption request, the Distributor or its agent will accept the redemption request in reliance on the
undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash, in U.S. dollars in immediately
available funds, having a value at least equal to 105% and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing shares. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 10:00 a.m., Eastern
time on the day after the date of submission of such redemption request and shall be held by State Street and marked-to-market daily. The fees of State Street and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash
collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that
Authorized Participant. The authorized participant agreement permits the Fund to acquire shares of the Fund at any time and subjects the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the aggregate of the cost to the Fund of
purchasing such shares, plus the value of the Cash Amount, and the value of the cash collateral.
Because the Portfolio Securities of the Fund may trade on
exchange(s) on days that the Listing Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of the Fund, or purchase or sell shares of the Fund on the Listing Exchange on days when the
NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.
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 Listing Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the Listing Exchange 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's portfolio securities or determination of its net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other
circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
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Taxation on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated by taking the market value of the Creation Units
purchased over the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the IRS may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation
Units is not currently deductible. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisors.
Current U.S. federal tax laws dictate that capital gain or
loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were
held for one year or less, if the Creation Units are held as capital assets.
Regular Holidays. For
every occurrence of one or more intervening holidays in the applicable non-U.S. 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 non-U.S. market due to emergencies may also prevent the Company from delivering securities within the normal settlement period.
The securities delivery cycles currently practicable for
transferring portfolio securities to redeeming investors, coupled with non-U.S. market holiday schedules, will require a delivery process longer than seven calendar days, 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.
In calendar year 2015 (the only year for which holidays are
known at the time of filing this SAI), the dates of regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets in which the Fund invests are as follows (please note these holiday schedules are subject to potential changes in the relevant securities
markets):
2015
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Redemptions.
The longest redemption cycle for the Fund is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries whose stocks comprise the Fund. In the calendar year 2015 (the only year for which holidays are known at the time of this SAI filing),
the dates of regular holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case redemption cycle* for the Fund as follows:
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| 2015 | ||||||
| Country | Trade
Date |
Settlement
Date |
Number
of Days to Settle | |||
| China | 02/13/15 | 02/25/15 | 12 | |||
| 02/16/15 | 02/26/15 | 10 | ||||
| 02/17/15 | 02/27/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/28/15 | 10/08/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/29/15 | 10/09/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/30/15 | 10/12/15 | 12 | ||||
| Russia | 12/24/15 | 01/11/16 | 18 | |||
| 12/28/15 | 01/15/16 | 15 | ||||
| 12/29/15 | 01/18/16 | 18 | ||||
| South Africa | 03/27/15 | 04/07/15 | 11 | |||
| 03/30/15 | 04/08/15 | 9 | ||||
| 03/31/15 | 04/09/15 | 9 | ||||
| 04/01/15 | 04/10/15 | 9 | ||||
| 04/02/15 | 04/13/15 | 11 | ||||
| 04/20/15 | 04/28/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/21/15 | 04/29/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/22/15 | 04/30/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/23/15 | 05/01/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/23/15 | 05/04/15 | 11 | ||||
| 04/24/15 | 05/05/15 | 11 | ||||
| 04/28/15 | 05/06/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/29/15 | 05/07/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/30/15 | 05/08/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/09/15 | 06/17/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/10/15 | 06/18/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/11/15 | 06/19/15 | 8 | ||||
| 06/12/15 | 06/22/15 | 10 | ||||
| 06/15/15 | 06/23/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/03/15 | 08/11/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/04/15 | 08/12/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/05/15 | 08/13/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/06/15 | 08/14/15 | 8 | ||||
| 08/07/15 | 08/17/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/17/15 | 09/25/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/18/15 | 09/28/15 | 10 | ||||
| 09/21/15 | 09/29/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/22/15 | 09/30/15 | 8 | ||||
| 09/23/15 | 10/01/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/09/15 | 12/17/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/10/15 | 12/18/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/11/15 | 12/21/15 | 10 | ||||
| 12/14/15 | 12/22/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/15/15 | 12/23/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/18/15 | 12/28/15 | 10 | ||||
| 12/21/15 | 12/29/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/22/15 | 12/30/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/23/15 | 12/31/15 | 8 | ||||
| 12/24/15 | 01/04/16 | 11 | ||||
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| 2015 | ||||||
| Country | Trade
Date |
Settlement
Date |
Number
of Days to Settle | |||
| 12/28/15 | 01/05/16 | 8 | ||||
| 12/29/15 | 01/06/16 | 8 | ||||
| 12/30/15 | 01/07/16 | 8 | ||||
| 12/31/15 | 01/08/16 | 8 | ||||
| Taiwan | 02/16/15 | 02/24/15 | 8 | |||
| 02/17/15 | 02/25/15 | 8 | ||||
| Thailand | 04/08/15 | 04/16/15 | 8 | |||
| 04/09/15 | 04/17/15 | 8 | ||||
| 04/10/15 | 04/20/15 | 10 | ||||
| * | These worst-case redemption cycles are based on information regarding regular holidays, which may be out of date. Based on changes in holidays, longer (worse) redemption cycles are possible. |
Taxes
The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal
income tax considerations regarding the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of the Fund. This summary does not address all of the potential U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be applicable to the Fund or to all categories of
investors, some of which may be subject to special tax rules. Current and prospective shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of investing in the
Fund. The summary is based on the laws in effect on the date of this SAI and existing judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.
Regulated Investment Company Qualifications. The Fund intends to qualify for treatment as a separate 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 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 non-U.S. currencies, other income (including, but not limited to, 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 interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships
(i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive 90% of
their income from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of the Fund'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 (other than U.S. government
securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, of two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the Fund and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or
the securities of one or more qualified publicly-traded partnerships.
The Fund may be able to cure a failure to derive 90% of its
income from the sources specified above or a failure to diversify its holdings in the manner described above by paying a tax and/or by disposing of certain assets. If, in any taxable year, the Fund fails one of these tests and does not timely
cure the failure, the Fund will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders will not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.
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Although, in general, the passive loss rules of the Internal
Revenue Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships. The Fund's investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly-traded partnerships,
may result in the Fund being subject to state, local, or non-U.S. 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, provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. To satisfy the
minimum distribution requirement, the Fund must distribute to its shareholders at least the sum of (i) 90% of its “investment company taxable income” (i.e., income other than its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), plus or minus certain adjustments, and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year. The Fund will
be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its shareholders. If the Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC or fails to meet the distribution requirement, 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 be eligible to be treated 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 U.S. federal income taxation to the extent any such income
or gains are not distributed. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a RIC. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than
two taxable years, the Fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets (i.e., the excess of the
aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been liquidated) if it qualifies as a RIC in a subsequent year.
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 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the 12
months ended October 31 of such year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by the Fund that is subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been distributed by year-end. In addition, the
minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any underdistribution or overdistribution, as the case may be, from the previous 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.
Net Capital Loss Carryforwards. Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year, until they have been reduced to zero.
In the event that the Fund were to experience an ownership
change as defined under the Internal Revenue Code, the loss carryforwards and other favorable tax attributes of the Fund, if any, may be subject to limitation.
As of April 30, 2014, the Fund had non-expiring capital loss
carryforwards in the amount of $1,732,762 available to offset future realized capital gains.
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders.
Dividends and other distributions by the Fund are generally treated under the Internal Revenue Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, any dividend or distribution declared by the Fund
in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year and to have been paid by
the Fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.
The Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders
substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if the Fund retains for investment an
amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (at a maximum rate of 35%) on the amount retained. In
that event, the Fund will designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their
proportionate shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the 35% tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax
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liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent their credits exceed
their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their shares by an amount equal to 65% of the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s income.
Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid by the Fund upon filing appropriate returns or
claims for refund with the IRS.
Distributions of net
realized long-term capital gains, if any, that the Fund reports as capital gains dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. All other
dividends of the Fund (including dividends from short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits (“regular dividends”) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income, subject to the discussion of qualified
dividend income below. Married couples filing jointly with income over approximately $450,000 and unmarried individuals with income over approximately $400,000, amounts adjusted annually for inflation, are subject to a 20% tax on any income in
excess of those amounts that is long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income, and generally all other long-term capital gain is taxed at 15% (0% at certain income levels). In addition, the top marginal ordinary income tax rate is 39.6% for
income in excess of the above thresholds.
If an
individual receives a regular dividend qualifying for the long-term capital gains rates and such dividend constitutes an “extraordinary dividend,” and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in
respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An “extraordinary dividend” on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in
an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period, or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayer’s tax
basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.
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 shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the shareholder holds shares of the
Fund as capital assets). Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of
capital. 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. Dividends paid by the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from domestic corporations may qualify for the
federal dividends received deduction for corporations.
A
3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on net investment income, including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain from investments, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing
jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Investors
considering buying shares just prior to a dividend or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of shares 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 security on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such security, 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 security became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (i.e., the date on which a buyer of the security would not be entitled to receive the declared, but
unpaid, dividends); or (b) the date the Fund acquired such security. 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.
In certain situations, the Fund may, for a taxable year, defer
all or a portion of its net capital loss realized after October and its late-year ordinary loss (defined as the excess of the Fund’s post-October foreign currency and “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) losses
and other post-December ordinary losses over post-October foreign currency and PFIC gains and other post-December ordinary income) until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer
the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.
Sales of Shares. Upon
the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder’s basis in shares of the Fund. 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
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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 or capital gains distributions, or by an option on, substantially identical shares 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 Fund shares 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. The Medicare contribution tax described above will apply to the sale
of Fund shares.
If a shareholder incurs a sales charge
in acquiring shares of the Fund, disposes of those shares within 90 days and then, on or before January 31 of the following calendar year, 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 shareholders from immediately deducting the sales charge by shifting their investments within a family of mutual funds.
Back-Up Withholding. In
certain cases, the Fund will be required to withhold at a 28% rate and remit to the U.S. Treasury such amounts withheld from any distributions paid to a shareholder who: (i) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (ii) is
subject to back-up withholding by the IRS; (iii) has failed to certify to the Fund that such shareholder is not subject to back-up withholding; or (iv) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).
Back-up withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability.
Sections 351 and 362.
The Company, 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 the Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Internal Revenue Code, the 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 Company will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Company determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to the Fund or its shareholders. The
Company also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Taxation of Certain Derivatives. The Fund’s transactions in zero coupon securities, non-U.S. currencies, forward contracts, options and futures contracts (including options and futures contracts on non-U.S. currencies), to the extent
permitted, will be subject to special provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (including provisions relating to “hedging transactions” and “straddles”) that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses
realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer Fund
losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out at the end of each year) and (b) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay
dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. The Fund will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate entries
in its books and records when it acquires any zero coupon security, non-U.S. currency, forward contract, option, futures contract or hedged investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a
RIC.
The Fund’s investments in so-called
“Section 1256 contracts,” such as regulated futures contracts, most non-U.S. currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most security indexes, are subject to special tax rules. All Section 1256 contracts
held by the Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund’s income as if each position had been sold for its fair market
value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in Section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets
and were not part of a “hedging transaction” nor part of a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will
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be
treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund.
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). With respect to certain types of swaps, the
Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss.
Qualified Dividend Income.
Distributions by the Fund of investment company taxable income (including any short-term capital gains), whether received in cash or shares, will be taxable either as ordinary income or as qualified dividend
income, which is eligible to be taxed at long-term capital gain rates to the extent the Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities it holds and the Fund reports the distribution as qualified dividend income. Qualified dividend income
is, in general, dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations (but generally not from U.S. REITs) and certain non-U.S. corporations (e.g., non-U.S.
corporations that are not “passive foreign investment companies” and which are 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 (where the dividends are paid with respect to such stock)). Under current IRS guidance, the United States has appropriate comprehensive income tax treaties with the following
countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (but not with Hong Kong, which is treated as a separate jurisdiction for U.S. tax purposes), Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Russia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela. Substitute payments received by the Fund
for securities lent out by the Fund will not be qualified dividend income.
A dividend from the Fund 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 61 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 or the Fund fails to satisfy those holding period requirements with respect to the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the shareholder (or, in the case of certain preferred stocks, the holding
requirement of 91 days during the 181-day period beginning on the date that is 90 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend); (ii) the Fund or 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.
Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT or another RIC may be treated as qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are attributable to qualified dividend income received by such REIT or other RIC. It is expected that
dividends received by the Fund from a REIT and distributed to a shareholder generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income. Distributions by the Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income.
Corporate Dividends Received Deduction. Dividends paid by the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations may qualify for the U.S. federal dividends received deduction for corporations. A 46-day minimum holding
period during the 90-day period that begins 45 days prior to ex-dividend date (or 91-day minimum holding period during the 180 period beginning 90 days prior to ex-dividend date for certain preference dividends) during which risk of loss may not be
diminished is required for the applicable shares, at both the Fund and shareholder level, for a dividend to be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Restrictions may apply if indebtedness, including a short sale, is attributable to the
investment.
Excess Inclusion Income. Under current law, the Fund serves to block unrelated business taxable income from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize unrelated
business taxable income by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Section 514(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. Certain types of
income received by the Fund from REITs, real estate mortgage investment conduits, taxable mortgage pools or other investments may cause the Fund to report some or all of its distributions as “excess inclusion income.” To Fund
shareholders, such excess
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inclusion income may (i) constitute taxable income, as unrelated business
taxable income for those shareholders who would otherwise be tax-exempt such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k) accounts, Keogh plans, pension plans and certain charitable entities; (ii) not be offset by otherwise allowable deductions for tax
purposes; (iii) not be eligible for reduced U.S. withholding for non-U.S. shareholders even from tax treaty countries; and (iv) cause the Fund to be subject to tax if certain “disqualified organizations,” as defined by the Internal
Revenue Code, are Fund shareholders. If a charitable remainder annuity trust or a charitable remainder unitrust (each as defined in Section 664 of the Internal Revenue Code) has unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) for a taxable
year, a 100% excise tax on the UBTI is imposed on the trust.
Non-U.S. Investments.
Under Section 988 of the Internal Revenue Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time the Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities
denominated in a non-U.S. currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses) realized on debt instruments will be treated as
Section 988 gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gains or losses on non-U.S. currency, non-U.S. currency forward
contracts and certain non-U.S. currency options or futures contracts denominated in non-U.S. currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or
loss unless the Fund were to elect otherwise.
The
Fund may be subject to non-U.S. income taxes withheld at the source. The Fund, if permitted to do so, may elect to “pass through” to its investors the amount of non-U.S. income taxes paid by the Fund provided that the Fund held the
security on the dividend settlement date and for at least 15 additional days immediately before and/or thereafter, with the result that each investor with respect to shares of the Fund held for a minimum 16-day holding period at the time of deemed
distribution will (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s non-U.S. income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating U.S.
taxable income, but only for investors who itemize their deductions on their personal tax returns) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal income tax) the investor’s pro rata share of the Fund’s
non-U.S. income taxes. A non-U.S. person invested in the Fund in a year that the Fund elects to “pass through” its non-U.S. taxes may be treated as receiving additional dividend income subject to U.S. withholding tax. A non-U.S. tax
credit may not exceed the investor’s U.S. federal income tax otherwise payable with respect to the investor’s non-U.S. source income. For this purpose, shareholders must treat as non-U.S. source gross income (i) their proportionate
shares of non-U.S. taxes paid by the Fund and (ii) the portion of any dividend paid by the Fund that represents income derived from non-U.S. sources; the Fund’s gain from the sale of securities will generally be treated as U.S.-source income.
Certain limitations will be imposed to the extent to which the non-U.S. tax credit may be claimed. If your Fund shares are loaned pursuant to securities lending arrangements, you may lose the ability to use any non-U.S. tax credits passed through by
the Fund or to treat Fund dividends (paid while the shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividends. Regarding a short sale with respect to shares of the Fund, substitute payments made to the lender of such shares may not be deductible under
certain circumstances. Consult your financial intermediary or tax advisor.
Passive Foreign Investment Companies. If the Fund purchases shares in PFICs, it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is
distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.
If the Fund were to invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the
PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” under the Internal Revenue Code, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the Fund might be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the
qualified electing fund, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts would be subject to the 90% and excise tax distribution requirements described above. In order to make this election, the Fund would be required to obtain certain annual
information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain.
Alternatively, the Fund may make a mark-to-market election
that would result in the Fund being treated as if it had sold and repurchased its PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the Fund would report any such gains as ordinary income and would deduct any such losses as ordinary losses to the
extent of previously recognized gains. The election must be made separately for each PFIC owned by the Fund and, once made, would be effective for all subsequent taxable years, unless revoked with the consent of the IRS. By making the election, the
Fund could potentially ameliorate the adverse tax consequences with respect to its ownership of shares in a PFIC, but in any particular year may be required to recognize
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income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds
from dispositions of PFIC stock. The Fund may have to distribute this “phantom” income and gain to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax.
The Fund will make the appropriate tax elections, if possible,
and take any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate the effects of these rules.
Reporting. 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 guidance, shareholders of a RIC 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.
Other Taxes. Dividends,
distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and non-U.S. taxes depending on each shareholder’s particular situation.
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. Dividends paid by the Fund from net tax-exempt income or long-term capital gains are generally not subject to such withholding tax. 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 back-up withholding at the appropriate rate.
For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2014,
properly-reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. 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 report
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 reports 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.
For
taxable years beginning before January 1, 2014, distributions that the Fund reports as “short-term capital gain dividends” or “long-term capital gain dividends” will not be treated as such to a recipient foreign shareholder
if the distribution is attributable to gain received from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property or an interest in a U.S. real property holding corporation and the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property exceeded certain
levels. Instead, if the foreign shareholder has not owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of distribution, such distributions will be subject to 30% withholding by the Fund
and will be treated as ordinary dividends to the foreign shareholder; if the foreign shareholder owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of the distribution, such
distribution will be treated as real property gain subject to 35% withholding tax and could subject the foreign shareholder to U.S. filing requirements. Additionally, if the Fund’s direct or indirect interests in U.S. real property were to
exceed certain levels, a foreign shareholder realizing gains upon redemption from the Fund on or before December 31, 2013 could be subject to the 35% withholding tax and U.S. filing requirements unless more than 50% of the Fund’s shares were
owned by U.S. persons at such time or unless
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the
foreign person had not held more than 5% of the Fund’s outstanding shares throughout either such person’s holding period for the redeemed shares or, if shorter, the previous five years.
The rules laid out in the previous paragraph, other than the
withholding rules, will apply notwithstanding the Fund’s participation in a wash sale transaction or its payment of a substitute dividend.
Provided that 50% or more of the value of the Fund’s
stock is held by U.S. shareholders, distributions of U.S. real property interests (including securities in a U.S. real property holding corporation, unless such corporation is regularly traded on an established securities market and the Fund has
held 5% or less of the outstanding shares of the corporation during the five-year period ending on the date of distribution) occurring on or before December 31, 2013, in redemption of a foreign shareholder’s shares of the Fund will cause the
Fund to recognize gain. If the Fund is required to recognize gain, the amount of gain recognized will equal to the fair market value of such interests over the Fund’s adjusted bases to the extent of the greatest foreign ownership percentage of
the Fund during the five-year period ending on the date of redemption.
Legislation has been proposed to extend the above expiration
dates, but no assurance can be provided that such legislation will be enacted.
A 30% withholding tax will be imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items paid after June 30, 2014, and proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S.
investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders; and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and
indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers
of direct and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained; agree to withhold tax on certain
payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event an intergovernmental
agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S.
owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
Shares of the Fund held by a non-U.S. shareholder at death
will be considered situated within the United States and subject to the U.S. estate tax.
The foregoing discussion is a summary of certain material U.S.
federal income tax considerations only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in such shares, including consequences under
state, local and non-U.S. 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.
Financial Statements
The Fund's audited Financial Statements, including the
Financial Highlights, appearing in the Annual Report to Shareholders and the report therein of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, are hereby incorporated by reference in this SAI. The Annual Report to
Shareholders, which contains the referenced audited financial statements, is available upon request and without charge.
Miscellaneous Information
Counsel. Willkie Farr
& Gallagher LLP, located at 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, is counsel to the Company.
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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, located at Three Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111, serves as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Fund's financial statements, and may
perform other services.
Shareholder Communications
to the Board. The Board has established a process for shareholders to communicate with the Board. Shareholders may contact the Board by mail. Correspondence should be addressed to iShares Board of Directors,
c/o BlackRock Fund Advisors, iShares Fund Administration, 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, California 94105. Shareholder communications to the Board should include the following information: (i) the name and address of the shareholder; (ii) the
number of shares owned by the shareholder; (iii) the Fund(s) of which the shareholder owns shares; and (iv) if these shares are owned indirectly through a broker, financial intermediary or other record owner, the name of the broker, financial
intermediary or other record owner. All correspondence received as set forth above shall be reviewed by the Secretary of the Company and reported to the Board.
Investors’ Rights.
The Fund relies on the services of its investment adviser and other service providers, including the distributor, administrator, custodian and transfer agent. Further information about the duties and roles of
these service providers is set out in this SAI. Investors who acquire shares of the Fund are not parties to the relevant agreement with these service providers and do not have express contractual rights against the Fund or its service providers,
except certain institutional investors that are Authorized Participants may have certain express contractual rights with respect to the Distributor under the terms of the relevant authorized participant agreement. Investors may have certain legal
rights under federal or state law against the Fund or its service providers. In the event that an investor considers that it may have a claim against the Fund, or against any service provider in connection with its investment in the Fund, such
investor should consult its own legal advisor.
By
contract, Authorized Participants irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or U.S. federal court sitting in New York City over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to the authorized participant
agreement. Jurisdiction over other claims, whether by investors or Authorized Participants, will turn on the facts of the particular case and the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceeding is brought.
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IS-SAI-DVYE-0615
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iShares®, Inc.
Statement of Additional Information
Dated March 1, 2015
(as revised June 22, 2015)
(as revised June 22, 2015)
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”)
is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the following fund of iShares, Inc. (the “Company”):
| Fund | Ticker | Stock Exchange | ||
| iShares Latin America Bond ETF (the “Fund”) | LTAM | NASDAQ |
The Prospectus for the Fund is
dated March 1, 2015, as amended and supplemented from time to time. 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 Company’s distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the “Distributor” or “BRIL”), 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or visiting www.iShares.com. The Fund's Prospectus is incorporated by reference into this SAI.
References to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended
(the “Investment Company Act” or the “1940 Act”), or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”), SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.
iShares® is a registered trademark of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.
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General Description of the Company and the Fund
The Company currently consists of more than 60 investment
series or portfolios. The Company was organized as a Maryland corporation on September 1, 1994 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Company is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940
Act. The offering of the Company's shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). This SAI relates solely to the Fund.
The Fund is managed by BlackRock Fund Advisors
(“BFA”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc., and generally seeks to track the investment results of the specific benchmark index identified in the Fund's Prospectus (the “Underlying Index”).
The Fund offers and issues shares at their net asset value per
share (“NAV”) only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (“Creation Unit”), generally in exchange for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted)
included in its Underlying Index (the “Deposit Securities”), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”). Shares of the Fund are listed and trade on The NASDAQ Stock Market
(“NASDAQ” or the “Listing Exchange”), a national securities exchange. Shares of the Fund are traded in the secondary market and elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above or below the Fund's NAV. Shares are redeemable
only in Creation Units, and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a Cash Component. Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares, generally 200,000 or multiples thereof.
The Company reserves the right to permit or require that
creations and redemptions of shares are effected fully or partially in cash. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities, subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain with the Company a cash deposit equal
to at least 105% and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change from time to time, of the market value of the omitted Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI.
Transaction fees and other costs associated with creations or redemptions that include a cash portion may be higher than the transaction fees and other costs associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, conditions and fees will be
limited in accordance with the requirements of SEC rules and regulations 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 Shareholder Information section of the Fund's Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of
the Prospectus.
Shares of the Fund are listed for
trading, and trade throughout the day, on the Listing Exchange and other secondary markets. Shares of the Fund may also be listed on certain non-U.S. exchanges. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange necessary to
maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met. The 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 Fund shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days, (ii) the value of the Underlying Index on which the Fund is based is no longer calculated or available, (iii) the
“indicative optimized portfolio value” (“IOPV”) of the Fund is no longer calculated or available, or (iv) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes further
dealings on the Listing Exchange inadvisable. The Listing Exchange will also remove shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you
buy or sell shares through a broker, you will incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker.
In order to provide additional information regarding the
indicative value of shares of the Fund, the Listing Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates information every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association, or through other widely disseminated means, an updated IOPV
for the Fund as calculated by an information provider or
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market data vendor. The Company is not involved in or responsible for any
aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IOPVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IOPVs.
An IOPV has a fixed income securities component and a cash
component. The fixed income securities values included in an IOPV are the values of the Deposit Securities for the Fund. While the IOPV reflects the current value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of
a Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the Fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the Fund may include securities that are not a part of
the current Deposit Securities. Therefore, the Fund’s IOPV disseminated during the Listing Exchange trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the Fund’s NAV, which is calculated only once a day.
The cash component included in an IOPV consists of estimated
accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses. If applicable, each IOPV also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the applicable currency.
The Company 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 or an investor's equity interest
in the Fund.
Investment Strategies and Risks
The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily
in both fixed-income securities 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 engages in representative sampling, which is
investing in a sample of securities selected by BFA to have a collective investment profile similar to that of the Fund's Underlying Index. Securities selected have aggregate investment characteristics (based on market capitalization and industry
weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as yield, credit rating, maturity and duration) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. A fund that uses representative sampling generally does not hold all of the securities
that are in its underlying index.
Although the Fund does
not seek leveraged returns, certain instruments used by the Fund may have a leveraging effect as described below.
The Fund generally will invest at least 90% of its assets in
the component securities of the Underlying Index and may invest up to 10% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates
(“BlackRock Cash Funds”), as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. From time to time when conditions warrant, however, the Fund may invest at
least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of BlackRock Cash Funds, as well as in
securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before the fees and expenses of the Fund.
Bonds. The Fund invests
a substantial portion of its assets in U.S. dollar-denominated bonds. A bond is an interest-bearing security issued by a U.S. or non-U.S. company, or U.S. or non-U.S. governmental unit. The issuer of a bond has a contractual obligation to pay
interest at a stated rate on specific dates and to repay principal (the bond’s face value) periodically or on a specified maturity date. Bonds generally are used by corporations and governments to borrow money from investors.
An issuer may have the right to redeem or “call” a
bond before maturity, in which case a fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower market rates. Similarly, a fund may have to reinvest interest income or payments received when bonds mature, sometimes at lower market rates. Most bonds bear
interest income at a “coupon” rate that is fixed for the life of the bond. The value of a fixed-rate bond usually rises when market interest rates fall, and falls when market interest rates rise. Accordingly, a fixed-rate bond’s
yield (income as a percent of the bond’s current value) may differ from its coupon rate as its value rises or falls. When an investor purchases a fixed-rate bond at a price that is greater than its face value, the investor is purchasing the
bond at a premium. Conversely, when an investor purchases a fixed-rate bond at a price that is less than its
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face value, the investor is purchasing the bond at a discount. Fixed-rate
bonds that are purchased at a discount pay less current income than securities with comparable yields that are purchased at face value, with the result that prices for such fixed-rate securities can be more volatile than prices for such securities
that are purchased at face value. Other types of bonds bear interest at an interest rate that is adjusted periodically. Interest rates on “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds may be higher or lower than current market
rates for fixed-rate bonds of comparable quality with similar final maturities. Because of their adjustable interest rates, the value of “floating rate” or “variable rate” bonds fluctuates much less in response to market
interest rate movements than the value of fixed-rate bonds, but their value may decline if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. The Fund may treat some of these bonds as having a shorter maturity for
purposes of calculating the weighted average maturity of its investment portfolio. Generally, prices of higher quality issues tend to fluctuate less with changes in market interest rates than prices of lower quality issues and prices of longer
maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter maturity issues. Bonds may be senior or subordinated obligations. Senior obligations generally have the first claim on a corporation’s earnings and assets and, in the event of
liquidation, are paid before subordinated obligations. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuer’s general creditworthiness) or secured (backed by specified collateral).
Borrowing. The Fund may
borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, including to meet redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions.
The purchase of securities while borrowings are outstanding
may have the effect of leveraging the Fund. The incurrence of leverage increases the Fund’s exposure to risk, and borrowed funds are subject to interest costs that will reduce net income. Purchasing securities while borrowings are outstanding
creates special risks, such as the potential for greater volatility in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the yield on the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, the interest expenses from borrowings may exceed the income generated by the
Fund’s portfolio and, therefore, the amount available (if any) for distribution to shareholders as dividends may be reduced. BFA may determine to maintain outstanding borrowings if it expects that the benefits to the Fund’s shareholders
will outweigh the current reduced return.
Certain types
of borrowings by the Fund may result in the Fund being subject to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage, portfolio composition requirements and other matters. It is not anticipated that observance of such covenants would impede
BFA from managing the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies. However, a breach of any such covenants not cured within the specified cure period may result in acceleration of outstanding
indebtedness and require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
Brady Bonds. The Fund
may invest in Brady bonds. Brady bonds are securities created through the exchange of existing commercial bank loans to public and private entities in certain emerging markets for new bonds in connection with debt restructurings. Brady bonds have
been issued since 1989. In light of the history of defaults of countries issuing Brady bonds on their commercial bank loans, investments in Brady bonds may be viewed as speculative and subject to the same risks as emerging market securities. Brady
bonds may be fully or partially collateralized or uncollateralized, are issued in various currencies (but primarily the U.S. dollar) and are actively traded in over-the-counter (“OTC”) secondary markets. Incomplete collateralization of
interest or principal payment obligations results in increased credit risk. U.S. dollar-denominated collateralized Brady bonds, which may be either fixed-rate or floating rate bonds, are generally collateralized by U.S. Treasury
securities.
Corporate Bonds. The Fund will invest in investment-grade and/or high yield corporate bonds. High yield corporate bonds may be deemed speculative and more volatile than higher rated securities of similar maturity. The investment
return of corporate bonds reflects interest earned on the security and changes in the market value of the security. The market value of a corporate bond may be affected by changes in the market rate of interest, the credit rating of the corporation,
the corporation’s performance and perceptions of the corporation in the market place. There is a risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an
instrument.
Diversification Status. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” A non-diversified fund is a fund that 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 (or securities of issuers in particular industries) may dominate the underlying index of such a fund 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.
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The Fund intends to maintain the required level of
diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for purposes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and to relieve
the Fund of any liability for U.S. federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders, provided that the Fund satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the
Internal Revenue Code may limit the investment flexibility of the Fund and may make it less likely that the Fund will meet its investment objective.
Futures and Options.
Futures contracts and options may be used by the Fund to simulate investment in its Underlying Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Fund may enter into futures contracts and options that are traded on a U.S. or
non-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”). BFA, with respect to the Fund, has
claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that BFA, in respect of such fund, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA. See
the Regulation Regarding Derivatives section of this SAI for more information.
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. The Fund may enter into futures contracts to purchase securities indexes when BFA anticipates purchasing the
underlying securities and believes prices will rise before the purchase will be made. To the extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
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 an exercise 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. Investments in futures contracts and other investments that contain leverage may require the Fund to maintain liquid assets. Generally, the
Fund maintains an amount of liquid assets equal to its obligations relative to the position involved, adjusted daily on a marked-to-market basis. With respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to “cash-settle,” the
Fund maintains liquid assets in an amount at least equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market obligation (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability, if any), rather than the contracts’ notional
value (i.e., the value of the underlying asset). By maintaining assets equal to its net obligation under cash-settled futures contracts, the Fund may employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund set
aside assets equal to the futures contracts’ full notional value. The Fund bases its asset maintenance policies on methods permitted by the SEC staff and may modify these policies in the future to comply with any changes in the guidance
articulated from time to time by the SEC or its staff.
High Yield Securities.
Non-investment grade or “high yield” fixed income or convertible securities commonly known to investors as “junk bonds” or “high yield bonds” are debt securities that are rated below investment grade by the
major rating agencies or are unrated securities that Fund management believes are of comparable quality. While generally providing greater income and opportunity for gain, non-investment grade debt securities may be subject to greater risks than
securities that have higher credit ratings, including a high risk of default, and their yields will fluctuate over time. High yield securities will generally be in the lower rating categories of recognized rating agencies (rated “Ba” or
lower by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”) or “BB” or lower by Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”) or Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services) or will be unrated. The credit rating of a high yield
security does not necessarily address its market value risk, and ratings may from time to time change, positively or negatively, to reflect developments regarding the issuer’s financial condition. High yield securities are considered to be
speculative with respect to the capacity of the issuer to timely repay principal and pay interest in accordance with the terms of the obligation and may have more credit risk than higher rated securities.
The major risks of high yield bond investments include the
following:
| • | High yield bonds may be issued by less creditworthy companies. These securities are vulnerable to adverse changes in the issuer’s industry and to general economic conditions. Issuers of high yield bonds may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments or the unavailability of additional financing. |
| • | The issuers of high yield bonds may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade bonds. If the issuer experiences financial stress, it may be unable to meet its debt obligations. The |
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| issuer’s ability to pay its debt obligations also may be lessened by specific issuer developments, or the unavailability of additional financing. Issuers of high yield securities are often in the growth stage of their development and/or involved in a reorganization or takeover. | |
| • | High yield bonds are frequently ranked junior to claims by other creditors. If the issuer cannot meet its obligations, the senior obligations are generally paid off before the junior obligations, which will potentially limit the Fund’s ability to fully recover principal or to receive interest payments when senior securities are in default. Thus, investors in high yield securities frequently have a lower degree of protection with respect to principal and interest payments than do investors in higher rated securities. |
| • | High yield bonds frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from the Fund before it matures. If an issuer redeems the high yield bonds, the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income. |
| • | Prices of high yield bonds are subject to extreme fluctuations. Negative economic developments may have a greater impact on the prices of high yield bonds than on those of other higher rated fixed income securities. |
| • | High yield bonds may be less liquid than higher rated fixed income securities even under normal economic conditions. Under certain economic and/or market conditions, the Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain high yield securities due to the limited number of investors in that sector of the market. There are fewer dealers in the high yield bond market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for high yield bonds by dealers, and such quotations may not be the actual prices available for a purchase or sale. Because high yield bonds are less liquid, judgment may play a greater role in the prices and values generated for such securities than in the case of securities trading in a more liquid market. |
| • | The secondary markets for high yield securities are not as liquid as the secondary markets for higher rated securities. The secondary markets for high yield securities are concentrated in relatively few market makers and participants in the markets are mostly institutional investors, including insurance companies, banks, other financial institutions and mutual funds. In addition, the trading volume for high yield securities is generally lower than that for higher rated securities and the secondary markets could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. Under certain economic and/or market conditions, the Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain high yield securities due to the limited number of investors in that sector of the market. A less liquid secondary market may adversely affect the market price of the high yield security, which may result in increased difficulty selling the particular issue and obtaining accurate market quotations on the issue when valuing the Fund’s assets. Market quotations on high yield securities are available only from a limited number of dealers, and such quotations may not be the actual prices available for a purchase or sale. When the secondary market for high yield securities becomes more illiquid, or in the absence of readily available market quotations for such securities, the relative lack of reliable objective data makes it more difficult to value such securities, and judgment plays a more important role in determining such valuations. |
| • | The Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer. |
| • | The high yield bond markets may react strongly to adverse news about an issuer or the economy, or to the perception or expectation of adverse news, whether or not it is based on fundamental analysis. Additionally, prices for high yield securities may be affected by legislative and regulatory developments. These developments could adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value and investment practices, the secondary market for high yield securities, the financial condition of issuers of these securities and the value and liquidity of outstanding high yield securities, especially in a thinly traded market. For example, federal legislation requiring the divestiture by federally insured savings and loan associations of their investments in high yield bonds and limiting the deductibility of interest by certain corporate issuers of high yield bonds adversely affected the market in the past. |
Illiquid Securities. The
Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment). Illiquid securities may include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments
that lack readily available markets, as determined in accordance with SEC staff guidance. The liquidity of a security relates to the ability to readily dispose of the security and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the security, which may
be lower than the price that would be obtained for a comparable, more liquid security. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount to comparable, more liquid securities and may impair the Fund’s ability to dispose of securities in a timely
fashion at their expected price.
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Lending Portfolio Securities.
The Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain borrowers determined to be creditworthy by BFA, including borrowers affiliated with BFA. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an amount at least equal to the current market
value of the securities loaned. No securities loan shall be made on behalf of the Fund if, as a result, the aggregate value of all securities loaned by the Fund exceeds one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the
collateral received). 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 may 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 the
lending Fund or through one or more joint accounts or money market funds, including those affiliated with BFA; such investments are subject to investment risk.
The Fund conducts its securities lending pursuant to an
exemptive order from the SEC permitting it to lend portfolio securities to borrowers affiliated with the Fund and to retain an affiliate of the Fund as lending agent. To the extent that the Fund engages in securities lending, BlackRock Institutional
Trust Company, N.A. (“BTC”) acts as securities lending agent for the Fund, subject to the overall supervision of BFA. BTC administers the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the Company's Board of Directors (the
“Board” or the “Directors”).
The
Fund retains a portion of the securities lending income and remits the remaining portion to BTC as compensation for its services as securities lending agent. Securities lending income is equal to the total of income earned from the reinvestment of
cash collateral (and excludes collateral investment fees as defined below), and any fees or other payments to and from borrowers of securities. As securities lending agent, BTC bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending. The
Fund is responsible for fees in connection with the investment of cash collateral received for securities on loan in a money market fund managed by BFA however, BTC has agreed to reduce the amount of securities lending income it receives in order to
effectively limit the collateral investment fees the Fund bears to an annual rate of 0.04% (the “collateral investment fees”). Such money market fund shares will not be subject to a sales load, redemption fee, distribution fee or service
fee.
Pursuant to the current securities lending
agreement:
(i) Fixed income funds, such as the Fund,
retain 80% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees) and (ii) this amount can never be less than 70% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
Under the securities lending program, the Fund is categorized
into one of several specific asset classes. The determination of the Fund’s asset class category (fixed income, domestic equity, international equity or fund-of-funds), each of which may be subject to a different fee arrangement, is based on a
methodology agreed to by the Company and BTC.
In
addition, commencing the business day following the date that the aggregate securities lending income (which includes, for this purpose, collateral investment fees) earned across the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (as defined under “Management—Directors and Officers”) in a calendar year exceeds the aggregate securities lending income earned across the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex in calendar year 2013 (the
“Hurdle Date”), the fixed income fund, pursuant to the securities lending agreement, will receive for the remainder of that calendar year securities lending income as follows:
(i) 85% of securities lending income (which excludes
collateral investment fees) and (ii) this amount can never be less than 70% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.
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. If a securities lending counterparty were to default, the Fund would be subject to the
risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. In the event a borrower does not return the Fund’s securities as agreed, the Fund may experience losses
if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do 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. This event could
trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. The Fund could lose money if its short-term investment of the collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Substitute payments for dividends received by the Fund for securities loaned out
by the Fund will not be considered qualified dividend
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income. BTC will take into account the tax effects on shareholders caused by
this difference in connection with the Fund’s securities lending program. Substitute payments received on tax-exempt securities loaned out will not be tax-exempt income.
Non-U.S. Securities. The
Fund invests in certain obligations or securities of non-U.S. issuers. An issuer of a security may be deemed to be located in a particular country if (i) the principal trading market for the security is in such country, (ii) the issuer is organized
under the laws of such country, (iii) the issuer derives at least 50% of its revenues or profits from such country or has at least 50% of its assets situated in such country or, (iv) the issuer is the particular country.
Options on Futures Contracts.
The Fund may invest in 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 potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to the agreed upon price per share, also known as the “strike price,” less the premium received
from writing the put.
The Fund may purchase and
write put and call options on futures contracts that are traded on an 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 the 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.
Privately-Issued Securities.
The Fund may invest in privately-issued securities, including those that may be resold only in accordance with Rule 144A or Regulation S under the 1933 Act (“Restricted Securities”). Restricted Securities are not publicly-traded
and are subject to a variety of restrictions, which limit a purchaser's ability to acquire or resell such securities. Accordingly, the liquidity of the market for specific Restricted Securities may vary. Delay or difficulty in selling such
securities may result in a loss to the Fund.
Ratings. An
investment-grade rating means the security or issuer is rated investment-grade by Moody’s, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, Fitch, or another credit rating agency designated as a nationally-recognized statistical rating organization
(“NRSRO”) by the SEC, or is unrated but considered to be of equivalent quality by BFA. Bonds rated Baa3 or above by Moody’s or BBB- or above by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch are considered
“investment-grade” securities, bonds rated Baa are considered medium grade obligations subject to moderate credit risk and may possess certain speculative characteristics, while bonds rated BBB are regarded as having adequate capacity to
meet financial commitments.
Subsequent to
purchase by the Fund, a rated security may cease to be rated or its rating may be reduced below an investment-grade rating. Bonds rated lower than Baa3 by Moody’s or BBB- by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services or Fitch are considered below
investment-grade quality and are obligations of issuers that are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal according to the terms of the obligation and, therefore, carry
greater investment risk, including the possibility of issuer default and bankruptcy and increased market price volatility. Such securities (“lower-rated securities”) are commonly referred to as “junk bonds” and are subject to
a substantial degree of credit risk. Lower-rated securities are often issued by smaller, less creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) firms, which are generally less able than more financially stable firms to make scheduled payments
of interest and
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principal. The risks posed by securities issued under such circumstances are
substantial. Bonds rated below investment-grade tend to be less marketable than higher-quality bonds because the market for them is less broad. The market for unrated bonds is even narrower. Please see Appendix A of this SAI for a description of
each rating category of Moody's, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch.
Regulation Regarding Derivatives. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if a fund that is advised by the investment adviser either (i) invests,
directly or indirectly, more than a prescribed level of its liquidation value in CFTC-regulated futures, options and swaps (“CFTC Derivatives”), or (ii) markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. The CFTC
also subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if the registered investment company invests in one or more commodity pools. To the extent the Fund uses CFTC Derivatives, it intends to do so below such prescribed
levels and will not market itself as a “commodity pool” or a vehicle for trading such instruments.
BFA has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term
“commodity pool operator” under the CEA pursuant to Rule 4.5 under the CEA with respect to the Fund. BFA is not, therefore, subject to registration or regulation as a “commodity pool operator” under the CEA with respect to
the Fund.
Repurchase Agreements. A repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser (i.e., the Fund) acquires the security and the
seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser’s holding period. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans
by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities will not be considered to be owned by the Fund but only to
constitute collateral for the seller’s obligation to pay the repurchase price, and, in the event of a default by the seller, the Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or losses in connection with the disposition of the
collateral.
In any repurchase transaction, the
collateral for a repurchase agreement may include: (i) cash items; (ii) obligations issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities; or (iii) obligations that, at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into, are determined
to (A) have exceptionally strong capacity to meet their financial obligations and (B) are sufficiently liquid such that they can be sold at approximately their carrying value in the ordinary course of business within seven days.
Repurchase agreements pose certain risks for the Fund, should
it decide to utilize them. Such risks are not unique to the Fund, but are inherent in repurchase agreements. The Fund seeks to minimize such risks, but because of the inherent legal uncertainties involved in repurchase agreements, such risks cannot
be eliminated. Lower quality collateral and collateral with longer maturities may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with shorter maturities. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to
default, lower quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterparty’s repurchase obligation, the Fund
would retain the status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty (i.e., the position the Fund would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies, other unsecured debt securities
of the defaulting counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, the Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements.
Reverse repurchase agreements 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. 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 advantageous only if the Fund has an opportunity to earn a rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions that is greater 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 BFA believes it will be
advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s assets. The Fund’s exposure to reverse repurchase agreements will be covered by liquid assets having a
value equal to or greater than such commitments. The use of reverse repurchase agreements is a form of leverage because the proceeds derived from reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities.
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Securities of Investment Companies. The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) to the extent allowed by law, regulation, exemptive order or SEC staff guidance. Under the 1940 Act, the
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. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, the Fund intends from time to time to invest its assets in securities of investment companies,
including but not limited to money market funds, including those advised by BFA or otherwise affiliated with BFA, in excess of the limits discussed above. Other investment companies in which the Fund invests can be expected to incur fees and
expenses for operations, such as investment advisory and administration fees, which would be in addition to those incurred by the Fund. Pursuant to guidance issued by the SEC staff, fees and expenses of money market funds used for cash collateral
received in connection with loans of securities are not treated as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which reflect the Fund’s pro rata share of
the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies (as disclosed in the Prospectus, as applicable).
Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments. The Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including variable rate demand notes, short-term municipal securities, short-term municipal money market funds and money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to
provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds (including those advised by BFA or otherwise affiliated with BFA); (ii)
obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), bankers’ acceptances, fixed-time deposits
and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, “Prime-1” by Moody's, “F-1” by Fitch or “A-1” by
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by BFA; (v) 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 satisfy the rating requirements set
forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of BFA, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S.
banks which may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest
rates. Bankers’ acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.
Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Obligations. The Fund may invest in sovereign and quasi-sovereign obligations. An investment in sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. Sovereign debt includes securities
issued or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign government. Quasi-sovereign debt includes securities issued or guaranteed by an entity affiliated with or backed by a sovereign government. Quasi-sovereign debt obligations are typically less liquid and
less standardized than sovereign debt obligations. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund may have limited recourse in the event of a
default. Similar to other issuers, changes to financial condition or credit rating of a non-U.S. government may cause the value of a sovereign debt to decline. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt obligations
may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations, which may affect the Fund's NAV. In the past, certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest
and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts. Several sovereign issuers have experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about rising government debt levels, including Greece, Ireland, Italy,
Portugal and Spain.
A sovereign debtor's
willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its non-U.S. currency reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange, the
relative size of the debt service burden, the sovereign debtor's policy toward principal international lenders and local political constraints. The failure of a sovereign debtor to implement economic reforms, achieve specified levels of economic
performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of third-party commitments to lend funds to the sovereign debtor, which may further impair such debtor's ability or willingness to service its debts. Quasi-sovereign
debt obligations are typically less liquid and less standardized than government debt.
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
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agreements will usually be performed on a net basis, with 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 liquid assets having an aggregate
value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained by the Fund.
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.
U.S.-Registered Securities of Non-U.S. Issuers. The Fund may invest in U.S.-registered, U.S. dollar-denominated bonds of non-U.S. governments, agencies, supranational entities and corporate issuers. The Fund may invest in Restricted Securities issued by
non-U.S. issuers. Investing in U.S.-registered, U.S. dollar-denominated bonds or Restricted Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers involves some risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These include
differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S.
investments in foreign countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. In addition, the risk that the issuer may fail to meet its
obligations on these securities may be affected by fluctuations in non-U.S. currency exchange rates between the issuer's local currency and the U.S. dollar. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S.
economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product (“GDP”), rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions.
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 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
principal risks associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Fund's Prospectus. 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 bonds in general, and other factors that affect the market.
Borrowing Risk.
Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may
reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.
Call Risk. During
periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable bond held by the Fund may “call” or repay the security before its stated maturity, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting
in a decline in the Fund's income.
Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and to the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less
developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the
standards of care of their local markets, and thus may be subject to limited or no government oversight. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses
of security certificates. In general, the less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems. Practices in relation to the settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher
risks than those in developed markets, in part because of the use of brokers and counterparties that are often less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence,
undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being lost. In addition, the laws of certain countries may put
limits on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or an agent of any of the foregoing goes bankrupt. The Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such custody problems and may have no
successful claim for compensation.
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Cyber Security Risk.
With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional
events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or
malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access,
such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber security failures
by or breaches of the systems of the Fund’s adviser, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, index providers, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), market makers, Authorized
Participants (as defined in the Portfolio Holdings Information section of this SAI) or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial
losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational
damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund has established business continuity plans in the
event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber
security plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund, issuers in which the Fund invests, market makers or Authorized Participants. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
Extension Risk. During
periods of rising interest rates, certain obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply, resulting in a decline to the Fund’s income and potentially in the
value of the Fund’s investments.
Issuer
Insolvency Risk. The Fund’s potential exposure to financially or operationally troubled issuers involves a high degree of credit and market risk, which may be heightened during an economic downturn or
recession. Should an issuer of securities held by the Fund become involved in a bankruptcy proceeding, reorganization or financial restructuring, a wide variety of considerations make an evaluation of the outcome of the Fund’s exposure to the
issuer uncertain.
During the period of a
bankruptcy proceeding, reorganization or financial restructuring, it is unlikely that the Fund will receive any interest payments on the securities of the issuer, the Fund will be subject to significant uncertainty as to whether the reorganization
will be completed, and the Fund may bear certain extraordinary expenses to protect and recover its investment. The Fund will also be subject to significant uncertainty as to when and in what manner and for what value the obligations evidenced by the
securities of the issuer held by the Fund will eventually be satisfied. Even if a plan of reorganization is adopted with respect to the securities of the issuer held by the Fund, there can be no assurance that the securities or other assets received
by the Fund in connection with such plan of reorganization will not have a lower value or income potential than may have been anticipated or no value. The Fund as a creditor may be unable to enforce its claims or rights in any collateral or may have
its claims or security interest in any collateral challenged, disallowed or subordinated to the claims or security interests of other creditors. In addition, amendments to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or other relevant laws could alter the expected
outcome or introduce greater uncertainty regarding the outcome of the Fund’s securities holdings in the issuer.In a bankruptcy proceeding, a reorganization or restructuring, the securities of the issuer held by the Fund could be
re-characterized or the Fund may receive different securities or other assets, including equity securities. These types of equity securities may include, for example: common stock; preferred stock (including convertible preferred stock); bonds,
notes and debentures convertible into common or preferred stock; stock purchase warrants and rights; equity interests in trusts; and depositary receipts. The value of equity securities received by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of
the issuer deteriorates or if overall market and economic conditions, or conditions within the issuer’s region or industry, deteriorate.
To the extent that the Fund receives other assets in
connection with a bankruptcy proceeding, reorganization or financial restructuring, the Fund may also be subject to additional risks associated with the assets received. One example of assets that the Fund could receive is an interest in one or more
loans made to the issuer as part of a workout agreed to by a consortium of lienholders and creditors of the issuer. The Fund may receive such interests in loans to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act.
Securities or other assets received in a reorganization
typically entail a higher degree of risk than investments in securities of issuers that have not undergone a reorganization or restructuring and may be subject to heavy selling or downward pricing pressure after completion of the reorganization or
restructuring. The post-reorganization assets and securities may also be
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illiquid and difficult to sell or value. If the Fund participates in
negotiations with respect to a plan of reorganization with respect to securities of the issuer held by the Fund, the Fund also may be restricted from disposing such securities for a period of time. If the Fund becomes involved in such proceedings,
the Fund may have more active participation in the affairs of the issuer than that assumed generally by an investor.
Operational Risk. BFA
and the Fund's other service providers may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the Fund. While service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, their methods
of operational risk management may differ from the Fund's in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. BFA, through its monitoring and oversight of service providers, seeks to ensure
that service providers take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors. However, it is not possible for BFA or the other Fund service providers to identify all of the operational risks
that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.
Risk of 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, a commodity (such as gold or silver), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the
S&P 500 or the prime lending rate). The Fund may invest in variable rate demand notes and obligations, and tender option bonds, which may be considered 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. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which
is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations.
Risk of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. 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 bond 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 futures contracts it has sold.
The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered
call options in some strategies (e.g., selling uncovered bond 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 a direct investment in the types of bonds in which it invests.
Utilization of futures and options on futures by the Fund
involves the risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to its 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 BFA as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be
incorrect.
Because the futures market generally 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.
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Risk of Investing in Non-U.S. Debt Securities. The Fund may invest in non-U.S. debt securities. An issuer of a security may be deemed to be located in a particular country if (i) the principal trading market for the security is in such country, (ii) the issuer
is organized under the laws of such country, (iii) the issuer derives at least 50% of its revenues or profits from such country or has at least 50% of its assets situated in such country, or (iv) the issuer is the particular country. An investment
in the Fund involves risks associated with investing in a portfolio of debt securities traded on foreign exchanges and over-the-counter (“OTC”) in the respective countries covered by the Fund. These risks typically include market
fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in bond prices. Investing in the Fund's portfolio, which contains non-U.S. issuers involves certain risks and considerations
not typically associated with investing in the securities of U.S. issuers. These risks include generally less liquid and less efficient securities markets; generally greater price volatility; less publicly-available information about issuers; the
imposition of withholding or other taxes; the imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of funds or other assets of the Fund; higher transaction and custody costs; delays and risks attendant in settlement procedures; difficulties in enforcing
contractual obligations; lower liquidity and significantly smaller market capitalization of most non-U.S. securities markets; different accounting and disclosure standards; lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; more substantial
government interference with the economy; higher rates of inflation; greater social, economic, and political uncertainty; and the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets and risk of war.
Risk of Investing in Brazil.
Investment in securities of companies domiciled in Brazil involves a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks
include, among others, a high level of price volatility in the Brazilian equity and currency markets, chronic structural public sector deficits and disparities of wealth.
Brazil has historically experienced high rates of inflation
and may continue to do so in the future. An increase in prices for commodities, the depreciation of the Brazilian currency (the real) and potential future governmental measures seeking to maintain the value of the real in relation to the U.S.
dollar, may trigger increases in inflation in Brazil and may slow the rate of growth of the Brazilian economy. Inflationary pressures also may limit the ability of certain Brazilian issuers to access foreign financial markets and may lead to further
government intervention in the economy, including the introduction of government policies that may adversely affect the overall performance of the Brazilian economy, which in turn could adversely affect the Fund's investments.
The Brazilian government has exercised, and continues to
exercise, significant influence over the Brazilian economy, which may have significant effects on Brazilian companies and on market conditions and prices of Brazilian securities. The Brazilian economy has been characterized by frequent, and
occasionally drastic, intervention by the Brazilian government. The Brazilian government has often changed monetary, taxation, credit, tariff and other policies to influence the core of Brazil’s economy. The Brazilian government’s
actions to control inflation and affect other economic policies have involved, among others, the setting of wage and price controls, blocking access to bank accounts, fluctuation of the base interest rates, imposing exchange controls and limiting
imports into Brazil. In the past, the Brazilian government has maintained domestic price controls, and no assurances can be given that price controls will not be re-imposed in the future.
Investments in Brazilian securities may be subject to certain
restrictions on foreign investment. Brazilian law provides that whenever a serious imbalance in Brazil’s balance of payments exists or is anticipated, the Brazilian government may impose temporary restrictions on the remittance to foreign
investors of the proceeds of their investment in Brazil and on the conversion of Brazilian currency into foreign currency. The likelihood of such restrictions may be affected by the extent of Brazil’s foreign currency reserves, the size of
Brazil’s debt service burden relative to the economy as a whole, and political constraints to which Brazil may be subject. There can be no assurance that the Brazilian government will not impose restrictions or restrictive exchange control
policies in the future, which could have the effect of preventing or restricting access to foreign currency.
The market for Brazilian securities is directly influenced by
the flow of international capital, and economic and market conditions of certain countries, especially other emerging market countries in Central and South America. Adverse economic conditions or developments in other emerging market countries have
at times significantly affected the availability of credit in the Brazilian economy and resulted in considerable outflows of funds and declines in the amount of foreign currency invested in Brazil. Crises in neighboring emerging market countries
also may increase investors’ risk aversion, which may adversely impact the market value of the securities issued by Brazilian companies, including securities in which the Fund may invest.
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Risk of Investing in Mexico.
Investment in Mexican issuers involves risks that are specific to Mexico, including regulatory, political, and economic risks. The Mexican economy, among other things, is dependent upon external trade with
other economies, specifically with the United States and certain Latin American countries. As a result, Mexico is dependent on, among other things, the U.S. economy and any change in the price or demand for Mexican exports may have an adverse
impact on the Mexican economy. Recently, Mexico has experienced an outbreak of violence related to drug trafficking. Incidents involving Mexico’s security may have an adverse effect on the Mexican economy and cause uncertainty in its financial
markets.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market countries may be subject to greater risks than investments in developed countries. These risks include: (i) less social, political, and economic stability; (ii) greater illiquidity
and price volatility due to smaller or limited local capital markets for such securities, or low or non-existent trading volumes; (iii) foreign exchanges and broker-dealers may be subject to less scrutiny and regulation by local authorities; (iv)
local governments may decide to seize or confiscate securities held by foreign investors and/or local governments may decide to suspend or limit an issuer's ability to make dividend or interest payments; (v) local governments may limit or entirely
restrict repatriation of invested capital, profits, and dividends; (vi) capital gains may be subject to local taxation, including on a retroactive basis; (vii) issuers facing restrictions on dollar or euro payments imposed by local governments may
attempt to make dividend or interest payments to foreign investors in the local currency; (viii) investors may experience difficulty in enforcing legal claims related to the securities and/or local judges may favor the interests of the issuer over
those of foreign investors; (ix) bankruptcy judgments may only be permitted to be paid in the local currency; (x) limited public information regarding the issuer may result in greater difficulty in determining market valuations of the securities,
and (xi) lack of financial reporting on a regular basis, substandard disclosure and differences in accounting standards may make it difficult to ascertain the financial health of an issuer.
Emerging market securities markets are typically marked by a
high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of ownership of such securities by a limited number of investors. In addition,
brokerage and other costs associated with transactions in emerging markets securities markets can be higher, sometimes significantly, than similar costs incurred in securities markets in developed countries. Although some emerging markets have
become more established and tend to issue securities of higher credit quality, the markets for securities in other emerging countries are in the earliest stages of their development, and these countries issue securities across the credit spectrum.
Even the markets for relatively widely traded securities in emerging countries may not be able to absorb, without price disruptions, a significant increase in trading volume or trades of a size customarily undertaken by institutional investors in
the securities markets of developed countries. The limited size of many of these securities markets can cause prices to be erratic for reasons apart from factors that affect the soundness and competitiveness of the securities issuers. For example,
prices may be unduly influenced by traders who control large positions in these markets. Additionally, market making and arbitrage activities are generally less extensive in such markets, which may contribute to increased volatility and reduced
liquidity of such markets. The limited liquidity of emerging country securities may also affect the Fund's ability to accurately value its portfolio securities or to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time it wishes to do so or in
order to meet redemption requests.
Many emerging market
countries suffer from uncertainty and corruption in their legal frameworks. Legislation may be difficult to interpret and laws may be too new to provide any precedential value. Laws regarding foreign investment and private property may be weak or
non-existent. Sudden changes in governments may result in policies which are less favorable to investors such as policies designed to expropriate or nationalize “sovereign” assets. Certain emerging market countries, including Argentina,
in the past have expropriated large amounts of private property, in many cases with little or no compensation, and there can be no assurance that such expropriation will not occur in the future.
Investment in the securities markets of certain emerging
countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions may limit the Fund's investment in certain emerging countries and may increase the expenses of the Fund. Certain emerging countries require governmental approval prior to
investments by foreign persons or limit investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuer's outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of
the company available for purchase by nationals.
Many
emerging market countries lack the social, political, and economic stability characteristic of the United States. Political instability among emerging market countries can be common and may be caused by an uneven distribution of wealth, social
unrest, labor strikes, civil wars, and religious oppression. Economic instability in emerging market countries may take the form of: (i) high interest rates; (ii) high levels of inflation, including hyperinflation; (iii) high levels of unemployment
or
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underemployment; (iv) changes in government economic and tax policies,
including confiscatory taxation; and (v) imposition of trade barriers.
The Fund's income and, in some cases, capital gains from
foreign securities will be subject to applicable taxation in certain of the emerging market countries in which it invests, and treaties between the United States and such countries may not be available in some cases to reduce the otherwise
applicable tax rates.
Emerging markets also have
different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain of these emerging markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such
transactions.
In the past, certain governments in
emerging market countries have become overly reliant on the international capital markets and other forms of foreign credit to finance large public spending programs, which in the past have caused huge budget deficits. Often, interest payments have
become too overwhelming for a government to meet, representing a large percentage of total GDP. These foreign obligations have become the subject of political debate and served as fuel for political parties of the opposition, which pressure the
government not to make payments to foreign creditors, but instead to use these funds for, among other things, social programs. Either due to an inability to pay or submission to political pressure, foreign governments have been forced to seek a
restructuring of their loan and/or bond obligations, have declared a temporary suspension of interest payments or have defaulted. These events have adversely affected the values of securities issued by foreign governments and corporations domiciled
in those countries and have negatively affected not only their cost of borrowing, but their ability to borrow in the future as well.
Risk of Investing in Latin America. A number of Latin American countries are among the largest debtors of developing countries and have a long history of foreign debt and default. In 2001, Argentina defaulted on its debt and many investors suffered
significant losses.
The majority of the region's
economies have become highly dependent upon foreign credit and loans from external sources to fuel their state-sponsored economic plans. Historically, government profligacy and ill-conceived plans for modernization have exhausted these resources
with little benefit accruing to the economy. Most countries have been forced to restructure their loans or risk default on their debt obligations. In addition, interest on the debt is subject to market conditions and may reach levels that would
impair economic activity and create a difficult and costly environment for borrowers. Accordingly, these governments may be forced to reschedule or freeze their debt repayment, which could negatively affect local markets. Because of their dependence
on foreign credit and loans, a number of Latin American economies face significant economic difficulties and some economies fell into recession as the recent global economic crisis tightened international credit supplies. While the region has
recently shown signs of economic improvement, recovery from past economic downturns in Latin America has historically been slow, and any such recovery, if sustained, may be gradual.
Substantial limitations may exist in certain Latin American
countries with respect to the Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities. The Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for
repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Fund of any restrictions on investments and difficulties in enforcing legal judgments in non-U.S. courts. Legal remedies available to investors in certain Latin American countries may be
less extensive than those available to investors in the United States or other countries. In addition, certain Latin American countries may have legal systems that may make it difficult for the Fund to vote proxies, exercise shareholder rights, and
pursue legal remedies with respect to its investments. In the past, many Latin American countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. For companies that keep accounting records in the
local currency, inflation accounting rules in some Latin American countries require, for both tax and accounting purposes, that certain assets and liabilities be restated on the company’s balance sheet in order to express items in terms of
currency of constant purchasing power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits for certain Latin American companies.
Certain Latin American countries have entered into regional
trade agreements that are designed to, among other things, reduce barriers between countries, increase competition among companies and reduce government subsidies in certain industries. No assurance can be given that these changes will be successful
in the long term, or that these changes will result in the economic stability intended. There is a possibility that these trade arrangements will not be fully implemented, or will be partially or completely unwound. It is also possible that a
significant participant could choose to abandon a trade agreement, which could diminish its credibility and influence. Any of these occurrences could have adverse effects on the markets of both participating and non-participating countries,
including sharp appreciation or depreciation of participants’
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national currencies and a significant increase in exchange rate volatility, a
resurgence in economic protectionism, an undermining of confidence in the Latin American markets, an undermining of Latin American economic stability, the collapse or slowdown of the drive towards Latin American economic unity, and/or reversion of
the attempts to lower government debt and inflation rates that were introduced in anticipation of such trade agreements. Such developments could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in Latin America generally or in specific
countries participating in such trade agreements.
Risk of
Investing in the Capital Goods Industry Group. The capital goods industry group may be affected by fluctuations in the business cycle and by other factors affecting manufacturing demands. The capital goods
industry group depends heavily on corporate spending. The capital goods industry group may perform well during times of economic expansion, and as economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods may decrease due to weakening demand,
worsening business cash flows, tighter credit controls and deteriorating profitability. During times of economic volatility, corporate spending may fall and adversely affect the capital goods industry group. This industry group may also be affected
by changes in interest rates, corporate tax rates and other government policies. Many capital goods are sold internationally and such companies are subject to market conditions in other countries and regions.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sector. Companies engaged in the design, production or distribution of products or services for the consumer discretionary sector (including, without limitation, television and radio broadcasting, manufacturing,
publishing, recording and musical instruments, motion pictures, photography, amusement and theme parks, gaming casinos, sporting goods and sports arenas, camping and recreational equipment, toys and games, apparel, travel-related services,
automobiles, hotels and motels, and fast food and other restaurants) are subject to the risk that their products or services may become obsolete quickly. The success of these companies can depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer
spending. During periods of an expanding economy, the consumer discretionary sector may outperform the consumer staples sector, but may underperform when economic conditions worsen. Moreover, the consumer discretionary sector can be significantly
affected by several factors, including, without limitation, the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, changing consumer preferences, demographics, marketing campaigns, cyclical revenue generation, consumer confidence,
commodity price volatility, labor relations, interest rates, import and export controls, intense competition, technological developments and government regulation.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Staples Sector. Companies in the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the
consumer staples sector may also be affected by changes in global economic, environmental and political events, economic conditions, the depletion of resources, and government regulation. For instance, government regulations may affect the
permissibility of using various food additives and production methods of companies that make food products, which could affect company profitability. In addition, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by the adoption of proposed legislation
and/or by litigation. Companies in the consumer staples sector also may be subject to risks pertaining to the supply of, demand for and prices of raw materials. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including,
without limitation, changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies, and seasonal and weather conditions. Companies in the consumer staples
sector may be subject to severe competition, which may also have an adverse impact on their profitability.
Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. Companies in the energy sector are strongly affected by the levels and volatility of global energy prices, energy supply and demand, government regulations and policies, energy production and conservation efforts,
technological change, and other factors that a company cannot control. These companies may also lack resources and have limited business lines. The energy sector is cyclical and is highly dependent on commodity prices; prices and supplies of energy
may fluctuate significantly over short and long periods of time due to, among other things, national and international political changes, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) policies, changes in relationships among
OPEC members and between OPEC and oil-importing nations, the regulatory environment, taxation policies, and the economy of the key energy-consuming countries.
Companies in the energy sector may be adversely affected by
terrorism, natural disasters or other catastrophes. Companies in the energy sector are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims. Disruptions in the oil
industry or shifts in fuel consumption may significantly impact companies in this sector. Significant oil and gas deposits are located in emerging markets countries where corruption and
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security may raise significant risks, in addition to the other risks of
investing in emerging markets. Additionally, the Middle East, where many companies in the energy sector may operate, has historically and recently experienced widespread social unrest.
Companies in the energy sector may also be adversely affected
by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, economic conditions, tax treatment, government regulation and intervention, negative perception, efforts at energy conservation and world events in the regions in which the companies operate (e.g., expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital, military coups, social unrest, violence or labor
unrest). Because a significant portion of revenues of companies in this sector is derived from a relatively small number of customers that are largely composed of governmental entities and utilities, governmental budget constraints may have a
significant impact on the stock prices of companies in this sector. The energy sector is highly regulated. Entities operating in the energy sector are subject to significant regulation of nearly every aspect of their operations by federal, state and
local governmental agencies. Such regulation can change rapidly or over time in both scope and intensity. Stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future which would likely increase compliance costs and may
materially adversely affect the financial performance of companies in the energy sector.
Risk of Investing in the Financials Sector. Companies in the financials sector include regional and money center banks, securities brokerage firms, asset management companies, savings banks and thrift institutions, specialty finance companies (e.g., credit card, mortgage providers), insurance and insurance brokerage firms, financial conglomerates and foreign banking and financial companies. The global
financial markets have experienced very difficult conditions and volatility as well as significant adverse trends. The conditions in these markets have resulted in a decrease in availability of corporate credit, capital and liquidity and have led
indirectly to the insolvency, closure or acquisition of a number of financial institutions. These conditions have also contributed to consolidation within the financial industry. In addition, the global financial industry has been materially and
adversely affected by a significant decline in the value of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, and by the sovereign debt crisis. The prospects of many financial companies are questionable and continue to evolve as financial companies
revise their outlooks and write down assets that they hold.
Most financial companies are subject to extensive governmental
regulation, which limits their activities and may affect their ability to earn a profit from a given line of business. Government regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector,
including effects not intended by the regulation. Direct governmental intervention in the operations of financial companies and financial markets may materially and adversely affect the companies in which the Fund invests, including legislation in
many countries that may increase government regulation, repatriation and other intervention. The impact of governmental intervention and legislative changes on any individual financial company or on the financials sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. The valuation of financial companies has been and continues to be subject to unprecedented volatility and may be influenced by unpredictable factors, including interest rate risk and sovereign debt default. Certain financial businesses
are subject to intense competitive pressures, including market share and price competition. Financial companies in foreign countries are subject to market specific and general regulatory and interest rate concerns. In particular, government
regulation in certain foreign countries may include taxes and controls on interest rates, credit availability, minimum capital requirements, ban on short sales, prices and currency transfers. In addition, companies in the financials sector may be
the targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or customer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
The profitability of banks, savings and loan associations and
financial companies is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change; for instance, when interest rates go up, the value of securities issued by many types of companies in
the financials sector generally goes down. In other words, financial companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including, without limitation, during periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and
increase the cost of capital, and during periods of declining economic conditions, which may cause, among other things, credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers.
In addition, general economic conditions are important to the
operations of these companies, and financial difficulties of borrowers may have an adverse effect on the profitability of financial companies. Financial companies can be highly dependent upon access to capital markets and any impediments to such
access, such as adverse overall economic conditions or a negative perception in the capital markets of a financial company’s financial condition or prospects, could adversely affect its business. Deterioration of credit markets, as experienced
in 2008 and 2009, can have an adverse impact on a broad range of financial markets, causing certain financial companies to incur large losses. In these conditions, companies in the financials sector may experience significant declines in the
valuation of their assets, take actions to raise
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capital and even cease operations. Some financial companies may also be
required to accept or borrow significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. In addition, there is no guarantee that governments
will provide any such relief in the future. These actions may cause the securities of many companies in the financials sector to decline in value.
Risk of Investing in the Healthcare Sector. Companies in the healthcare sector are often issuers whose profitability may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising or falling costs of
medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on
patent protection and the actual or perceived safety and efficiency of their products.
Patents have a limited duration and, upon expiration, other
companies may market substantially similar “generic” products that are typically sold at a lower price than the patented product, causing the original developer of the product to lose market share and/or reduce the price charged for the
product, resulting in lower profits for the original developer. As a result, the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies.
In addition, because the products and services of many
companies in the healthcare sector affect the health and well-being of many individuals, these companies are especially susceptible to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to
competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and
costly, resulting in increased development costs, delayed cost recovery and loss of competitive advantage to the extent that rival companies have developed competing products or procedures, adversely affecting the company’s revenues and
profitability. In other words, delays in the regulatory approval process may diminish the opportunity for a company to profit from a new product or to bring a new product to market, which could have a material adverse effect on a company’s
business. Healthcare companies may also be strongly affected by scientific biotechnology or technological developments and their products may quickly become obsolete. Also, many healthcare companies offer products and services that are subject to
governmental regulation and may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies or laws. Legislation introduced or considered by certain governments on any individual healthcare company or on the healthcare sector as a whole cannot be
predicted. These laws and proposals span a wide range of topics, including cost control, national health insurance, incentives for compensation in the provision of healthcare services, tax incentives and penalties related to healthcare insurance
premiums, and promotion of prepaid healthcare plans. No one can predict what proposals will be enacted or what potentially adverse effect they may have on healthcare-related or biotechnology-related companies.
Additionally, the expansion of facilities by
healthcare-related providers is subject to “determinations of need” by certain government authorities. This process not only increases the time and costs involved in these expansions, but also makes expansion plans uncertain, limiting
the revenue and profitability growth potential of healthcare-related facilities operators and negatively affecting the prices of their securities. Moreover, in recent years both local and national governmental budgets have come under pressure to
reduce spending and control healthcare costs, which could both adversely affect regulatory processes and public funding available for healthcare products, services and facilities.
Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be affected by supply and demand both for their specific products or services and for industrials sector products in general. The products
of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events and economic conditions affect the performance of companies in the industrials
sector. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. For example, commodity price declines and unit volume reductions resulting from an over-supply
of materials used in the industrials sector can adversely affect the sector. Furthermore, companies in the industrials sector may be subject to liability for environmental damage, product liability claims, depletion of resources, and mandated
expenditures for safety and pollution control.
Risk
of Investing in the Materials Sector. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources,
technical progress, labor relations and government regulations, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control, among other factors. Also,
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companies in the materials sector are at risk of liability for environmental
damage and product liability claims. Production of materials may exceed demand as a result of market imbalances or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. These risks are heightened for companies in the materials sector located in
foreign markets.
Risk of Investing in the Real Estate
Industry Group. Companies in the real estate industry group include companies that invest in real estate, such as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) or a real estate holding company
(collectively, “Real Estate Companies”). Investing in Real Estate Companies exposes investors to the risks of owning real estate directly, as well as to risks that relate specifically to the way in which Real Estate Companies are
organized and operated. The real estate industry is highly sensitive to general and local economic conditions and developments, and characterized by intense competition and periodic overbuilding. Investing in Real Estate Companies involves various
risks. Some risks that are specific to Real Estate Companies are discussed in greater detail below.
Interest Rate Risk. Rising
interest rates could result in higher costs of capital for Real Estate Companies, which could negatively impact a Real Estate Company’s ability to meet its payment obligations.
Leverage Risk. Real Estate
Companies may use leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and could adversely affect a Real Estate Company’s operations and market value in periods of rising interest rates. Real Estate Companies are also
exposed to the risks normally associated with debt financing. Financial covenants related to a Real Estate Company’s leverage may affect the ability of the Real Estate Company to operate effectively. In addition, real property may be subject
to the quality of credit extended and defaults by borrowers and tenants. If the properties do not generate sufficient income to meet operating expenses, including, where applicable, debt service, ground lease payments, tenant improvements,
third-party leasing commissions and other capital expenditures, the income and ability of a Real Estate Company to make payments of any interest and principal on its debt securities will be adversely affected.
Property Risk. Real Estate
Companies may be subject to risks relating to functional obsolescence or reduced desirability of properties; extended vacancies due to economic conditions and tenant bankruptcies; catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist
acts; and casualty or condemnation losses. Real estate income and values also may be greatly affected by demographic trends, such as population shifts or changing tastes and values, or increasing vacancies or declining rents resulting from legal,
cultural, technological, global or local economic developments.
Management Risk. Real Estate
Companies are dependent upon management skills and may have limited financial resources. Real Estate Companies are generally not diversified and may be subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers and voluntary liquidation. In
addition, transactions between Real Estate Companies and their affiliates may be subject to conflicts of interest, which may adversely affect a Real Estate Company’s shareholders. A Real Estate Company may also have joint venture investments
in certain of its properties and, consequently, its ability to control decisions relating to such properties may be limited.
Liquidity Risk. Investing in
Real Estate Companies may involve risks similar to those associated with investing in small-capitalization companies. Real Estate Company securities, like the securities of smaller capitalization companies, may be more volatile than, and perform
differently from, shares of large-capitalization companies. There may be less trading in Real Estate Company shares, which means that buy and sell transactions in those shares could have a magnified impact on share price, resulting in abrupt or
erratic price fluctuations. In addition, real estate is relatively illiquid and, therefore, a Real Estate Company may have a limited ability to vary or liquidate properties in response to changes in economic or other conditions.
Concentration Risk. Real
Estate Companies may own a limited number of properties and concentrate their investments in a particular geographic region or property type.
U.S. Tax Risk. Certain U.S.
Real Estate Companies are subject to special U.S. federal tax requirements. A REIT that fails to comply with such tax requirements may be subject to U.S. federal income taxation, which may affect the value of the REIT and the characterization of the
REIT’s distributions. The U.S. federal tax requirement that a REIT distribute substantially all of its net income to its shareholders may result in a REIT having insufficient capital for future expenditures.
Regulatory Risk. Real estate
income and values may be adversely affected by such factors as applicable domestic and foreign laws (including tax laws). Government actions, such as tax increases, zoning law changes or environmental regulations, also may have a major impact on
real estate.
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Risk of Investing in the Technology Sector. Technology companies are characterized by periodic new product introductions, innovations and evolving industry standards, and, as a result, face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which
may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the technology sector are often smaller and less experienced companies and may be subject to greater risks than larger companies; these risks may be heightened for technology companies in
foreign markets. Technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product
introduction, changes in consumer and business purchasing patterns, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. In addition, a rising interest rate environment tends to negatively affect companies
in the technology sector because, in such an environment, those companies with high market valuations may appear less attractive to investors, which may cause sharp decreases in the companies’ market prices. Companies in the technology sector
are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. The technology sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in
commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and
potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
Risk of Investing in the Telecommunications Sector. The telecommunications sector of a country’s economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory
approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be
arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sector may experience distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using
new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the telecommunications
sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.
Risk of Investing in the Utilities Sector. The utilities sector may be adversely affected by changing commodity prices, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, increased tariffs, changes in tax laws, interest rate fluctuations and
changes in the cost of providing specific utility services. The utilities industry is also subject to potential terrorist attacks, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, as well as regulatory and operational burdens associated with the
operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict a company’s access
to new markets, thereby diminishing the company’s long-term prospects.
There are substantial differences among the regulatory
practices and policies of various jurisdictions, and any regulatory agency may make major shifts in policy from time to time. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will, in the future, grant rate increases. Additionally, existing and
possible future regulatory legislation may make it even more difficult for utilities to obtain adequate relief. Certain of the issuers of securities held in the Fund's portfolio may own or operate nuclear generating facilities. Governmental
authorities may from time to time review existing policies and impose additional requirements governing the licensing, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. Prolonged changes in climate conditions can also have a significant impact on
both the revenues of an electric and gas utility as well as the expenses of a utility, particularly a hydro-based electric utility.
The rates that traditional regulated utility companies may
charge their customers generally are subject to review and limitation by governmental regulatory commissions. Rate changes may occur only after a prolonged approval period or may not occur at all, which could adversely affect utility companies when
costs are rising. The value of regulated utility debt securities (and, to a lesser extent, equity securities) tends to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial
deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions
and their traditional lines of business. As a result, some companies may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. Deregulation may also permit a utility company to expand outside its traditional lines of business and
engage in riskier ventures.
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Proxy Voting Policy
The Company has adopted proxy voting policies for the Fund
that incorporate and amplify the proxy voting guidelines of BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund. The Company has delegated to BFA 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 BFA’s role in implementing such guidelines.
BFA votes (or refrains from voting) proxies for the Fund in a
manner that BFA, in the exercise of its independent business judgment, concludes is in the best economic interests of the Fund. In some cases, BFA 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 on certain non-U.S. securities that might impose costly or time-consuming in-person voting requirements). With regard to the relationship between securities lending and proxy voting,
BFA’s approach is also driven by the Fund's 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 BFA recalling loaned securities in order to ensure they are voted. Periodically, BFA 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. BFA will normally vote on specific proxy issues in accordance with its proxy voting guidelines. BFA’s proxy voting guidelines provide detailed guidance as to
how to vote proxies on certain important or commonly raised issues. BFA 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. BFA 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), BFA or BFA’s affiliates, or the Distributor or the Distributor’s affiliates. When voting proxies, BFA attempts to encourage issuers 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; |
| • | When a director has committed himself or herself to service on more than four public company boards (but no more than six public company boards in most circumstances), the Fund will consider such director’s individual circumstances in determining whether the director will be able to commit sufficient focus and time to a particular company; |
| • | The Fund generally defers to an issuer’s choice of auditors so long as the corporate auditors represent the interests of shareholders and provide an independent view of the propriety of financial reporting decisions of management; |
| • | The Fund generally favors disclosure of a company’s compensation and benefits policies and opposes excessive compensation, but believes that compensation matters are normally best determined by a company’s board of directors; |
| • | The Fund generally expects to support capital structure requests that it believes enhance the rights of common shareholders and oppose requests that appear to be unreasonably dilutive; |
| • | 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. |
BFA 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), BFA or BFA’s affiliates (if any) or the Distributor or the Distributor’s
affiliates, from having undue influence on BFA’s proxy voting activity. In certain instances, BFA 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 BFA with instructions as to how to vote such proxies. In the latter case, BFA votes the proxy in accordance with the independent fiduciary’s
determination.
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Information with respect to how BFA voted proxies relating to
the Fund's portfolio securities during the 12-month period ending June 30 will be available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) 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 Board 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: (i) is consistent with applicable legal requirements and in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders; (ii) does not put the interests
of BFA, the Distributor or any affiliated person of BFA or the Distributor, above those of Fund shareholders; (iii) 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 discussed below, and certain information may be provided to personnel of BFA and its affiliates who manage funds that invest a significant percentage of their assets in shares of the Fund for the purpose of facilitating risk
management and hedging activities; and (iv) 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 (iii) above are generally limited to National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”) members, subscribers to various fee-based subscription services,
large institutional investors (known as “Authorized Participants”) that have been authorized by the Distributor to purchase and redeem large blocks of shares pursuant to legal requirements and market makers and other institutional market
participants and entities that provide information or transactional services.
Each business day, the Fund's 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 market
makers and 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 or evaluating such
potential transactions. 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; and (ii) to other personnel of
the Fund's investment adviser, the Distributor and their affiliates, and the administrator, custodian and fund accountant who deal directly with, or assist in, functions related to investment management, distribution, administration, custody,
securities lending and fund accounting, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with federal securities laws and regulations thereunder. In addition, the Fund discloses its fixed income and equity
portfolio holdings daily at www.iShares.com. More information about this disclosure is available at www.iShares.com.
Portfolio holdings information made available in connection
with the creation/redemption process may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Fund in the ordinary course of business after it has been disseminated to the NSCC. From time to time, information concerning portfolio holdings
other than portfolio holdings information made available in connection with the creation/redemption process, as discussed above, may be provided to other entities that provide services to the Fund, including rating or ranking organizations, in the
ordinary course of business, no earlier than one business day following the date of the information.
The Fund will disclose its complete portfolio holdings
schedule in public filings with the SEC within 70 days of the end of the second and fourth fiscal quarters and within 60 days of the end of the first and third fiscal quarters and will provide that information to shareholders as required by federal
securities laws and regulations thereunder. The Fund may, however, 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 contemporaneously.
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The Company's Chief Compliance Officer or his delegate may
authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information pursuant to the above policy and procedures.
The Board reviews the policy and procedures for disclosure of
portfolio holdings information at least annually.
Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Index
A description of the Fund's Underlying Index is provided
below.
The Barclays Indexes are maintained by Barclays
Capital Inc., which is not affiliated with BFA. BFA will have no role in maintaining the Underlying Indexes.
Barclays Latin America Bond Index
Number of Components:
approximately 465
Index Description. The Barclays Latin America Bond Index (the “Underlying Index”) is designed to measure the performance of U.S. dollar-denominated bond markets of corporate, sovereign and quasi-sovereign issuers domiciled in
Latin America. Securities included in the Underlying Index must be issued by entities domiciled in Latin America that satisfy certain eligibility requirements, and meet separate security-specific requirements. Each security issued by an eligible
issuer included in the Underlying Index must have a minimum maturity of one year and a minimum par amount outstanding, depending on the credit rating and country of domicile.
A security is considered investment grade if it is rated Baa3
or higher by Moody’s or BBB- or higher by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and Fitch, using the middle rating of Moody’s, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and Fitch. When ratings from only two of these agencies are
available, the lower rating is used. When a rating from only one of these agencies is available, that rating is used to determine index eligibility.
The Underlying Index includes both emerging market and
non-emerging market countries from Latin America. A country is considered an emerging market if it has a foreign currency sovereign rating of Baa1 or lower as determined by Moody’s or BBB+ or lower as determined by Standard & Poor's
Ratings Services or Fitch, using the middle rating of Moody’s, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services or Fitch. When ratings from only two of these agencies are available, the lower rating is used. When a rating from only one of these agencies
is available, that rating is used to determine index eligibility. A country is considered a non-emerging market country if it has a foreign currency sovereign rating of A3 or higher as determined by Moody’s or A- or higher as determined by
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services or Fitch.
Securities rated investment grade and domiciled in either an
emerging market or a non-emerging market country must have a minimum of $300 million par amount outstanding. Securities rated non-investment grade and domiciled in a non-emerging market country must have a minimum of $150 million par amount
outstanding. Securities rated non-investment grade and domiciled in an emerging market country must have a minimum of $500 million par amount outstanding; however, corporate issuers must have at least $1 billion of aggregate par amount
outstanding.
Warrants, convertible securities, private
placements, separate trading of registered interest and principal securities (“strips”) and inflation-linked bonds are excluded from the Underlying Index.
As of September 30, 2014, the Underlying Index’s five
highest weighted countries were Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Chile.
The Underlying Index is rebalanced monthly on the last
business day of each month.
No issuer can hold greater
than a 25% share of the Underlying Index. In addition, no more than 48% of the Underlying Index can be comprised of issuers that individually hold a 5% or greater share of the Underlying Index. Finally, each issuer that holds less than a 5% share of
the Underlying Index is capped at 4.5% of the Underlying Index. These caps are imposed at each month-end rebalancing date. Adjustments to a given issuer’s weight are applied proportionately to all of its constituent securities. Between
rebalancing dates, issuer weights are allowed to float above the caps.
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Investment Limitations
The Fund has adopted its investment objective as a
non-fundamental investment policy. Therefore, the Fund may change its investment objective and its Underlying Index without shareholder approval. The Board has adopted as fundamental policies the following numbered investment restrictions, which
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., invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries), except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of a 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. |
| 3. | Issue “senior securities” as defined in the 1940 Act and the rules, regulations and orders thereunder, except as permitted under the 1940 Act and the rules, regulation and orders thereunder. |
| 4. | Make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. |
| 5. | Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this restriction shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or securities or other instruments backed by real estate or mortgages), or 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 1933 Act, in disposing of portfolio securities. |
In addition to the investment restrictions adopted as
fundamental policies, set forth above, the Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy not to 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 (calculated at the time of investment). Except with regard to the fundamental policy relating to senior securities
set forth in (3) above, 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.
BFA monitors the liquidity of restricted
securities in the Fund’s portfolio. In reaching liquidity decisions, BFA 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). |
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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 of 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, an 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.
The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental limitation such that,
under normal market conditions, any borrowings by the Fund will not exceed 10% of the Fund's net assets.
The Fund may not purchase securities of other investment
companies, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. As a matter of policy, however, the Fund will not purchase shares of any registered open-end investment company or registered unit investment trust, in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G)
(the “fund of funds” provisions) of the 1940 Act, at any time the Fund has knowledge that its shares are purchased by another investment company investor in reliance on the provisions of subparagraph (G) of Section 12(d)(1).
Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may
raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 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 that could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the
prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed
a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units 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 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 1933 Act must take into account all of 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(a)(3) of
the 1933 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 1933
Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 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 available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Management
Directors and Officers.
The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Fund, including general supervision of the duties performed by BFA and other service providers. Each Director serves until he or
she resigns, is removed, dies, retires or becomes incapacitated. The President, Chief Compliance Officer, Treasurer and Secretary shall each hold office until their successors are chosen and qualify, and all other officers shall hold office until he
or she resigns or is removed. Directors who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company are referred to as independent directors (“Independent Directors”).
The registered investment companies advised by BFA or its
affiliates (the “BlackRock-advised Funds”) are organized into one complex of closed-end funds, two complexes of open-end funds and one complex of exchange-traded funds (“Exchange-Traded Fund Complex”) (each, a
“BlackRock Fund Complex”). The Fund is included in the BlackRock Fund Complex referred to as the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. Each Director also serves as a Trustee of iShares Trust, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc.
and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust and, as a result, oversees a total of 309 funds within the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. With the exception of Robert S. Kapito and Mark Wiedman, the address of each Director
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and
officer is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. The address of Mr. Kapito and Mr. Wiedman is c/o BlackRock, Inc., Park Avenue Plaza, 55 East 52nd
Street, New York, NY 10055. The Board has designated Robert H. Silver as its Independent Chairman. Additional information about the Fund's Directors and officers may be found in this SAI, which is available without charge, upon request, by calling
toll-free 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737).
Interested
Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
S. Kapito1 (58) |
Director
(since 2009). |
President and Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. and Head of BlackRock, Inc.’s Portfolio Management Group (since its formation in 1998) and BlackRock, Inc.’s predecessor entities (since 1988); Trustee, University of Pennsylvania (since 2009); President of Board of Directors, Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund (since 2002); President of the Board of Directors, Periwinkle Theatre for Youth (since 1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2009); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006). | |||
| Mark
Wiedman2 (44) |
Director (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2007); Global Head of iShares (since 2011); Head of Corporate Strategy, BlackRock, Inc. (2009-2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2013); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2013);Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2013); Director of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (since 2008). |
| 1 | Robert S. Kapito is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. |
| 2 | Mark Wiedman is deemed to be an “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Company due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. |
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Independent Directors
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| Robert
H. Silver (59) |
Director
(since 2007); Independent Chairman (since 2012). |
President and Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group, Inc. (since 2006); Director and Vice Chairman of the YMCA of Greater NYC (2001-2011); Broadway Producer (2006-2011); Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. (since 2008); Director and Member of the Audit and Compensation Committee of EPAM Systems, Inc. (2006-2009); President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly Paine Webber Inc.) (2003-2005) and various executive positions with UBS and its affiliates (1988-2005); CPA and Audit Manager of KPMG, LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) (1977-1983). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2007); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Independent Chairman of iShares Trust, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. and iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2012). | |||
| John
E. Martinez (53) |
Director
(since 2003); Securities Lending Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.) (since 2005). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2003); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Cecilia
H. Herbert (65) |
Director
(since 2005); Nominating and Governance Committee Chair and Equity Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Director (1998-2013) and President (2007-2011) of the Board of Directors, Catholic Charities CYO; Trustee (2002-2011) and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee (2006-2010) of the Thacher School; Member (since 1992) and Chair (1994-2005) of the Investment Committee, Archdiocese of San Francisco; Trustee and Member of the Investment Committee, WNET, the New York public broadcasting/media company (since 2011). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of Forward Funds (34 portfolios) (since 2009). | |||
| Charles
A. Hurty (71) |
Director
(since 2005); Audit Committee Chair (since 2006). |
Retired; Partner, KPMG LLP (1968-2001). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director of GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund (1 portfolio) (since 2002); Director of SkyBridge Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (2 portfolios) (since 2002). |
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| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years |
Other
Directorships Held by Director | |||
| John
E. Kerrigan (59) |
Director
(since 2005); Fixed Income Plus Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University (since 2002). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2005); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2010); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). | |||
| Madhav
V. Rajan (50) |
Director
(since 2011); 15(c) Committee Chair (since 2012). |
Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Head of MBA Program, Stanford University Graduate School of Business (since 2001); Professor of Law (by courtesy), Stanford Law School (since 2005); Visiting Professor, University of Chicago (2007-2008). | Trustee
of iShares Trust (since 2011); Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. (since 2011); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Director, Cavium, Inc. (since 2013). | |||
| Jane
D. Carlin (59) |
Director
(since 2015). |
Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group (2006-2012). | Trustee of iShares Trust (since 2015); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2015); Director of PHH Corporation (mortgage solutions) (since 2012). |
Officers
| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Manish
Mehta (44) |
President (since 2013). | Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Chief Operating Officer for iShares (since 2009); Head of Strategy and Corporate Development, BGI (2005-2009); Chief of Staff to the CEO, BGI (2005-2009). | ||
| Jack
Gee (55) |
Treasurer
and Chief Financial Officer (since 2008). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Senior Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2009); Director of Fund Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2004-2009). | ||
| Charles
Park (47) |
Chief
Compliance Officer and Anti-Money Laundering Officer (since 2006). |
Chief Compliance Officer of BlackRock Advisors, LLC and the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Equity-Bond Complex, the Equity-Liquidity Complex and the Closed-End Complex (since 2014); Principal of and Chief Compliance Officer for iShares® Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC (since 2012) and BFA (since 2006); Chief Compliance Officer for BlackRock Asset Management International Inc. (since 2012). |
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| Name (Age) | Position | Principal
Occupation(s) During the Past 5 Years | ||
| Eilleen
M. Clavere (62) |
Secretary
(since 2007). |
Director of Global Fund Administration, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Director of Legal Administration of Intermediary Investor Business, BGI (2006-2009); Legal Counsel and Vice President of Atlas Funds, Atlas Advisers, Inc. and Atlas Securities, Inc. (2005-2006); Counsel at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP (2001-2005). | ||
| Edward
B. Baer (46) |
Vice
President and Chief Legal Officer (since 2012). |
Managing Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Director of Legal & Compliance, BlackRock, Inc. (2004-2006). | ||
| Scott
Radell (46) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2012). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Portfolio Solutions, BGI (2007-2009); Credit Portfolio Manager, BGI (2005-2007); Credit Research Analyst, BGI (2003-2005). | ||
| Amy
Schioldager (52) |
Executive
Vice President (since 2007). |
Senior Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Global Head of Index Equity, BGI (2008-2009); Global Head of U.S. Indexing, BGI (2006-2008); Head of Domestic Equity Portfolio Management, BGI (2001-2006). | ||
| Ira
P. Shapiro (51) |
Vice
President (since 2007). |
Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Head of Strategic Product Initiatives for iShares (since 2012); Chief Legal Officer, Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (2007-2012); Associate General Counsel, BGI (2004-2009). |
The Board has concluded that, based on each Director’s
experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Directors, each Director should serve as a Director of the Board. Among the attributes common to all Directors are their ability to
review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the Fund's investment adviser, other service providers, counsel and the independent registered public accounting firm, and to exercise
effective business judgment in the performance of their duties as Directors. A Director’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively may have been attained through the Director’s educational background or professional training;
business, consulting, public service or academic positions; experience from service as a Board member of the Fund and the other funds in the Company (and any predecessor funds), other investment funds, public companies, or non-profit entities or
other organizations; and/or other life experiences. Also, set forth below is a brief discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each Director that led the Board to conclude that he or she should serve as a
Director.
Robert Kapito has been a Director of the
Company since 2009. Mr. Kapito has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2009, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and a Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006. In
addition, he has over 20 years of experience as part of BlackRock, Inc. and BlackRock, Inc.’s
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predecessor entities. Mr. Kapito serves as President and Director of
BlackRock, Inc., and is the Chairman of the Operating Committee, a member of the Office of the Chairman, the Leadership Committee and the Corporate Council. He is responsible for day-to-day oversight of BlackRock, Inc.'s key operating units,
including the Account Management and Portfolio Management Groups, Real Estate Group and BlackRock Solutions®. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2007,
Mr. Kapito served as Head of BlackRock, Inc.'s Portfolio Management Group. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing all portfolio management within BlackRock, Inc., including the Fixed Income, Equity, Liquidity, and Alternative Investment
Groups. Mr. Kapito serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. He has also been President of the Board of Directors for the Hope & Heroes Children's Cancer Fund since 2002 and President of the Board of
Directors for Periwinkle Theatre for Youth, a national non-profit arts-in-education organization, since 1983. Mr. Kapito earned a BS degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, and an MBA degree from
Harvard Business School in 1983.
Mark Wiedman has been a
Director of the Company since 2013. Mr. Wiedman has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2013, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2013 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2013. Mr. Wiedman is the Global Head and
Managing Director of iShares. In addition, he is a member of BlackRock, Inc.'s Global Executive Committee and Global Operating Committee. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2011, Mr. Wiedman was the head of Corporate Strategy for
BlackRock, Inc. Mr. Wiedman joined BlackRock, Inc. in 2004 to help start the advisory business, which evolved into the Financial Markets Advisory Group in BlackRock Solutions. This group advises financial institutions and governments on managing
their capital markets exposures and businesses. Prior to BlackRock, Inc., he served as senior advisor and chief of staff for the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and also was a management consultant at
McKinsey & Co., advising financial institutions in the United States, Europe, and Japan. He has taught as an adjunct associate professor of law at Fordham University in New York and Renmin University in Beijing. Mr. Wiedman serves on the board
of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc., a publicly-traded U.S. mortgage banking and investment management firm started in 2008, with BlackRock, Inc. as a sponsor. Mr. Wiedman earned an AB degree, Phi Beta Kappa, magna
cum laude, in social studies from Harvard College in 1992 and a JD degree from Yale Law School in 1996.
Robert H. Silver has been a Director of the Company since 2007
and Chairman of the Company's Board since 2012. Mr. Silver has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2007, Chairman of iShares Trust's Board since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chairman of iShares MSCI
Russia Capped ETF, Inc.'s Board since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chairman of iShares U.S. ETF Trust's Board since 2012. Mr. Silver is President and a Co-Founder of The Bravitas Group Inc., a firm dedicated to advising
and investing in emerging business enterprises and to supporting philanthropic activities that benefit under-served urban youth. Previously, Mr. Silver served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly
Paine Webber Inc.), the registered broker dealer comprising the Wealth Management USA business unit of UBS AG, including the following responsibilities: President of Paine Webber Services, Director of Retail Products and Marketing, Director of
Private Client Group Branch Offices, Director of Finance and Controls for Paine Webber, Inc. and Chief Administrative Officer for Paine Webber Private Client Group. Mr. Silver also served on the Board of Directors of EPAM Systems, Inc., a provider
of software engineering outsourcing services in Central and Eastern Europe, served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), chaired the National Securities Clearing Corporations’ Membership
and Risk Committee and served as Governor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. In addition, Mr. Silver was a Vice Chairman and a Member of the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greater New York and chaired its Fund Development Committee from 2001
until 2011 and Co-Founder and Vice President of Parentgiving Inc. since 2008. Mr. Silver began his career as a CPA and Audit Manager at KPMG LLP (formerly Peat Marwick Mitchell) from 1977 until 1983. Mr. Silver has a BS degree in business
administration from the University of North Carolina.
John E. Martinez has been a Director of the Company since 2003
and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Martinez has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2003, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since
2012. Mr. Martinez is a Director of FirstREX Agreement Corp. (formerly EquityRock, Inc.), providing governance oversight and consulting services to this privately held firm that develops products and strategies for homeowners in managing the equity
in their homes. Mr. Martinez previously served as Director of Barclays Global Investors (BGI) UK Holdings, where he provided governance oversight representing BGI’s shareholders (Barclays PLC, BGI management shareholders) through oversight of
BGI’s worldwide activities. Mr. Martinez also previously served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Global Index and Markets Group of BGI, Chairman of Barclays
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Global Investor Services and Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Markets
Group of BGI. From 2003-2012, he was a Director and Executive Committee Member for Larkin Street Youth Services, providing governance oversight and strategy development to an agency that provides emergency and transitional housing, healthcare,
education, job and life skills training to homeless youth. He now serves on the Larkin Street Honorary Board. Since 2012, Mr. Martinez has served as a Director for Reading Partners, an organization committed to making all children literate through
one-on-one tutoring of students in grades K-4 who are not yet reading at grade level. Mr. Martinez has an AB degree in economics from The University of California, Berkeley and holds an MBA degree in finance and statistics from The University of
Chicago Booth School of Business.
Cecilia H. Herbert has
been a Director of the Company since 2005 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Ms. Herbert has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Nominating and
Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia
Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Equity Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. In addition, Ms. Herbert currently serves on one
mutual fund board and has previously served on two other mutual fund boards. She is currently serving as Trustee of the Forward Funds, since 2009, and previously as Trustee of the Pacific Select Funds from 2004 until 2005 and Trustee of the
Montgomery Funds from 1992 until 2003. She was President of the Board of Catholic Charities CYO, the largest social services agency in the Bay Area, from 2007 until 2011 and member of that board from 1992 until 2013. She was past Chair from 1994
until 2005, and member since 1992, of the Investment Council of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. She currently serves as Trustee of WNET, New York’s public media station, since 2011. She worked from 1973-1990 at J.P. Morgan/Morgan Guaranty
Trust, retiring as Managing Director and Head of the West Coast Office. Ms. Herbert has been on numerous non-profit boards, chairing investment and finance committees. She holds a double major in economics and communications from Stanford University
and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Charles A.
Hurty has been a Director of the Company since 2005 and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Company since 2006. Mr. Hurty has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005, Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares Trust since 2006, a Director and
Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010 and a Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011. In addition, Mr. Hurty serves as Director of the GMAM Absolute Return Strategy Fund
since 2002, Director of the SkyBridge Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC (formerly, Citigroup Alternative Investments Multi-Adviser Hedge Fund Portfolios LLC) since 2002 and was a Director of the CSFB Alternative
Investment Funds from 2005 to December 2009, when the funds were liquidated. Mr. Hurty was formerly a Partner at KPMG, LLP from 1968 to 2001. Mr. Hurty has a BS degree in accounting from the University of Kansas.
John E. Kerrigan has been a Director of the Company since 2005
and Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Kerrigan served as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Company from 2010 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2005,
Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares Trust from 2010 until 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2010, Chair of the Fixed Income
Plus Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. from 2010 until 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011, Chair of the Fixed
Income Plus Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012 and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust from 2011 until 2012. Mr. Kerrigan serves as Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University since 2002. Mr.
Kerrigan was formerly a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch & Co., including the following responsibilities: Global Manager of Institutional Client Division eCommerce and Global Manager of Technology Specialists Sales. Mr. Kerrigan is a Trustee,
since 2008, of Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton, CA, and Director, since 1999, of The BASIC Fund (Bay Area Scholarships for Inner City Children). Mr. Kerrigan has a BA degree from Boston College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst
Charterholder.
Madhav V. Rajan has been a Director of
the Company since 2011 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of the Company since 2012. Mr. Rajan has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2011, Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares Trust since 2012, a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF,
Inc. since 2011, Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. since 2012, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2012. Mr. Rajan is the Robert K.
Jaedicke Professor of Accounting at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He has taught accounting for over 20 years to undergraduate, MBA and law students, as well as to senior executives. Mr. Rajan serves as the Senior Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs and head of the MBA Program at the Stanford
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University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Rajan served as editor of
“The Accounting Review” from 2002 to 2008 and is co-author of “Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis,” a leading cost accounting textbook. Mr. Rajan holds MS, MBA and Ph.D. degrees in accounting from Carnegie Mellon
University.
Jane D. Carlin has been a Director of the
Company since 2015. Ms. Carlin has served as a Trustee of iShares Trust since 2015 and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2015. Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and
the Global Head of Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley Group from 2006 to 2012. In addition, Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of the Bank Operational Risk Oversight Department of Credit Suisse Group from 2003 to 2006.
Prior to that, Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of Morgan Stanley Group. Ms. Carlin has over 30 years of experience in the financial sector and has served in a number of legal, regulatory, and risk management
positions. Ms. Carlin has served as an Independent Director on the Board of PHH Corporation since 2012. She previously served as a Director on the Boards of Astoria Financial Corporation and Astoria Bank. Ms. Carlin was appointed by the United
States Treasury to the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security, where she served as Chairperson from 2010 to 2012 and Vice Chair and Chair of the Cyber Security Committee from 2009
to 2010. Ms. Carlin has a BA degree in political science from State University of New York at Stony Brook and a JD degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Board –
Leadership Structure and Oversight Responsibilities
Overall responsibility for oversight of the Fund rests with
the Board. The Board has engaged BFA to manage the Fund on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing BFA and other service providers in the operations of the Fund in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, applicable
provisions of state and other laws and the Company’s charter. The Board is currently composed of nine members, seven of whom are Independent Directors. The Board currently conducts regular meetings five times a year. In addition, the Board
frequently holds special in-person or telephonic meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may arise or require action between regular meetings. The Independent Directors meet regularly outside the presence of
management, in executive session or with other service providers to the Company.
The Board has appointed an Independent Director to serve in
the role of Chairman. The Chairman’s role is to preside at all meetings of the Board and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Directors generally between meetings. The Chairman may also perform such other
functions as may be delegated by the Board from time to time. The Board has established six standing Committees: a Nominating and Governance Committee, an Audit Committee, a 15(c) Committee, a Securities Lending Committee, an Equity Plus Committee
and a Fixed Income Plus Committee to assist the Board in the oversight and direction of the business and affairs of the Fund, and from time to time may establish ad-hoc committees or informal working groups to review and address the policies and
practices of the Fund with respect to certain specified matters. The Chair of each standing Committee is an Independent Director. The role of the Chair of each Committee is to preside at all meetings of the Committee and to act as a liaison with
service providers, officers, attorneys and other Directors between meetings. Each Committee meets regularly to conduct the oversight functions delegated to the Committee by the Board and reports its finding to the Board. The Board and each standing
Committee conduct annual assessments of their oversight function and structure. The Board has determined that the Board’s leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise independent judgment over management and it
allocates areas of responsibility among committees of Independent Directors and the full Board to enhance effective oversight.
Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Fund is the
responsibility of BFA or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to the supervision of BFA. The Fund is subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance, operational, counterparty and valuation risks,
among others. While there are a number of risk management functions performed by BFA and other service providers, as applicable, it is not possible to eliminate all of the risks applicable to the Fund. The Directors have an oversight role in this
area, satisfying themselves that risk management processes and controls are in place and operating effectively. Risk oversight forms part of the Board’s general oversight of the Fund and is addressed as part of various Board and committee
activities. The Board, directly or through a committee, also reviews reports from, among others, management and the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Fund and
management’s risk functions. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who oversees the implementation and testing of the Company's compliance program, including assessments by independent third parties, and reports to the Board
regarding compliance matters for the Company and its principal service providers. In testing and maintaining the compliance program, the Chief Compliance Officer (and his or her delegates) assesses key
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compliance risks affecting the Fund, and addresses them in periodic reports
to the Board. The Independent Directors have engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities.
Committees of the Board of Directors. Each Independent Director serves on the Audit Committee. The Chair of the Audit Committee is Charles A. Hurty. The purposes of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board (i) in its oversight of the Company's
accounting and financial reporting principles and policies and related controls and procedures maintained by or on behalf of the Company; (ii) in its oversight of the Company's financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (iii) 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); (iv) in evaluating the independence of the
independent accountants; (v) in complying with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Company's accounting and financial reporting, internal controls, compliance controls and independent audits; and (vi) to assume such other
responsibilities as may be delegated by the Board. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are
Cecilia H. Herbert (Chair), Charles A. Hurty, Madhav V. Rajan and John E. Kerrigan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The Nominating and Governance Committee nominates individuals for Independent Director membership on the Board. The Nominating
and Governance Committee functions include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) reviewing the qualifications of any person properly identified or nominated to serve as an Independent Director; (ii) recommending to the Board and current
Independent Directors the nominee(s) for appointment as an Independent Director by the Board and current Independent Directors and/or for election as Independent Directors by shareholders to fill any vacancy for a position of Independent Director(s)
on the Board; (iii) recommending to the Board and current Independent Directors the size and composition of the Board and Board committees and whether they comply with applicable laws and regulations; (iv) recommending a current Independent Director
to the Board and current Independent Directors to serve as Lead Independent Director; (v) periodic review of the Board's retirement policy; and (vi) recommending an appropriate level of compensation for the Independent Directors for their services
as Directors, members or chairpersons of committees of the Board, Lead Independent Director, Chairperson of the Board and any other positions as the Nominating and Governance Committee considers appropriate. The Nominating and Governance Committee
does not consider Board nominations recommended by shareholders (acting solely in their capacity as a shareholder and not in any other capacity). The Nominating and Governance Committee met five times during the fiscal year ended October 31,
2014.
Each Independent Director serves on the 15(c)
Committee. The Chair of the 15(c) Committee is Madhav V. Rajan. The principal responsibilities of the 15(c) Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for the annual review and renewal of the Company's advisory
and sub-advisory agreements. These responsibilities include: (i) meeting with BlackRock, Inc. in advance of the Board meeting at which the Company's advisory and sub-advisory agreements are to be considered to discuss generally the process for
providing requested information to the Board and the format in which information will be provided; and (ii) considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to
evaluate the investment advisory and sub-advisory agreements of the Company. The 15(c) Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
The members of the Securities Lending Committee are John E.
Martinez (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and John E. Kerrigan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Securities Lending Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
the Company's securities lending activities. These responsibilities include: (i) requesting that certain information be provided to the Committee for its review and consideration prior to such information being provided to the Board; (ii)
considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to oversee the Company's securities lending activities and make required findings and approvals; and (iii) providing
a recommendation to the Board regarding the annual approval of the Company's Securities Lending Guidelines and the required findings with respect to, and annual approval of, the Company's agreement with the lending agent. The Securities Lending
Committee met seven times during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
The members of the Equity Plus Committee are Cecilia H.
Herbert (Chair), John E. Martinez and Madhav V. Rajan, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Equity Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for equity funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters that should be
brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and
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providing a report or recommendation to the Board as appropriate. The Equity
Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
The members of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are John E.
Kerrigan (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and Charles A. Hurty, all of whom are Independent Directors. The principal responsibilities of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of
Company performance and related matters for fixed income or multi-asset funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Company performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters
that should be brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board as
appropriate. The Fixed Income Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.
As the Chairman of the Board, Robert H. Silver may participate
in each Committee's meetings.
The following table sets
forth, as of December 31, 2014, the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Director in the Fund and in other registered investment companies overseen by the Director within the same family of investment companies as the
Company. If a fund is not listed below, the Director did not own any securities in that fund as of the date indicated above:
| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| Robert S. Kapito | None | None | None | |||
| Mark Wiedman | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| Robert H. Silver | iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Energy ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2015 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2016 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2017 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBonds Sep 2018 AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares International Developed Real Estate ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI China ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EMU ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares S&P 100 ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financial Services ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| John E. Martinez | iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | Over $100,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core U.S. Growth ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core U.S. Value ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares International Select Dividend ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| Charles A. Hurty | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Healthcare ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI Japan ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares North American Tech-Multimedia Networking ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Energy ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Financials ETF | $1-$10,000 | |||||
| iShares U.S. Technology ETF | $50,001-$100,000 | |||||
| John E. Kerrigan | iShares MSCI ACWI ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | Over $100,000 |
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| Name of Director | Fund | Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies | |||
| iShares Short-Term National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core High Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Russell 2000 ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| iShares Select Dividend ETF | Over $100,000 | |||||
| Jane D. Carlin1 | iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | |||
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | $10,001-$50,000 | |||||
| iShares Global Tech ETF | $50,001-$100,000 |
| 1 | Appointed to serve as an Independent Director effective February 3, 2015. |
As of December 31, 2014, none of the Independent Directors or
their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities of BFA (the Fund's investment adviser), the Distributor or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with BFA or the Distributor.
Remuneration of Directors.
Each current Independent Director is paid an annual retainer of $300,000 for his or her services as a Board member to the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, together with
out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board's policy on travel and other business expenses relating to attendance at meetings. The Independent Chairman of the Boards is paid an additional annual retainer of $50,000. The Chair of the Audit
Committees is paid an additional annual retainer of $40,000. The Chair of each of the Nominating and Governance Committees, Equity Plus Committees, Fixed Income Plus Committees, Securities Lending Committees and 15(c) Committees is paid an
additional annual retainer of $15,000. Each Independent Director that serves as a director of subsidiaries of the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex is paid an additional annual retainer of $10,000 (plus an additional $1,772 paid annually to compensate
for taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Director’s service on the boards of certain Mauritius-based subsidiaries). Additionally, any Independent Director who travels to the Republic of Mauritius to attend board
meetings is paid an additional $12,000 (plus an additional $2,117 paid annually to compensate for taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Director’s service on the boards of certain Mauritius-based
subsidiaries).
The table below sets forth the
compensation earned by each Independent Director and Interested Director from the Fund for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014 and the aggregate compensation paid to them by the Exchange-Traded Complex for the calendar year ended December 31,
2014.
| Name of Trustee | iShares
Latin America Bond ETF |
Pension
or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Company Expenses3 |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement3 |
Total
Compensation From the Fund and Fund Complex4 | ||||
| Independent Director:1 |
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| Name of Trustee | iShares
Latin America Bond ETF |
Pension
or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Company Expenses3 |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement3 |
Total
Compensation From the Fund and Fund Complex4 | ||||
| Robert H. Silver | $0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 350,000 | ||||
| George G.C. Parker2 | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 300,000 | ||||
| John E. Kerrigan | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 326,807 | ||||
| Charles A. Hurty | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 340,000 | ||||
| Cecilia H. Herbert | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 330,000 | ||||
| John E. Martinez | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 315,000 | ||||
| Madhav V. Rajan | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 326,772 | ||||
| Interested Director: | ||||||||
| Robert S. Kapito | $0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 0 | ||||
| Mark Wiedman | 0 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | 0 |
| 1 | Compensation is not shown for Jane D. Carlin because she was appointed to serve as an Independent Director of the Company effective February 3, 2015. |
2
Served as an Independent Trustee through December 31,
2014.
| 3 | No Director or officer is entitled to any pension or retirement benefits from the Company. |
| 4 | Includes compensation for service on the Boards of Trustees for iShares Trust and iShares U.S. ETF Trust and the Board of Directors of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. |
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. Ownership information is not provided for the Fund, as it has not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI.
Potential Conflicts of Interest. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (“PNC”) has a significant economic interest in BlackRock, Inc., the parent of BFA, the Fund's investment adviser. PNC is considered to be an affiliate of
BlackRock, Inc. under the 1940 Act. Certain activities of BFA, BlackRock, Inc. and their affiliates (collectively, “BlackRock”) and PNC and its affiliates (collectively, “PNC” and together with BlackRock,
“Affiliates”), with respect to the Fund and/or other accounts managed by BlackRock or PNC, may give rise to actual or perceived conflicts of interest such as those described below.
BlackRock is one of the world's largest asset management
firms. PNC is a diversified financial services organization spanning the retail, business and corporate markets. BlackRock and PNC are affiliates of one another under the 1940 Act. BlackRock and PNC and their respective affiliates (including, for
these purposes, their directors, partners, trustees, managing members, officers and employees), including the entities and personnel who may be involved in the investment activities and business operations of the Fund, are engaged worldwide in
businesses, including equity, fixed-income, cash management and alternative investments. These are considerations of which investors in the Fund should be aware, and which may cause conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its
shareholders. These activities and interests include potential multiple advisory, transactional, financial and other interests in securities and other instruments that may be purchased or sold by the Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates have proprietary interests in,
and may manage or advise with respect to, accounts or funds (including separate accounts and other funds and collective investment vehicles) that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in transactions in the same
types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. One or more Affiliates are also major participants in the global currency, equities, swap and fixed-income markets, in each case both on a proprietary basis and for the accounts of
customers. As such, one or more Affiliates are or may be actively engaged in transactions in the same securities, currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests. Such activities could affect the prices and availability of the securities,
currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests, which could have an adverse impact on the Fund's performance. Such transactions, particularly in respect of most proprietary accounts or customer accounts, will be executed independently of the
Fund's transactions and thus at prices or rates that may be more or less favorable than those obtained by the Fund. When BlackRock and its Affiliates purchase or sell the same assets for their managed accounts, including the Fund, the assets
actually purchased or sold may be allocated among the accounts on a
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basis determined in their good faith discretion to be equitable. In some
cases, this system may adversely affect the amount or price of the assets purchased or sold for the Fund. In addition, transactions in investments by one or more other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates may have the effect of diluting
or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund, particularly, but not limited to, with respect to small capitalization, emerging market or less liquid strategies. This may occur when investment decisions
regarding the Fund are based on research or other information that is also used to support decisions for other accounts. When BlackRock or its Affiliates implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of another account ahead of, or
contemporaneously with, similar decisions or strategies for the Fund, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other factors could result in the Fund receiving less favorable trading results and the costs of implementing such decisions or strategies
could be increased or the Fund could otherwise be disadvantaged. BlackRock or its Affiliates may, in certain cases, elect to implement internal policies and procedures designed to limit such consequences, which may cause the Fund to be unable to
engage in certain activities, including purchasing or disposing of securities, when it might otherwise be desirable for it to do so.
Conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions regarding
the Fund may benefit other accounts managed by BlackRock or its Affiliates. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position by the Fund may impair the price of the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) one
or more Affiliates or their other accounts, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security by the Fund may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) one or more Affiliates or their other
accounts.
In certain circumstances, BFA, on behalf of
the Fund, may seek to buy from or sell securities to another fund or account advised by BFA or an affiliate. BFA may (but is not required to) effect purchases and sales between BFA clients or clients of affiliates (“cross trades”),
including the Fund, if BFA believes such transactions are appropriate based on each party's investment objectives and guidelines, subject to applicable law and regulation. There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to
these transactions which could limit BFA’s decision to engage in these transactions for the Fund. BFA may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions. On any occasion when the
Fund participates in a cross trade, BFA will comply with procedures adopted pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act and applicable SEC guidance.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their clients may pursue or
enforce rights with respect to an issuer in which the Fund has invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Fund. As a result, prices, availability, liquidity and terms of the Fund's investments may be negatively impacted by the
activities of BlackRock or its Affiliates or their clients, and transactions for the Fund may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.
The results of the Fund's investment activities may differ
significantly from the results achieved by BlackRock and its Affiliates for their proprietary accounts or other accounts (including investment companies or collective investment vehicles) managed or advised by them. It is possible that one or more
Affiliate-managed accounts and such other accounts will achieve investment results that are substantially more or less favorable than the results achieved by the Fund. Moreover, it is possible that the Fund will sustain losses during periods in
which one or more Affiliate-managed accounts achieve significant profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible. The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their proprietary accounts and
accounts under their management may also limit the investment opportunities for the Fund in certain emerging and other markets in which limitations are imposed upon the amount of investment, in the aggregate or in individual issuers, by affiliated
foreign investors.
From time to time, the Fund's
activities may also be restricted because of regulatory restrictions applicable to one or more Affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. As a result, there may be periods, for example, when BlackRock,
and/or one or more Affiliates, will not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions in certain securities or instruments with respect to which BlackRock and/or one or more Affiliates are performing services or when position limits have been
reached.
In connection with its management of the Fund,
BlackRock may have access to certain fundamental analysis and proprietary technical models developed by one or more Affiliates. BlackRock will not be under any obligation, however, to effect transactions on behalf of the Fund in accordance with such
analysis and models. In addition, neither BlackRock nor any of its Affiliates will have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts
managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Fund and it is not anticipated that BlackRock will have access to such information for the purpose of managing the Fund. The proprietary
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activities or portfolio strategies of BlackRock and its Affiliates, or the
activities or strategies used for accounts managed by them or other customer accounts could conflict with the transactions and strategies employed by BlackRock in managing the Fund.
The Fund may be included in investment models developed by BFA
and its affiliates for use by clients and financial advisors. The price, availability and liquidity of the Fund may be impacted by purchases and redemptions of the Fund by model-driven investment portfolios.
In addition, certain principals and certain employees of
BlackRock are also principals or employees of Affiliates. As a result, the performance by these principals and employees of their obligations to such other entities may be a consideration of which investors in the Fund should be aware.
BlackRock may enter into transactions and invest in
securities, instruments and currencies on behalf of the Fund in which customers of BlackRock or its Affiliates, or, to the extent permitted by the SEC, BlackRock or another Affiliate, serves as the counterparty, principal or issuer. In such cases,
such party's interests in the transaction will be adverse to the interests of the Fund, and such party may have no incentive to assure that the Fund obtains the best possible prices or terms in connection with the transactions. In addition, the
purchase, holding and sale of such investments by the Fund may enhance the profitability of BlackRock or its Affiliates. One or more Affiliates may also create, write or issue derivatives for their customers, the underlying securities, currencies or
instruments of which may be those in which the Fund invests or which may be based on the performance of the Fund. The Fund may, subject to applicable law, purchase investments that are the subject of an underwriting or other distribution by one or
more Affiliates and may also enter into transactions with other clients of an Affiliate where such other clients have interests adverse to those of the Fund.
At times, these activities may cause departments of BlackRock
or its Affiliates to give advice to clients that may cause these clients to take actions adverse to the interests of the Fund. To the extent affiliated transactions are permitted, the Fund will deal with BlackRock and its Affiliates on an
arms-length basis. BlackRock or its Affiliates may also have an ownership interest in certain trading or information systems used by the Fund. The Fund's use of such trading or information systems may enhance the profitability of BlackRock and its
Affiliates.
One or more Affiliates may act as broker,
dealer, agent, lender or adviser or in other commercial capacities for the Fund. It is anticipated that the commissions, mark-ups, mark-downs, financial advisory fees, underwriting and placement fees, sales fees, financing and commitment fees,
brokerage fees, other fees, compensation or profits, rates, terms and conditions charged by an Affiliate will be in its view commercially reasonable, although each Affiliate, including its sales personnel, will have an interest in obtaining fees and
other amounts that are favorable to the Affiliate and such sales personnel.
Subject to applicable law, the Affiliates (and their personnel
and other distributors) will be entitled to retain fees and other amounts that they receive in connection with their service to the Fund as broker, dealer, agent, lender, adviser or in other commercial capacities and no accounting to the Fund or its
shareholders will be required, and no fees or other compensation payable by the Fund or its shareholders will be reduced by reason of receipt by an Affiliate of any such fees or other amounts.
When an Affiliate acts as broker, dealer, agent, adviser or in
other commercial capacities in relation to the Fund, the Affiliate may take commercial steps in its own interests, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund. The Fund will be required to establish business relationships with its counterparties
based on the Fund's own credit standing. Neither BlackRock nor any of the Affiliates will have any obligation to allow their credit to be used in connection with the Fund's establishment of its business relationships, nor is it expected that the
Fund's counterparties will rely on the credit of BlackRock or any of the Affiliates in evaluating the Fund's creditworthiness.
Lending on behalf of the Fund is done by BTC pursuant to SEC
exemptive relief, enabling BTC to act as securities lending agent to, and receive a share of securities lending revenues from, the Fund. BFA may also receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of the cash collateral from securities lending.
There is a potential conflict of interest in that BTC as a lending agent may have an incentive to increase the amount of securities on loan or to lend riskier assets in order to generate additional revenue for BTC and its affiliates. However,
BTC’s SEC exemptive relief sets forth certain conditions designed to assist in mitigating such conflicts of interest.
Purchases and sales of securities for the Fund may be bunched
or aggregated with orders for other BlackRock client accounts. BlackRock, however, is not required to bunch or aggregate orders if portfolio management decisions for different
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accounts are made separately, or if it determines that bunching or
aggregating is not practicable or required, or in cases involving client direction.
Prevailing trading activity frequently may make impossible the
receipt of the same price or execution on the entire volume of securities purchased or sold. When this occurs, the various prices may be averaged, and the Fund will be charged or credited with the average price. Thus, the effect of the aggregation
may operate on some occasions to the disadvantage of the Fund. In addition, under certain circumstances, the Fund will not be charged the same commission or commission equivalent rates in connection with a bunched or aggregated order.
BlackRock may select brokers (including, without limitation,
Affiliates) that furnish BlackRock, the Fund, other BlackRock client accounts or other Affiliates or personnel, directly or through correspondent relationships, with research or other appropriate services which provide, in BlackRock's view,
appropriate assistance to BlackRock in the investment decision-making process (including with respect to futures, fixed-price offerings and over-the-counter transactions). Such research or other services may include, to the extent permitted by law,
research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; proxy analysis; trade industry seminars; computer data bases; research-oriented software and other services and products. Research or
other services obtained in this manner may be used in servicing any or all of the Fund and other BlackRock client accounts, including in connection with BlackRock client accounts other than those that pay commissions to the broker relating to the
research or other service arrangements. Such products and services may disproportionately benefit other BlackRock client accounts relative to the Fund based on the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund and such other BlackRock client
accounts. For example, research or other services that are paid for through one client's commissions may not be used in managing that client's account. In addition, other BlackRock client accounts may receive the benefit, including disproportionate
benefits, of economies of scale or price discounts in connection with products and services that may be provided to the Fund and to such other BlackRock client accounts. To the extent that BlackRock uses soft dollars, it will not have to pay for
those products and services itself.
BlackRock may
receive research that is bundled with the trade execution, clearing, and/or settlement services provided by a particular broker-dealer. To the extent that BlackRock receives research on this basis, many of the same conflicts related to traditional
soft dollars may exist. For example, the research effectively will be paid by client commissions that also will be used to pay for the execution, clearing, and settlement services provided by the broker-dealer and will not be paid by
BlackRock.
BlackRock may endeavor to execute trades
through brokers who, pursuant to such arrangements, provide research or other services in order to ensure the continued receipt of research or other services BlackRock believes are useful in its investment decision-making process. BlackRock may from
time to time choose not to engage in the above described arrangements to varying degrees. BlackRock may also enter into commission sharing arrangements under which BlackRock may execute transactions through a broker-dealer, including, where
permitted, an Affiliate, and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to BlackRock. To the extent that BlackRock engages in commission sharing arrangements,
many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist.
BlackRock may utilize certain electronic crossing networks
(“ECNs”) in executing client securities transactions for certain types of securities. These ECNs may charge fees for their services, including access fees and transaction fees. The transaction fees, which are similar to commissions
or mark-ups/mark-downs, will generally be charged to clients and, like commissions and mark-ups/mark-downs, would generally be included in the cost of the securities purchased. Access fees may be paid by BlackRock even though incurred in connection
with executing transactions on behalf of clients, including the Fund. In certain circumstances, ECNs may offer volume discounts that will reduce the access fees typically paid by BlackRock. BlackRock will only utilize ECNs consistent with its
obligation to seek to obtain best execution in client transactions.
BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to
prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Fund, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with BlackRock's fiduciary obligations to its
clients. Nevertheless, notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of BlackRock may have the effect of favoring the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of BlackRock and/or
its Affiliates, provided that BlackRock believes such voting decisions to be in accordance with its fiduciary obligations. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the Proxy Voting
Policy section of this SAI.
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It is also possible that, from time to time, BlackRock or its
Affiliates may, although they are not required to, purchase and hold shares of the Fund. Increasing the Fund's assets may enhance liquidity, investment flexibility and diversification and may contribute to economies of scale that tend to reduce the
Fund's expense ratio. BlackRock and its Affiliates reserve the right to sell or redeem at any time some or all of the shares of the Fund acquired for their own accounts. A large sale or redemption of shares of the Fund by BlackRock or its Affiliates
could significantly reduce the asset size of the Fund, which might have an adverse effect on the Fund's liquidity, investment flexibility, portfolio diversification and expense ratio. BlackRock will consider the effect of redemptions on the Fund and
other shareholders in deciding whether to redeem its shares.
It is possible that the Fund may invest in securities of
companies with which an Affiliate has or is trying to develop investment banking relationships as well as securities of entities in which BlackRock or its Affiliates has significant debt or equity investments or in which an Affiliate makes a market.
The Fund also may invest in securities of companies to which an Affiliate provides or may someday provide research coverage. Such investments could cause conflicts between the interests of the Fund and the interests of BlackRock, other clients of
BlackRock or its Affiliates. In making investment decisions for the Fund, BlackRock is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information acquired by any division, department or Affiliate of BlackRock in the course of these activities.
In addition, from time to time, the activities of an Affiliate may limit the Fund's flexibility in purchases and sales of securities. When an Affiliate is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of an entity, BlackRock may be
prohibited from purchasing or recommending the purchase of certain securities of that entity for the Fund. As indicated below, BlackRock or its Affiliates may engage in transactions with companies in which BlackRock-advised funds or other clients
have an investment.
BlackRock and Ace Limited
(“ACE”), a public company whose securities are held by BlackRock-advised funds and other accounts, partially funded the creation of a re-insurance company (“Re Co”) pursuant to which each has approximately a 9.9% ownership
interest and each has representation on the board of directors. Certain employees and executives of BlackRock will also have a less than ½ of 1% ownership interest in Re Co. BlackRock will manage the investment portfolio of Re Co, which will be
held in a wholly-owned subsidiary. Re Co will participate as a reinsurer with reinsurance contracts underwritten by subsidiaries of ACE. An independent director of certain BlackRock-advised funds also serves as an independent director of ACE and has
no interest or involvement in the Re Co transaction.
BlackRock and its Affiliates, their personnel and other
financial service providers may have interests in promoting sales of the Fund. With respect to BlackRock and its Affiliates and their personnel, the remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of the Fund or other products may
be greater than remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of certain funds or other products that might be provided or offered. BlackRock and its Affiliates and their sales personnel may directly or indirectly receive a
portion of the fees and commissions charged to the Fund or its shareholders. BlackRock and its advisory or other personnel may also benefit from increased amounts of assets under management. Fees and commissions may also be higher than for other
products or services, and the remuneration and profitability to BlackRock or its Affiliates and such personnel resulting from transactions on behalf of or management of the Fund may be greater than the remuneration and profitability resulting from
other funds or products.
BlackRock and its Affiliates
and their personnel may receive greater compensation or greater profit in connection with an account for which BlackRock serves as an adviser than with an account advised by an unaffiliated investment adviser. Differentials in compensation may be
related to the fact that BlackRock may pay a portion of its advisory fee to its Affiliate, or relate to compensation arrangements, including for portfolio management, brokerage transactions or account servicing. Any differential in compensation may
create a financial incentive on the part of BlackRock or its Affiliates and their personnel to recommend BlackRock over unaffiliated investment advisers or to effect transactions differently in one account over another.
Third parties, including service providers to BFA or the Fund,
may sponsor events (including, but not limited to, marketing and promotional activities and presentations, educational training programs and conferences) for registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors. There is a
potential conflict of interest as such sponsorships may defray the costs of such activities to BFA, and may provide an incentive to BFA to retain such third parties to provide services to the Fund.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may provide valuation assistance
to certain clients with respect to certain securities or other investments and the valuation recommendations made for their clients' accounts may differ from the valuations for the same securities or investments assigned by the Fund's pricing
vendors, especially if such valuations are based on broker-dealer quotes or other data sources unavailable to the Fund's pricing vendors. While BlackRock will generally communicate its valuation information or determinations to the Fund's pricing
vendors and/or fund accountants, there may be instances
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where the Fund's pricing vendors or fund accountants assign a different
valuation to a security or other investment than the valuation for such security or investment determined or recommended by BlackRock.
As disclosed in more detail in the Determination of Net Asset Value section of the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI, when 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 procedures adopted by the Board. When determining an asset’s “fair value,” the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) seeks to determine
the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on which the assets or liabilities are being valued and does not seek to determine the price that the
Fund might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. While fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that
BlackRock’s Pricing Group deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third-party valuation models, fair value represents only a good faith approximation
of the value of a security. The fair value of one or more securities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund’s net
asset value. As a result, the Fund’s sale or redemption of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued by BlackRock (pursuant to Board-adopted procedures) at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or
increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders and BlackRock receiving additional revenue.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Fund may invest
all or some of its short-term cash investments in any money market fund or similarly-managed private fund advised or managed by BlackRock. In connection with any such investments, the Fund, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, may pay its share
of expenses of a money market fund in which it invests, which may result in the Fund bearing some additional expenses.
BlackRock and its Affiliates and their directors, officers and
employees, may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts, and may have conflicts of interest with respect to investments made on behalf of the Fund. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints,
positions may be taken by directors, officers, employees and Affiliates of BlackRock that are the same, different from or made at different times than positions taken for the Fund. To lessen the possibility that the Fund will be adversely affected
by this personal trading, the Fund, BFA and BlackRock each has adopted a code of ethics in compliance with Section 17(j) of the 1940 Act that restricts securities trading in the personal accounts of investment professionals and others who normally
come into possession of information regarding the Fund's portfolio transactions. Each code of ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be
obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Each code of ethics is also available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov
or by writing the SEC's Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-1520.
BlackRock and its Affiliates will not purchase securities or
other property from, or sell securities or other property to, the Fund, except that the Fund may in accordance with rules adopted under the 1940 Act engage in transactions with accounts that are affiliated with the Fund as a result of common
officers, directors, or investment advisers or pursuant to exemptive orders granted to the Fund and/or BlackRock by the SEC. These transactions would be effected in circumstances in which BlackRock determined that it would be appropriate for the
Fund to purchase and another client of BlackRock to sell, or the Fund to sell and another client of BlackRock to purchase, the same security or instrument on the same day. From time to time, the activities of the Fund may be restricted because of
regulatory requirements applicable to BlackRock or its Affiliates and/or BlackRock's internal policies designed to comply with, limit the applicability of, or otherwise relate to such requirements. A client not advised by BlackRock would not be
subject to some of those considerations. There may be periods when BlackRock may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise restrict or limit their advice in certain securities or instruments issued by or related to
companies for which an Affiliate is performing investment banking, market making or other services or has proprietary positions. For example, when an Affiliate is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution of securities of, or advisory
services for, a company, the Fund may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling securities of that company. Similar situations could arise if personnel of BlackRock or its Affiliates serve as directors of companies the securities of
which the Fund wishes to purchase or sell. However, if permitted by applicable law, the Fund may purchase securities or instruments that are issued by such companies or are the subject of an underwriting, distribution, or advisory assignment by an
Affiliate, or in cases in which personnel of BlackRock or its Affiliates are directors or officers of the issuer.
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The investment activities of one or more Affiliates for their
proprietary accounts and for client accounts may also limit the investment strategies and rights of the Fund. For example, in certain regulated industries, in certain emerging or international markets, in corporate and regulatory ownership
definitions, and in certain futures and derivative transactions, there may be limits on the aggregate amount of investment by affiliated investors that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent or,
if exceeded, may cause BlackRock, the Fund or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions.
If certain aggregate ownership thresholds are reached or
certain transactions undertaken, the ability of BlackRock on behalf of clients (including the Fund) to purchase or dispose of investments, or exercise rights or undertake business transactions, may be restricted by regulation or otherwise impaired.
As a result, BlackRock, on behalf of clients (including the Fund), may limit purchases, sell existing investments, or otherwise restrict or limit the exercise of rights (including voting rights) when BlackRock, in its sole discretion, deems it
appropriate in light of potential regulatory or other restrictions on ownership or other consequences resulting from reaching investment thresholds.
In those circumstances where ownership thresholds or
limitations must be observed, BlackRock seeks to allocate limited investment opportunities equitably among clients (including the Fund), taking into consideration benchmark weight and investment strategy. When ownership in certain securities nears
an applicable threshold, BlackRock may limit purchases in such securities to the issuer's weighting in the applicable benchmark used by BlackRock to manage the Fund. If client (including Fund) holdings of an issuer exceed an applicable threshold and
BlackRock is unable to obtain relief to enable the continued holding of such investments, it may be necessary to sell down these positions to meet the applicable limitations. In these cases, benchmark overweight positions will be sold prior to
benchmark positions being reduced to meet applicable limitations.
In addition to the foregoing, other ownership thresholds may
trigger reporting requirements to governmental and regulatory authorities, and such reports may entail the disclosure of the identity of a client or BlackRock’s intended strategy with respect to such security or asset.
To the extent permitted by applicable laws, BlackRock and its
Affiliates may maintain securities indexes as part of their product offerings. Index based funds seek to track the performance of securities indexes and may use the name of the index in the fund name. Index providers, including BlackRock and its
Affiliates may be paid licensing fees for use of their index or index name. BlackRock and its Affiliates will not be obligated to license their indexes to BlackRock, and BlackRock cannot be assured that the terms of any index licensing agreement
with BlackRock and its Affiliates will be as favorable as those terms offered to other index licensees.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may serve as Authorized
Participants in the creation and redemption of exchange-traded funds, including funds advised by Affiliates of BlackRock. As described in greater detail in the Creations and
Redemptions section of the Prospectus, BlackRock and its Affiliates may therefore be deemed to be participants in a distribution of iShares funds that could render them statutory underwriters.
BlackRock may enter into contractual arrangements with third
party service providers to the Fund (e.g., custodians and administrators) pursuant to which BlackRock receives fee discounts or concessions in recognition of BlackRock’s overall relationship with such
service providers. To the extent that BlackRock is responsible for paying these service providers out of its management fee, the benefits of any such fee discounts or concessions may accrue, in whole or in part, to BlackRock. BlackRock will disclose
any material benefits it receives as a result of such fee discounts or concessions to the Board.
Present and future activities of BlackRock and its Affiliates,
including BFA, in addition to those described in this section, may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.
Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution
Services
Investment Adviser. BFA serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Company, on behalf of the Fund, and BFA. BFA is a California corporation indirectly owned by BlackRock, Inc. and
is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Under the investment advisory
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agreement, BFA, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity
with the stated investment policies of the Fund, manages and administers the Company and the investment of the Fund’s assets. BFA is responsible for placing purchase and sale orders and providing continuous supervision of the investment
portfolio of the Fund.
Pursuant to the investment
advisory agreement, BFA may, from time to time, in its sole discretion and to the extent permitted by applicable law, appoint one or more sub-advisers, including, without limitation, affiliates of BFA, to perform investment advisory or other
services with respect to the Fund. In addition, BFA may delegate certain of its investment advisory functions under the investment advisory agreement to one or more of its affiliates to the extent permitted by applicable law. BFA may terminate any
or all sub-advisers or such delegation arrangements in its sole discretion upon appropriate notice at any time to the extent permitted by applicable law.
BFA is responsible, under the investment advisory agreement,
for substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services. BFA is not responsible for, and the Fund will bear the cost of, interest expense, taxes, brokerage
expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio securities transactions, distribution fees and extraordinary expenses.
For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA will be
paid a management fee from the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, at the annual rate of 0.49%.
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 members 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 BFA and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Portfolio Managers. As
of October 31, 2014, the individuals named as Portfolio Managers in the Fund's prospectus were also primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of other iShares funds and certain other types of portfolios and/or accounts as
follows:
| James Mauro | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 83 | $151,100,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 15 | 18,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 9 | 13,000,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 1 | 1,000,000,000 |
| Scott Radell | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number | Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 88 | $157,800,000,000 | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 4 | 3,000,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 5 | 3,200,000,000 | ||
| Accounts with Incentive-Based Fee Arrangements | 2 | 1,700,000,000 |
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. Pursuant to BFA policy, investment opportunities are allocated equitably among the Fund and
other portfolios and accounts. For example, under certain circumstances, an investment opportunity may be restricted due to limited supply in 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
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investment opportunity. As a consequence, from time to time the Fund may
receive a smaller allocation of an investment opportunity than it would have if the Portfolio Managers and BFA 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 BFA or its affiliates, as applicable, for its advisory services. One or more of those other portfolios or accounts, however, may
pay BFA 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 BFA a portion of that portfolio's or account's gains, or would pay BFA more for
its services than would otherwise be the case if BFA meets or exceeds specified performance targets. By their very nature, incentive-based fee arrangements could present an incentive for BFA or any of its affiliates 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 BFA and its affiliates have 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 Managers' favoring those portfolios or accounts with incentive-based fee arrangements.
The tables below show, for each Portfolio Manager, the number
of portfolios or accounts of the types set forth in the above tables and the aggregate of total assets in those portfolios or accounts with respect to which the investment management fees are based on the performance of those portfolios or
accounts as of October 31, 2014:
| James Mauro | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Accounts | 1 | $1,000,000,000 |
| Scott Radell | ||||
| Types of Accounts | Number
of Other Accounts with Performance Fees Managed by Portfolio Manager |
Aggregate
of Total Assets | ||
| Registered Investment Companies | 0 | N/A | ||
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | 1 | $900,000,000 | ||
| Other Accounts | 1 | 800,000,000 |
The discussion below describes the
Portfolio Managers' compensation as of October 31, 2014.
Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview
BlackRock, Inc.'s financial arrangements with its portfolio
managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of
factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock, Inc.
Base compensation. Generally,
portfolio managers receive base compensation based on their position with the firm.
Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is a function of several components: the performance of BlackRock, Inc., the performance of the portfolio manager's group within BlackRock, Inc. and the individual's performance and
contribution to the overall performance of these portfolios and BlackRock, Inc.
Distribution of Discretionary Incentive Compensation. Discretionary incentive compensation is distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash and BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units which vest ratably over a number of years. The BlackRock, Inc. restricted
stock units, if properly vested, will be settled in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. Typically, the cash
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bonus, when combined with base salary, represents more than 60% of total
compensation for the portfolio managers. Paying a portion of annual bonuses in stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year “at risk” based on BlackRock, Inc.'s ability to sustain and improve its performance
over future periods.
Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards
— From time to time, long-term incentive equity awards are granted to certain key employees to aid in retention, align their interests with long-term shareholder interests and motivate performance. Equity
awards are generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock.
Other Compensation Benefits.
In addition to base compensation and discretionary incentive compensation, portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:
Incentive Savings Plans
— BlackRock, Inc. has created a variety of incentive savings plans in which BlackRock, Inc. employees are eligible to participate, including a 401(k) plan, the BlackRock Retirement Savings Plan (“RSP”), and the BlackRock Employee
Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”). The employer contribution components of the RSP include a company match equal to 50% of the first 8% of eligible pay contributed to the plan capped at $5,000 per year, and a company retirement contribution
equal to 3-5% of eligible compensation up to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) limit ($260,000 for 2014). The RSP offers a range of investment options, including registered investment companies and collective investment funds
managed by the firm. BlackRock, Inc. contributions follow the investment direction set by participants for their own contributions or, absent participant investment direction, are invested into an index target date fund that corresponds to, or is
closest to, the year in which the participant attains age 65. The ESPP allows for investment in BlackRock, Inc. common stock at a 5% discount on the fair market value of the stock on the purchase date. Annual participation in the ESPP is limited to
the purchase of 1,000 shares of common stock or a dollar value of $25,000 based on its fair market value on the Purchase Date. James Mauro and Scott Radell are each eligible to participate in these plans.
As of October 31, 2014, the Portfolio Managers did not
beneficially own any shares of the Fund.
Codes of Ethics. The Company, BFA and the Distributor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of 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.
Anti-Money Laundering Requirements. The Fund is subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the “Patriot Act”). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other illicit
activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, the Fund may request information from Authorized Participants to enable it to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its Authorized Participants. This information will
be used to verify the identity of Authorized Participants or, in some cases, the status of financial professionals; it will be used only for compliance with the requirements of the Patriot Act.
The Fund reserves the right to reject purchase orders from
persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. The Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in the Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the
Fund's policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.
Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund under the Master Services Agreement and related Service Schedule (the
“Service Module”). State Street’s principal address is 1 Iron Street, Boston, MA 02210. Pursuant to the Service Module for Fund Administration and Accounting Services with the Company, State Street provides necessary
administrative, legal, tax and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Company and the Fund. In addition, State Street makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to
provide such services. Pursuant to the Service Module for Custodial Services with the Company, State Street maintains, in separate accounts, cash, securities and other assets of the Company and the Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records and
provides other services. State Street is required, upon the order of the Company, to deliver securities held by State Street and to make payments for securities purchased by the Company for the Fund. State Street is authorized to appoint certain
foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. Pursuant to the Service Module for Transfer Agency Services with the Company, State Street acts as a transfer agent for the Fund’s authorized and
issued shares
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of
beneficial interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Company. As compensation for these services, State Street receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by BFA from
its management fee.
Distributor. The Distributor's principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor or its agent only in Creation Units, as described
in the Prospectus and below in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Fund shares in amounts less than Creation Units are generally not distributed by the Distributor or its agent. The Distributor or its agent will arrange for the delivery of the Prospectus and, upon
request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it or its agents and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it or its agents. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
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 following (i) the vote of a majority of the Independent Directors, or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the 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 Units of Fund shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as described below), Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participants
and/or investor services organizations.
BFA or its
affiliates 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.
Payments by BFA and its Affiliates. BFA and/or its affiliates (“BFA Entities”) pay certain broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and other financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for certain activities
related to the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products in general. BFA Entities make these payments from their own assets and not from the assets of the Fund. Although a portion of BFA Entities’ revenue comes directly or
indirectly in part from fees paid by the Fund and other iShares funds, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, the Fund or other iShares funds. BFA Entities make payments for
Intermediaries’ participation in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such
as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems (“Education Costs”). BFA Entities also make payments to Intermediaries
for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Fund or materials relating to exchange-traded products in general (“Publishing Costs”). In addition, BFA Entities make payments to Intermediaries that make shares of
the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their clients, develop new products that feature iShares or otherwise promote the Fund and other iShares funds. BFA Entities may also reimburse expenses or make payments from their own assets to
Intermediaries or other persons in consideration of services or other activities that the BFA Entities believe may benefit the iShares business or facilitate investment in iShares funds. Payments of the type described above are sometimes referred to
as revenue-sharing payments.
Payments to an
Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because an Intermediary may
make decisions about which investment options it will recommend or make available to its clients or what services to provide for various products based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments may create conflicts of interest
between the Intermediary and its clients and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund and other iShares funds over other investments. The same conflicts of interest and financial incentives exist with respect to
your salesperson or other investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.
BFA Entities have contractual arrangements to make payments
(in addition to payments for Education Costs or Publishing Costs) to one Intermediary, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (“FBS”). Pursuant to this special, long-term and significant arrangement (the “Marketing Program”), FBS
and certain affiliates (collectively “Fidelity”) have agreed, among other things, to actively promote iShares funds to customers and investment professionals and in advertising campaigns as the preferred exchange-traded product, to offer
certain iShares funds in certain Fidelity platforms and investment programs, in some cases
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at
a reduced commission rate or commission free, and to provide marketing data to BFA Entities. BFA Entities have agreed to facilitate the Marketing Program by, among other things, making certain payments to FBS for marketing and implementing certain
brokerage and investment programs. Upon termination of the arrangement, the BFA Entities will make additional payments to FBS based upon a number of criteria, including the overall success of the Marketing Program and the level of services provided
by FBS during the wind-down period.
Any additions,
modifications, or deletions to Intermediaries listed above that have occurred since the date noted above are not included in the list. Further, BFA Entities make Education Costs and Publishing Costs payments to other Intermediaries that are not
listed above. BFA Entities may determine to make such payments based on any number of metrics. For example, BFA Entities may make payments at year-end or other intervals in a fixed amount, an amount based upon an Intermediary’s services at
defined levels or an amount based on the Intermediary’s net sales of one or more iShares funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed-upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. As
of the date of this SAI, BFA anticipates that the payments paid by BFA Entities in connection with the Fund, iShares funds and exchange-traded products in general will be immaterial to BFA Entities in the aggregate for the next year. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made by the BFA Entities to an Intermediary may
create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy shares of iShares funds.
The Fund may participate in certain market maker incentive
programs of a national securities exchange in which an affiliate of the Fund would pay a fee to the exchange used for the purpose of incentivizing one or more market makers in the securities of the Fund to enhance the liquidity and quality of the
secondary market of securities of the Fund. The fee would then be credited by the exchange to one or more market makers that meet or exceed liquidity and market quality standards with respect to the securities of the Fund. Each market maker
incentive program is subject to approval from the SEC. Any such fee payments made to an exchange will be made by an affiliate of the Fund solely for the benefit of the Fund and will not be paid from any Fund assets.
Determination of Net Asset Value
Valuation of Shares. The NAV
for the Fund is generally calculated as of the close of regular trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (currently 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each business day the NYSE is open. Valuation of securities held by the Fund is
as follows:
Equity Investments. Equity securities traded on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), on separate trading boards of a securities
exchange or through a market system that provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (each, an “Exchange”) are valued using information obtained via independent pricing services, generally the Exchange closing price, or if
an Exchange closing price is not available, the last traded price on that Exchange prior to the time as of which the Fund’s assets or liabilities are valued. However, under certain circumstances, other means of determining current market value
may be used. If an equity security is traded on more than one Exchange, the current market value of the security where it is primarily traded generally will be used. In the event that there are no sales involving an equity security held by the Fund
on a day on which the Fund values such security, the prior day’s price will be used, unless, in accordance with valuation procedures approved by the Board (the “Valuation Procedures”), BlackRock determines in good faith that such
prior day’s price no longer reflects the fair value of the security, in which case such asset would be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below).
Fixed Income Investments. In
accordance with the Valuation Procedures, fixed income securities for which market quotations are readily available are generally valued using such securities’ most recent bid prices provided directly from one or more broker-dealers, market
makers, or independent third-party pricing services, each of which may use matrix pricing and valuation models, as well as recent market transactions for the same or similar assets to derive values. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used
with respect to debt obligations with sixty days or less remaining to maturity unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value. Loan participation notes are generally valued at the mean of the last available
bid prices from one or more brokers or dealers as obtained from independent third-party pricing services. Certain fixed income investments, including asset-backed and mortgage-related securities, may be valued based on valuation models that consider
the estimated cash flows of each tranche of the entity, establish a benchmark yield and develop an estimated tranche-specific spread to the benchmark yield based on the unique attributes of the tranche. Fixed income securities for which market
quotations are not readily available may be valued by third-party
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pricing services that make a valuation determination by securing transaction
data (e.g., recent representative bids), credit quality information, perceived market movements, news, and other relevant information and by other methods, which may include consideration of yields or prices
of securities of comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; and general market conditions.
Options, Futures, Swaps and Other Derivatives. Exchange-traded equity options for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask prices as quoted on the Exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded. In
the event that there is no mean price available for an exchange traded equity option held by the Fund on a day on which the Fund values such option, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the
value of such option. If no such bid or ask price is available on a day on which the Fund values such option, the prior day’s price will be used, unless BlackRock determines in good faith that such prior day’s price no longer reflects
the fair value of the option, in which case such option will be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below). OTC derivatives may be valued using a mathematical model which may incorporate a number of market data factors. Financial futures
contracts and options thereon, which are traded on exchanges, are valued at their settle price as of the close of such exchanges. Swap agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon quotations from market makers or by a
pricing service in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
Underlying Funds. Shares of
underlying exchange-traded funds will be valued at their most recent closing price on an Exchange. Shares of underlying money market funds will be valued at their net asset value.
General Valuation Information.
In determining the market value of portfolio investments, the Fund may employ independent third-party pricing services, which may use, without limitation, a matrix or formula method that takes into consideration
market indexes, matrices, yield curves and other specific adjustments. This may result in the securities being valued at a price different from the price that would have been determined had the matrix or formula method not been used. All cash,
receivables and current payables are carried on the Fund’s books at their face value.
Prices obtained from independent third-party pricing services,
broker-dealers or market makers to value the Fund’s securities and other assets and liabilities are based on information available at the time the Fund values its assets and liabilities. In the event that a pricing service quotation is revised
or updated subsequent to the day on which the Fund valued such security or other asset or liability, the revised pricing service quotation generally will be applied prospectively. Such determination will be made considering pertinent facts and
circumstances surrounding the revision.
Certain types of
securities, including many fixed income securities, trade infrequently and there may be no current market transactions or recent representative bids for such securities. To the extent that prices for such securities are not reflective of current
market transactions or recent representative bids, the Fund will value such securities in good faith in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
In the event that application of the methods of valuation
discussed above result in a price for a security which is deemed not to be representative of the fair market value of such security, the security will be valued by, under the direction of or in accordance with a method specified by the Board as
reflecting fair value. All other assets and liabilities (including securities for which market quotations are not readily available) held by the Fund (including restricted securities) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board
or by BlackRock (its delegate) pursuant to the Valuation Procedures. Any assets and liabilities which are denominated in a foreign currency are converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or
more data service providers.
Certain of the securities
acquired by the Fund may be traded on foreign exchanges or OTC markets on days on which the Fund’s net asset value is not calculated. In such cases, the net asset value of the Fund’s shares may be significantly affected on days when
investors can neither purchase nor redeem shares of the Fund.
Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations
could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used in the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the
Underlying Index.
Fair Value. When market quotations are not readily available or are believed in good faith by BlackRock to be unreliable, the Fund’s investments are valued at fair value (“Fair Value Assets”). Fair Value Assets are
valued by BlackRock in accordance with the Valuation Procedures. BlackRock may reasonably conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if, among other things, a security or other asset or liability does not have a price
source due to its lack of trading, if
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BlackRock believes in good faith that a market quotation from a broker-dealer
or other source is unreliable (e.g., where it varies significantly from a recent trade, or no longer reflects the fair value of the security or other asset or liability subsequent to the most recent market
quotation), where the security or other asset or liability is only thinly traded or due to the occurrence of a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. For this purpose, a “significant event” is deemed to occur
if BlackRock determines, in its reasonable business judgment, that an event has occurred after the close of trading for an asset or liability but prior to or at the time of pricing the Fund’s assets or liabilities, and that the event is likely
to cause a material change to the closing market price of the assets or liabilities held by the Fund. Non-U.S. securities whose values are affected by volatility that occurs in U.S. markets for related or highly correlated assets (e.g., American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or ETFs) on a trading day after the close of non-U.S. securities markets may be fair valued. On any day the NYSE is open and a foreign market or the
primary exchange on which a foreign asset or liability is traded is closed, such asset or liability will be valued using the prior day’s price, provided that BlackRock is not aware of any significant event or other information that would cause
such price to no longer reflect the fair value of the asset or liability, in which case such asset or liability would be treated as a Fair Value Asset.
BlackRock, with input from the BlackRock Investment Strategy
Group, will submit its recommendations regarding the valuation and/or valuation methodologies for Fair Value Assets to BlackRock’s Valuation Committee. The BlackRock Valuation Committee may accept, modify or reject any recommendations. In
addition, the Fund’s accounting agent periodically endeavors to confirm the prices it receives from all third-party pricing services, index providers and broker-dealers, and, with the assistance of BlackRock, to regularly evaluate the values
assigned to the securities and other assets and liabilities held by the Fund. The pricing of all Fair Value Assets is subsequently reported to and, where appropriate, ratified by the Board.
When determining the price for a Fair Value Asset, the
BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) will seek to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm’s-length transaction on the date on
which the assets or liabilities are being valued, and does not seek to determine the price that the Fund might expect to receive for selling the asset, or the cost of extinguishing a liability, at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability
to maturity. Fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that the BlackRock Valuation Committee (or BlackRock’s Pricing Group) deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values
determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third-party valuation models.
Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value
of an asset or liability. When determining the fair value of an asset, one or more of a variety of fair valuation methodologies may be used (depending on certain factors, including the asset type). For example, the asset may be priced on the basis
of the original cost of the investment or, alternatively, using proprietary or third-party models (including models that rely upon direct portfolio management pricing inputs and which reflect the significance attributed to the various factors and
assumptions being considered). Prices of actual, executed or historical transactions in the relevant asset and/or liability (or related or comparable assets and/or liabilities) or, where appropriate, an appraisal by a third-party experienced in the
valuation of similar assets and/or liabilities, may also be used as a basis for establishing the fair value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or
liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund’s net asset value. As a result, the Fund’s sale or redemption of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a
holding or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.
The Fund’s annual audited financial statements, which
are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”), follow the requirements for valuation set forth in Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards
Codification Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”), which defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value under US GAAP and expands financial statement disclosure requirements relating
to fair value measurements. Generally, ASC 820 and other accounting rules applicable to funds and various assets in which they invest are evolving. Such changes may adversely affect the Fund. For example, the evolution of rules governing the
determination of the fair market value of assets or liabilities to the extent such rules become more stringent would tend to increase the cost and/or reduce the availability of third-party determinations of fair market value. This may in turn
increase the costs associated with selling assets or affect their liquidity due to the Fund’s inability to obtain a third-party determination of fair market value.
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Brokerage Transactions
Subject to policies established by the Board, BFA is primarily
responsible for the execution of the Fund’s portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage. BFA does not execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but seeks to obtain the best net results for the Fund, taking into
account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. While
BFA generally seeks reasonable trade execution costs, the Fund does not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available, and payment of the lowest commission or spread is not necessarily consistent with obtaining the best price and
execution in particular transactions. Subject to applicable legal requirements, BFA may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to BFA and its clients, including the Fund. In return for such services, BFA may cause
the Fund to pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if BFA determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.
In selecting brokers or dealers to execute portfolio
transactions, BFA seeks to obtain the best price and most favorable execution for the Fund and may take into account a variety of factors including: (i) the size, nature and character of the security or instrument being traded and the markets in
which it is purchased or sold; (ii) the desired timing of the transaction; (iii) BFA’s knowledge of the expected commission rates and spreads currently available; (iv) the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular
security or instrument, including any anticipated execution difficulties; (v) the full range of brokerage services provided; (vi) the broker’s or dealer’s capital; (vii) the quality of research and research services provided; (viii) the
reasonableness of the commission, dealer spread or its equivalent for the specific transaction; and (ix) BFA’s knowledge of any actual or apparent operational problems of a broker or dealer. 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, or other circumstances.
Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act (“Section 28(e)”)
permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the same transaction
in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer. This includes commissions paid on riskless principal transactions under certain conditions.
From time to time, the Fund may purchase new issues of
securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the broker may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide BFA with research services. FINRA has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of
arrangements under certain circumstances. Generally, the broker will provide research “credits” in these situations at a rate that is higher than that available for typical secondary market transactions. These arrangements may not fall
within the safe harbor of Section 28(e).
The Fund
anticipates that brokerage transactions involving foreign securities generally will be conducted primarily on the principal stock exchanges of the applicable country. Foreign equity securities may be held by the Fund in the form of depositary
receipts, or other securities convertible into foreign equity securities. Depositary receipts may be listed on stock exchanges, or traded in OTC markets in the United States or Europe, as the case may be. American Depositary Receipts, like other
securities traded in the United States, will be subject to negotiated commission rates.
OTC issues, including most fixed income securities such as
corporate debt and U.S. Government securities, are normally traded on a “net” basis without a stated commission, through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers. The Fund will primarily engage in transactions with these
dealers or deal directly with the issuer unless a better price or execution could be obtained by using a broker. Prices paid to a dealer with respect to both foreign and domestic securities will generally include a “spread,” which is the
difference between the prices at which the dealer is willing to purchase and sell the specific security at the time, and includes the dealer’s normal profit.
Under the 1940 Act, persons affiliated with the Fund and
persons who are affiliated with such affiliated persons are prohibited from dealing with the Fund as principal in the purchase and sale of securities unless a permissive order allowing such transactions is obtained from the SEC. Since transactions
in the OTC market usually involve transactions with the dealers acting as principal for their own accounts, the Fund will not deal with affiliated persons, including PNC and its affiliates, in connection with such transactions. The Fund will not
purchase securities during the existence of any underwriting or selling group relating to such securities of which BFA, PNC, BRIL or any affiliated person (as defined in the 1940 Act) thereof is a member except pursuant to procedures adopted by the
Board in accordance with Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act.
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Purchases of money market instruments by the Fund are made
from dealers, underwriters and issuers. The Fund does not currently expect to incur any brokerage commission expense on such transactions because money market instruments are generally traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as
principal for their own accounts without a stated commission. The price of the security, however, usually includes a profit to the dealer.
BFA 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 BFA, in conformity with Rule 17e-1 under 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.
Securities purchased in underwritten offerings include a fixed
amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter’s concession or discount. When securities are purchased or sold directly from or to an issuer, no commissions or discounts are paid.
Investment decisions for the Fund and for other investment
accounts managed by BFA and its affiliates are made independently of each other in light of differing conditions. A variety of factors will be considered in making investment allocations. These factors include: (i) investment objectives or
strategies for particular accounts, including sector, industry, country or region and capitalization weightings; (ii) tax considerations of an account; (iii) risk or investment concentration parameters for an account; (iv) supply or demand for a
security at a given price level; (v) size of available investment; (vi) cash availability and liquidity requirements for accounts; (vii) regulatory restrictions; (viii) minimum investment size of an account; (ix) relative size of account; and (x)
such other factors as may be approved by BlackRock’s general counsel. Moreover, investments may not be allocated to one client account over another based on any of the following considerations: (i) to favor one client account at the expense of
another; (ii) to generate higher fees paid by one client account over another or to produce greater performance compensation to BlackRock; (iii) to develop or enhance a relationship with a client or prospective client; (iv) to compensate a client
for past services or benefits rendered to BlackRock or to induce future services or benefits to be rendered to BlackRock; or (v) to manage or equalize investment performance among different client accounts. BFA and its affiliates may deal, trade and
invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest.
Initial public offerings of securities may be over-subscribed
and subsequently trade at a premium in the secondary market. When BFA is given an opportunity to invest in such an initial offering or “new” or “hot” issue, the supply of securities available for client accounts is often less
than the amount of securities the accounts would otherwise take. In order to allocate these investments fairly and equitably among client accounts over time, each portfolio manager or a member of his or her respective investment team will indicate
to BFA’s trading desk their level of interest in a particular offering with respect to eligible clients’ accounts for which that team is responsible. Initial public offerings of U.S. equity securities will be identified as eligible for
particular client accounts that are managed by portfolio teams who have indicated interest in the offering based on market capitalization of the issuer of the security and the investment mandate of the client account and in the case of international
equity securities, the country where the offering is taking place and the investment mandate of the client account. Generally, shares received during the initial public offering will be allocated among participating client accounts within each
investment mandate on a pro rata basis. This pro rata allocation may result in the Fund receiving less of a particular security than if pro-ration had not occurred. All
allocations of securities will be subject, where relevant, to share minimums established for accounts and compliance constraints. In situations where supply is too limited to be allocated among all accounts for which the investment is eligible,
portfolio managers may rotate such investment opportunities among one or more accounts so long as the rotation system provides for fair access for all client accounts over time. Other allocation methodologies that are considered by BFA to be fair
and equitable to clients may be used as well.
Because
different accounts may have differing investment objectives and policies, BFA may buy and sell the same securities at the same time for different clients based on the particular investment objective, guidelines and strategies of those accounts. For
example, BFA may decide that it may be entirely appropriate for a growth fund to sell a security at the same time a value fund is buying that security. To the extent that transactions on behalf of more than one client of BFA or its affiliates during
the same period may increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price. For example, sales of a security by BlackRock on behalf of one or more of its clients may
decrease the market price of such security, adversely impacting other BlackRock clients that still hold the security. If purchases or sales of securities arise for consideration at or about the same time that would involve the Fund or other clients
or funds for which BFA or an affiliate act as investment manager, transactions in such securities will be made, insofar as feasible, for the respective funds and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all.
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In certain instances, BFA may find it efficient for purposes
of seeking to obtain best execution, to aggregate or “bunch” certain contemporaneous purchases or sale orders of its advisory accounts and advisory accounts of affiliates. In general, all contemporaneous trades for client accounts under
management by the same portfolio manager or investment team will be bunched in a single order if the trader believes the bunched trade would provide each client with an opportunity to achieve a more favorable execution at a potentially lower
execution cost. The costs associated with a bunched order will be shared pro rata among the clients in the bunched order. Generally, if an order for a particular portfolio manager or management team is filled
at several different prices through multiple trades, all accounts participating in the order will receive the average price (except in the case of certain international markets where average pricing is not permitted). While in some cases this
practice could have a detrimental effect upon the price or value of the security as far as the Fund is concerned, in other cases it could be beneficial to the Fund. Transactions effected by BFA or its affiliates on behalf of more than one of its
clients during the same period may increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, causing an adverse effect on price. The trader will give the bunched order to the broker-dealer that the trader has
identified as being able to provide the best execution of the order. Orders for purchase or sale of securities will be placed within a reasonable amount of time of the order receipt and bunched orders will be kept bunched only long enough to execute
the order.
There were no brokerage commissions paid on
behalf of the Fund for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2014, October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2012.
The Fund's purchase and sale orders for securities may be
combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that BFA or its affiliates manage or advise and for which they have brokerage placement authority. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Fund and one or more other
accounts managed or advised by BFA or its affiliates 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 BFA and its affiliates. 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. BFA and its affiliates may deal, trade and invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest. BFA and its affiliates 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 BFA, 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 rules or regulations, or by SEC exemptive
order.
Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as
well as within a year. High turnover rates may result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses.
Additional Information Concerning the Company
Capital Stock. The
Company currently is comprised of 61 series referred to as funds. Each series issues shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share. The Company has authorized and issued the following funds as separate series of capital stock: iShares
Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF,
iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, iShares Latin America Bond ETF, iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI
Australia ETF, iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, iShares MSCI Canada ETF, iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging
Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF,
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Horizon ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging
Workforce ETF, iShares MSCI EMU ETF, iShares MSCI France ETF, iShares MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, iShares MSCI Germany ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF,
iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF,
iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, iShares MSCI Pacific ex
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Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Singapore ETF,
iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, iShares MSCI Turkey ETF,
iShares MSCI USA ETF and iShares MSCI World ETF. The Company has authorized for issuance, but is not currently offering for sale to the public, eleven additional series of shares of common stock. The Board may designate additional series of common
stock and classify shares of a particular series into one or more classes of that series. The Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation confers upon the Board the power to establish the number of shares which constitute a Creation Unit or by
resolution, restrict the redemption right to Creation Units.
Each share issued by a fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of that fund. The Company is currently authorized to issue 33.85 billion shares of common stock. The following number of shares is currently authorized for each of the funds: iShares
Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 250 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Corporate Bond ETF, 500 million shares;
iShares Emerging Markets Dividend ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Global ex USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF,
500 million shares; iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares Latin America Bond ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Australia ETF, 627.8
million shares; iShares MSCI Austria Capped ETF, 100 million shares; iShares MSCI Belgium Capped ETF, 136.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI BRIC ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Canada ETF, 340.2
million shares; iShares MSCI Chile Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Colombia Capped ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Discretionary ETF, 500 million
shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Eastern Europe ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets EMEA ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Energy Capped ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, 2
billion shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Growth ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Horizon ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets
Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Emerging Workforce ETF, 25 million shares; iShares MSCI EMU ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI France ETF, 340.2 million shares; iShares
MSCI Frontier 100 ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Germany ETF, 382.2 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Gold
Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, 375 million shares; iShares MSCI Israel Capped ETF, 500
million shares; iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF, 295.4 million shares; iShares MSCI Japan ETF, 2.1246 billion shares; iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, 500 million shares; iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI Mexico Capped ETF,
255 million shares; iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, 255 million shares; iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, 1 billion shares; iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, 300 million shares; iShares MSCI South Africa
ETF, 400 million shares; iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Spain Capped ETF, 127.8 million shares; iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, 63.6 million shares; iShares MSCI Switzerland Capped ETF, 318.625 million shares; iShares
MSCI Taiwan ETF, 900 million shares; iShares MSCI Thailand Capped ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI Turkey ETF, 200 million shares; iShares MSCI USA ETF, 500 million shares; and iShares MSCI World ETF, 500 million shares. Fractional shares will
not be issued. 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 fund,
and in the net distributable assets of such fund on liquidation. Shareholders are entitled to require the Company to redeem Creation Units of their shares. The Articles of Incorporation confer upon the Board the power, by resolution, to alter the
number of shares constituting a Creation Unit or to specify that shares of common stock of the Company may be individually redeemable.
Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a
stockholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and the Maryland General Corporation Law. Stockholders have no cumulative voting rights with respect to their shares. Shares of all
funds vote together as a single class except that, if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund or, if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, that fund will vote separately on such matter.
Under Maryland law, the Company is not required to hold an
annual meeting of stockholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Company is not to hold an annual meeting of stockholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. Under Maryland law, Directors of the Company may be
removed by vote of the stockholders.
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Following the creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of
shares of a fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in the fund’s shares, a holder of shares may be a “control person” of the fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. The fund cannot predict the length of time for which
one or more stockholders may remain a control person of the fund.
Stockholders may make inquiries by writing to iShares, Inc.,
c/o BlackRock Investments, LLC, 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
Absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or
its staff, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the shares of a 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 or its staff, officers and directors of a fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of the 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 Company or the Fund. The Company or the Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board, subject to the affirmative vote of a majority of the stockholders of the Company or the Fund entitled to vote on termination. Although the
shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the organizational documents provides that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit. In the event of a termination
of the Company or the Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Units or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Company may make redemptions
in-kind, for cash or for a combination of cash or securities.
DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Fund. 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 NYSE Amex Equities and FINRA. 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 Company and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Company upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Company a listing of the shares of the
Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Company shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Company 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 Company 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.
Share distributions shall be
made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Company. 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 the 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
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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 Company 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 Company at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Company and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the
Company shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
General. The Company
issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor or its agent, without a sales load, at a price based on the Fund's NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined
below), of an order received by the Distributor or its agent in proper form. On days when the Listing Exchange or the bond markets close earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to be placed earlier in the day. The following table sets forth
the number of shares of the Fund that constitute a Creation Unit for the Fund and the value of such Creation Unit as of November 30, 2014:
| Shares
Per Creation Unit |
Value
Per Creation Unit (U.S.$) | |
| 200,000 | $10,000,000 |
In its discretion, BFA reserves the
right to increase or decrease the number of the Fund’s shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of the Fund, and to make a corresponding
change in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.
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, as observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents'
Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Fund Deposit. The
consideration for purchase of Creation Units of the Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) (“Deposit
Securities”) and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the “Fund Deposit,” which, when combined with the Fund's portfolio securities is designed to
generate performance that has a collective investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index. The Fund Deposit represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund.
The “Cash Component” is an amount equal to the
difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the “Deposit Amount,” which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities, and serves to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit
and the Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing the Creation
Unit.
To facilitate efficient management of the Fund and
to enable the Fund to track its Underlying Index, the portfolio of securities required for purchase of a Creation Unit may not be identical to the portfolio of securities the Fund will deliver upon redemption of Fund shares. The Deposit Securities
and Fund Securities (as defined below under “Redemption of Shares in Creation Units”), as applicable, in connection with a purchase or redemption of a Creation Unit, generally will correspond pro
rata, to the extent practicable, to the securities held by the Fund. Consistent with the exemptive orders granted to the Fund by the SEC, creation baskets will correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Underlying
Index.
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BFA makes available through the NSCC on each Business Day
prior to the opening of business on the Listing Exchange, the list of names and the required number or par value of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information as of the
end of the previous Business Day for the Fund). Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to purchases of Creation Units of shares of the Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made
available.
The identity and number or par value of the
Deposit Securities change pursuant to changes in the composition of the Fund's portfolio and as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by BFA with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The
composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the Underlying Index.
The Fund reserves the right to permit or require the
substitution of 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 DTC or the Clearing
Process (as discussed below). If permitted by applicable laws to offer Creation Units of the Fund in exchange for the Fund Deposit, the Fund also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances,
including circumstances in which (i) the delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (as described below) would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws or (ii) 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 applicable securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations.
Cash Purchase Method.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund,
they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a partial or full cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to
provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser.
Procedures for Creation of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor and to create a Creation Unit 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, and must have executed an agreement with the Distributor, with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (“Authorized Participant Agreement”)
(discussed below). A Participating Party or DTC Participant who has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement is referred to as an “Authorized Participant.” 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.
Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a DTC Participant that has entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor. Such Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of
such Authorized Participant Agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available in advance of each purchase of shares an amount of cash
sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the net asset value of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fees described below. An Authorized Participant, acting on behalf
of an investor, may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate
arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be
placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor. The Company does not expect to enter into an Authorized
Participant Agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current Authorized Participants may be obtained from the Distributor. The Distributor has adopted guidelines regarding Authorized Participants’ transactions in
Creation Units that are made available to all Authorized Participants. These guidelines set forth the processes and standards for Authorized Participants to transact with the Distributor and its agents in connection with creation and redemption
transactions.
Placement of Creation Orders. Fund Deposits must be delivered through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and U.S. government securities), through DTC (for corporate and municipal securities) or through a central depository account, such as
with Euroclear or DTC, maintained by State Street or a sub-custodian (a “Central Depository Account”). Any portion of the
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Fund Deposit that may not be delivered through the Federal Reserve System or
DTC must be delivered through a Central Depository Account. The Fund Deposit transfers made through DTC must be ordered by the DTC Participant in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC
to the account of the Fund generally before 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date. Fund Deposit transfers made through the Federal Reserve System must be deposited by the participant institution in a timely fashion so as to ensure the
delivery of the requisite number or amount of Deposit Securities or cash through the Federal Reserve System to the account of the Fund generally before 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date. Fund Deposit transfers made through a Central
Depository Account must be completed pursuant to the requirements established by the Custodian or sub-custodian for such Central Depository Account generally before 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date. The “Settlement Date”
for the Fund is generally the third business day after the Transmittal Date. All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered
securities, will be determined by the Company, whose determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to State Street through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a
timely manner so as to be received by State Street generally before 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date. If the Cash Component and the Deposit Securities are not received generally before 3:00 p.m., Eastern time on the Settlement Date,
the creation order may be canceled. Upon written notice to the Distributor, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using the Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current NAV of the Fund. The delivery of
Creation Units so created generally will occur no later than the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor, provided that the relevant Fund Deposit has been received by the Fund prior to
such time.
Purchase Orders. To initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit to the Distributor or its agent an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund, in proper form, generally before 4:00
p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day to receive that day’s NAV. The Distributor or its agent will notify BFA and the custodian of such order. The custodian will then provide such information to any appropriate sub-custodian. Procedures and
requirements governing the delivery of the Fund Deposit are set forth in the procedures handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for
a creation request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an Authorized Participant
should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor or its agent by the Cutoff Time (as defined below) on such Business Day.
The Authorized Participant must also make available on or
before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Fund, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Fund to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with
the applicable purchase transaction fees. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit. Those placing orders should ascertain the deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the
broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the Cutoff Time of the Fund. Investors should be aware that an Authorized Participant may require orders for
purchases of shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual Authorized Participant.
The Authorized Participant is responsible for any and all
expenses and costs incurred by the Fund, including any applicable cash amounts, in connection with any purchase order.
Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Creation Orders must be
transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to the Distributor or its agent pursuant to procedures set forth in the Authorized 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 its agent or an Authorized Participant. The Fund's deadline specified above for the submission of purchase orders is referred to
as the Fund's “Cutoff Time.” The Distributor or its agent, in their discretion, may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or through an Authorized Participant at any time (including on days on which the Listing Exchange is
not open for business) via communication through the facilities of the Distributor's or its agent's proprietary website maintained for this purpose. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Company, will be processed based on the
NAV next determined after such acceptance in accordance with the Fund's Cutoff Times as provided in the Authorized Participant Agreement and disclosed in this SAI.
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Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the Authorized Participant (either on its own or another investor's behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Fund
are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Fund will accept the order, subject to the Fund's right (and the right of the Distributor and BFA) to reject any order until acceptance, as set forth
below.
Once the Fund has accepted an order, upon
the next determination of the net asset value of the shares, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such net asset value. The Distributor or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to
the Authorized Participant that placed the order.
The
Fund reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor or its agent 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 do not conform to the identity and number of shares specified, 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, in the discretion of the Fund or BFA, have an adverse effect on the Fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or
(vii) circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Distributor or its agent and BFA make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Distributor or its agent shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized
Participant acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Fund, State Street, the sub-custodian and the Distributor or its agent 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 failure to give such notification.
Issuance of a Creation Unit.
Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the
custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor or its agent and BFA shall be notified of such delivery and
the Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Typically, Creation Units are issued on a “T+3 basis” (i.e., three
Business Days after trade date). The Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+3 if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law.
To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's
agreement with the Distributor, the Fund will issue Creation Units to such Authorized Participant, notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the
Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value at least equal to 105% and up to 115%,
which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Fund's then-effective procedures. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Fund is cash in U.S. dollars.
Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time on the contractual settlement date. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any,
on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. Information concerning the Fund's current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor or its agent. The Authorized
Participant Agreement will permit the Fund to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such securities and the cash
collateral.
In certain cases, Authorized Participants
may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the Authorized Participants that the creation and redemption
transactions are for separate beneficial owners. 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 Fund and the Fund's determination shall be final and binding.
Costs Associated with Creation Transactions. A standard creation transaction fee is imposed to offset the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized
Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same, regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. The Authorized Participant may also be
required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and
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expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction
(up to the maximum amount shown below). Authorized Participants will also bear the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Fund. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire Fund shares may be
charged a fee for such services.
The following table
sets forth the Fund's standard creation transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
| Standard
Creation Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | |
| $1,300 | 3.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit. |
Redemption of Creation Units.
Shares of the Fund may be redeemed by Authorized Participants only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor or its agent and only
on a Business Day. The Fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the secondary market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors
should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a Creation Unit that could be redeemed by an Authorized Participant. Beneficial owners also may sell shares in the
secondary market.
The Fund generally redeems
Creation Units for Fund Securities. Please see the Cash Redemption Method section below and the following discussion summarizing the in-kind method for further information on redeeming Creation Units of the
Fund.
BFA makes available through the NSCC, prior to the
opening of business on the Listing Exchange on each Business Day, the designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or
correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (“Fund Securities”), and an amount of cash (the “Cash Amount,” as described below). Such Fund Securities and the corresponding Cash
Amount (each subject to possible amendment or correction) are applicable, in order to effect redemptions of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next announced composition of the Fund Securities and Cash Amount is made available. Fund
Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. Procedures and requirements governing redemption transactions are set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants
and may change from time to time.
Unless cash
redemptions are available or specified for the Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities, plus the Cash Amount, which is an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the shares being
redeemed, as next determined after the receipt of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of Fund Securities, less a redemption transaction fee (as described below).
The Company may, in its sole discretion, substitute a
“cash in lieu” amount to replace any Fund Security. The Company also reserves the right to permit or require a “cash in lieu” amount in certain circumstances, including circumstances in which: (i) the delivery of a Fund
Security to the Authorized Participant would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws; or (ii) the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Fund Security by the Authorized
Participant becoming restricted under applicable securities or other local laws, or in certain other situations. The amount of cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the substituted security listed as a Fund Security. In the
event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than 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 Fund generally
redeems Creation Units for Fund Securities, but the Fund reserves the right to utilize a cash option for redemption of Creation Units.
Cash Redemption Method.
Although the Company does not ordinarily permit partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units of iShares funds, when partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified for the Fund, they will be effected in
essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions thereof. In the case of partial or full cash redemption, the Authorized Participant receives the cash equivalent of the Fund Securities it would otherwise receive through an in-kind redemption, plus
the same Cash Amount to be paid to an in-kind redeemer.
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Costs Associated with Redemption Transactions. A standard redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on
the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an Authorized Participant on the applicable Business Day. The Authorized Participant may also be required to cover
certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (up to the maximum amount shown below). Authorized Participants will also bear the
costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Fund to their account on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to dispose of Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.
The following table sets forth the Fund's standard redemption
transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):
| Standard
Redemption Transaction Fee |
Maximum
Additional Charge* | |
| $1,300 | 2.0% |
| * | As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive of the standard redemption transaction fee. |
Placement of Redemption
Orders. Redemption requests for Creation Units of the Fund must be submitted to the Distributor or its agent by or through an Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable
request to redeem shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to redeem Creation Units
to be placed earlier that day. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current
Authorized Participants upon request.
The
Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption in the form required by the Fund to the Distributor or its agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their
particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an Authorized
Participant Agreement. At any time, only a limited number of broker-dealers will have an Authorized Participant Agreement in effect. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such
Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the shares to the Fund's transfer agent; such investors
should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.
A redemption request is considered to be in “proper
form” if (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Fund's transfer agent the Creation Unit redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Listing Exchange closing time on any
Business Day; (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Fund is received by the Distributor or its agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above; and (iii) all other
procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement are properly followed. If the transfer agent does not receive the investor's shares through DTC's facilities by 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the Business Day next following the day that the
redemption request is received, the redemption request shall be rejected. Investors should be aware that the deadline for such transfers of shares through the DTC system may be significantly earlier than the close of business on the Listing
Exchange. Those making redemption requests should ascertain the deadline applicable to transfers of shares through the DTC system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effecting the transfer of the
shares.
Upon receiving a redemption request, the
Distributor or its agent shall notify the Fund and the Fund's transfer agent of such redemption request. The tender of an investor's shares for redemption and the distribution of the securities and/or cash included in the redemption payment made in
respect of Creation Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant Authorized Participant to the Beneficial Owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may
be, or by such other means specified by the Authorized Participant submitting the redemption request.
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A redeeming Beneficial Owner or Authorized Participant acting
on behalf of such Beneficial Owner must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the portfolio securities are customarily traded, to which account
such portfolio securities will be delivered.
Deliveries
of redemption proceeds by the Fund generally will be made within three Business Days (i.e., “T+3”). The Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions later than T+3 but by T+7 if
necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. Delayed settlement may occur due to a number of different reasons, including, without limitation, settlement cycles for the underlying securities, unscheduled market
closings, an effort to link distribution to dividend record dates and ex-dates and newly announced holidays. For example, the redemption settlement process may be extended beyond T+3 because of the occurrence of a holiday in a non-U.S. market or in
the U.S. bond market that is not a holiday observed in the U.S. equity market.
To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's
agreement with the Distributor or its agent, in the event an Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to the Fund, at or prior to 10:00 a.m.,
Eastern time on the Listing Exchange business day after the date of submission of such redemption request, the Distributor or its agent will accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the
missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash, in U.S. dollars in immediately available funds, having a value at least equal to 105%
and up to 115%, which percentage BFA may change at any time, in its sole discretion, of the value of the missing shares. Such cash collateral must be delivered no later than 10:00 a.m., Eastern time on the day after the date of submission of such
redemption request and shall be held by State Street and marked-to-market daily. The fees of State Street and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized
Participant. The cash collateral posted by the Authorized Participant may be invested at the risk of the Authorized Participant, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that Authorized Participant. The Authorized Participant
Agreement permits the Fund to acquire shares of the Fund at any time and subjects the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the aggregate of the cost to the Fund of purchasing such shares, plus the value of the Cash Amount,
and the value of the cash collateral.
Because the
portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on exchange(s) on days that the Listing Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of the Fund, or purchase or sell shares of the
Fund on the Listing Exchange on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.
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 Listing Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the Listing Exchange 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's portfolio securities or determination of its net asset value is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other
circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
Taxation on
Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated
by taking the market value of the Creation Units purchased over the Authorized Participant’s aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the IRS may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon
the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units is not currently deductible. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisors.
Current U.S. federal income tax laws dictate that capital gain
or loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were
held for one year or less, if the Creation Units are held as capital assets.
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Taxes
The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal
income tax considerations regarding the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of the Fund. This summary does not address all of the potential U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be applicable to the Fund or to all categories of
investors, some of which may be subject to special tax rules. Current and prospective shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of investing in the Fund.
The summary is based on the laws in effect on the date of this SAI and existing judicial and administrative interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.
Regulated Investment Company Qualification. The Fund intends to continue to qualify for and to elect treatment as a separate 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 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 non-U.S. currencies, other income (including, but not limited to, 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 interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships (i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than a partnership that derives 90% of its income
from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of the Fund’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 of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the Fund and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses (other than the securities of other RICs) or the securities of one or more
qualified publicly-traded partnerships.
The Fund
may be able to cure a failure to derive 90% of its income from the sources specified above or a failure to diversify its holdings in the manner described above by paying a tax and/or by disposing of certain assets. If, in any taxable year, the Fund
fails one of these tests and does not timely cure the failure, the Fund will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders will not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.
Although in general the passive loss rules of the Internal
Revenue Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly-traded partnership. The Fund’s investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly-traded
partnerships, may result in the Fund being subject to state, local, or non-U.S. 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, provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. To satisfy the
minimum distribution requirement, the Fund must distribute to its shareholders at least the sum of (i) 90% of its “investment company taxable income” (i.e., income other than its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), plus or minus certain adjustments, and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year. The Fund will
be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its shareholders. If the Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC or fails to meet the distribution requirement, 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 be eligible to be treated 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 U.S. federal income taxation to the extent any such income
or gains are not distributed. Moreover, if the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits
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accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a RIC. If the Fund
fails to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets (i.e., the excess of the aggregate
gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been liquidated) if it qualifies as a RIC in a subsequent year.
Net Capital Loss Carryforwards. Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year, until they have been reduced to zero.
In the event that the Fund were to experience an ownership
change as defined under the Internal Revenue Code, the loss carryforwards and other favorable tax attributes of the Fund, if any, may be subject to limitation.
The Fund did not have tax basis net capital loss carryforwards
as of October 31, 2014, the tax year-end for the Fund.
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 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the 12
months ended October 31 of such year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by the Fund that is subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been distributed by year-end. In addition, the
minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any underdistribution or overdistribution, as the case may be, from the previous 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.
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders.
Dividends and other distributions by the Fund are generally treated under the Internal Revenue Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, any dividend or
capital gain distribution declared by the Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31
of such calendar year and to have been paid by the Fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.
The Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders
substantially all of its net tax-exempt income, investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if the Fund retains
for investment an amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (at a maximum rate of 35%) on the
amount retained. In that event, the Fund will report such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains,
their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the 35% tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim
refunds to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their shares by an amount equal to 65% of the amount of undistributed capital gains
included in the shareholder’s income. Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata share of such taxes paid by the
Fund upon filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.
Distributions of net realized long-term capital gains, if any,
that the Fund reports as capital gain dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. All other dividends of the Fund (including dividends from
short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits (“regular dividends”) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income. Married couples filing jointly with income over approximately $450,000 and unmarried
individuals with income over approximately $400,000 (income thresholds adjusted annually for inflation) are subject to a 20% tax on any income in excess of those amounts that is long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income, and generally all
other long-term capital gain is taxed at 15% (0% at certain income levels). In addition, the top marginal ordinary income tax rate is 39.6% for income in excess of the above thresholds.
If an individual receives a regular dividend qualifying for
the long-term capital gain rates and such dividend constitutes an “extraordinary dividend,” and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then
the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An “extraordinary dividend” on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the
taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend
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dates within an 85-day period, or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the
taxpayer’s tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.
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 shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the shareholder holds shares of the
Fund as capital assets). Distributions in excess of the Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of
capital. 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. No deduction would be allowed to an investor for interest on indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry shares of the
Fund to the extent the interest deduction would relate to exempt-interest dividends received.
A 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on
net investment income, including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain from investments, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly), and of estates and trusts.
Investors considering buying shares just prior to a dividend
or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of shares 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 security on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such security, such dividends will be included in the Fund’s gross income not as of the date received but as of the later of (i) the date such
security became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (i.e., the date on which a buyer of the security would not be entitled to receive the declared, but unpaid, dividends); or (ii) the date the Fund
acquired such security. 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.
In certain situations, the Fund may, for a
taxable year, defer all or a portion of its net capital loss realized after October and its late-year ordinary loss (defined as the sum of the excess of post-October foreign currency and passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) losses
over post-October foreign currency and PFIC gains plus the excess of post-December ordinary losses over post-December ordinary income) until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will
defer the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.
Sales of Shares. Upon
the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder’s basis in shares of the Fund. 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
or capital gains distributions, or by an option, by substantially identical shares 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 Fund shares 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. The Medicare contribution tax described above will apply to the sale of Fund shares.
If a shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring shares of
the Fund, disposes of those shares within 90 days and then, on or before January 31 of the following calendar year, 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.
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Back-Up Withholding. In
certain cases, the Fund will be required to withhold at a 28% rate and remit to the U.S. Treasury such amounts withheld from any distributions paid to a shareholder who: (i) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (ii) is
subject to back-up withholding by the IRS; (iii) has failed to certify to the Fund that such shareholder is not subject to back-up withholding; or (iv) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).
Back-up withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability.
Sections 351 and 362.
The Company, 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 the Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Internal Revenue Code, the 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 Company will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Company determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to the Fund or its shareholders. The
Company also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Taxation of Certain Derivatives. The Fund’s transactions in zero coupon securities, non-U.S. currencies, forward contracts, options and futures contracts (including options and futures contracts on non-U.S. currencies), to the extent
permitted, will be subject to special provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (including provisions relating to “hedging transactions” and “straddles”) that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses
realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer Fund
losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out at the end of each year) and (b) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay
dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. The Fund will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate entries
in its books and records when it acquires any zero coupon security, non-U.S. currency, forward contract, option, futures contract or hedged investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC.
The Fund’s investments in so-called
“section 1256 contracts,” such as regulated futures contracts, most non-U.S. currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most security indexes, are subject to special tax rules. All section 1256 contracts
held by the Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund’s income as if each position had been sold for its fair market
value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets
and were not part of a “hedging transaction” nor part of a “straddle,” 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term
capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund.
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 cost of any payments made by the Fund on a
swap transaction will be netted pro rata against both tax exempt and taxable gross income. With respect to certain types of swaps, the Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to
future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss.
Market Discount. Any
market discount recognized on a bond is taxable as ordinary income. A market discount bond is a bond acquired in the secondary market at a price below redemption value or adjusted issue price if issued with original issue discount. Absent an
election by the Fund to include the market discount in income as it accrues, gain on the Fund’s disposition of such an obligation will be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gain to the extent of the accrued market
discount.
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Non-U.S. Investments.
Income (including, in some cases, capital gains) received by the Fund from investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United
States may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. If more than 50% of the Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of non-U.S. corporations, the Fund may elect for U.S. income tax purposes to treat
non-U.S. income taxes paid by it as paid by its shareholders. The Fund may qualify for and make this election in some, but not necessarily all, of its taxable years. If the Fund were to make this election, shareholders of the Fund would be required
to take into account an amount equal to their pro rata portions of such non-U.S. taxes in computing their taxable income and then treat an amount
equal to those non-U.S. taxes as a U.S. federal income tax deduction or as a foreign tax credit against their U.S. federal income taxes. Shortly after any year for which it makes such an election, the Fund will report to its shareholders the amount
per share of such non-U.S. income tax that must be included in each shareholder’s gross income and the amount which will be available for the deduction or credit. No deduction for non-U.S. taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not
itemize deductions. Certain limitations will be imposed on the extent to which the credit (but not the deduction) for non-U.S. taxes may be claimed.
Under Section 988 of the Internal Revenue Code, gains or
losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time the Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a non-U.S. currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such
liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses) realized on debt instruments will be treated as Section 988 gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between the U.S.
dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gains or losses on non-U.S. currency, non-U.S. currency forward contracts, certain non-U.S. currency options or futures contracts and the disposition of debt securities
denominated in non-U.S. currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or loss unless the Fund were to elect otherwise.
Original Issue Discount.
Original issue discount (“OID”) on tax-exempt bonds is recognized over the term of the bond and is tax-exempt to the holder of the bond. Special U.S. federal income tax rules apply to
inflation-indexed bonds. Generally, all stated interest on such bonds is taken into income by the Fund under its regular method of accounting for interest income. The amount of a positive inflation adjustment, which results in an increase in the
inflation-adjusted principal amount of the bond, is treated as original issue discount. The OID is included in the Fund’s gross income ratably during the period ending with the maturity of the bond, under the general OID inclusion rules. The
amount of the Fund’s OID in a taxable year with respect to a bond will increase the Fund’s taxable income for such year without a corresponding receipt of cash, until the bond matures. As a result, the Fund may need to use other sources
of cash to satisfy its distributions for such year. The amount of negative inflation adjustment, which results in a decrease in the inflation-adjusted principal amount of the bond, reduces the amount of interest (including stated, interest, OID, and
market discount, if any) otherwise includible in the Fund’s income with respect to the bond for the taxable year.
Reporting. 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 IRS Form
8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC 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. Dividends paid by the Fund from net tax-exempt income or long-term capital gains are generally not subject to such withholding tax. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be
required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E 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 an IRS 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 U.S. 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, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or other applicable form may be subject to back-up withholding at the appropriate rate.
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For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2015,
properly-reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. 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 report
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, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or substitute
Form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports 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.
Legislation has been proposed to extend the above expiration
dates but no assurance can be provided that such legislation will be enacted.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source
dividends, interest and other income items and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2016, to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment
funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect
U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct
and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained; agree to withhold tax on certain payments
made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain other information as to their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental
agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities will need to provide the name, address and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S.
owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership, unless certain exceptions apply.
Shares of the Fund held by a non-U.S. shareholder at death
will be considered situated within the United States and subject to the U.S. estate tax.
The foregoing discussion is a summary of certain material U.S.
federal income tax considerations only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in such shares, including consequences under
state, local and non-U.S. 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.
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, located at 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, is counsel to the Company.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, located at Three Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111, serves as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Fund's financial statements, and may
perform other services.
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Shareholder Communications to the Board. The Board has established a process for shareholders to communicate with the Board. Shareholders may contact the Board by mail. Correspondence should be addressed to iShares Board of Directors, c/o BlackRock Fund
Advisors, iShares Fund Administration, 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Shareholder communications to the Board should include the following information: (i) the name and address of the shareholder; (ii) the number of shares owned by the
shareholder; (iii) the Fund(s) of which the shareholder owns shares; and (iv) if these shares are owned indirectly through a broker, financial intermediary or other record owner, the name of the broker, financial intermediary or other record owner.
All correspondence received as set forth above shall be reviewed by the Secretary of the Company and reported to the Board.
Investors’ Rights.
The Fund relies on the services of the investment adviser and other service providers, including the distributor, administrator, custodian and transfer agent. Further information about the duties and roles of
these service providers is set out in this SAI. Investors who acquire shares of the Fund are not parties to the relevant agreement with these service providers and do not have express contractual rights against the Fund or its service providers,
except certain institutional investors that are Authorized Participants may have certain express contractual rights with respect to the Distributor under the terms of the relevant authorized participant agreement. Investors may have certain legal
rights under federal or state law against the Fund or its service providers. In the event that an investor considers that it may have a claim against the Fund, or against any service provider in connection with its investment in the Fund, such
investor should consult its own legal advisor.
By
contract, Authorized Participants irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or U.S. federal court sitting in New York City over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to the authorized participant
agreement. Jurisdiction over other claims, whether by investors or Authorized Participants, will turn on the facts of the particular case and the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceeding is brought.
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Appendix A
DESCRIPTION OF FIXED-INCOME RATINGS
A rating is generally assigned to a fixed-income security at
the time of issuance by a credit rating agency designated as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) by the SEC. While NRSROs may from time to time revise such ratings, they undertake no obligation to do so, and
the ratings given to securities at issuance do not necessarily represent ratings which would be given to these securities on a particular subsequent date.
Fixed-income securities which are unrated expose the investor
to risks with respect to capacity to pay interest or repay principal which are similar to the risks of lower-rated speculative bonds. Evaluation of these securities is dependent on the investment adviser’s judgment, analysis and experience in
the evaluation of such securities.
Investors should note
that the assignment of a rating to a security by an NRSRO may not reflect the effect of recent developments on the issuer’s ability to make interest and principal payments or on the likelihood of default.
The descriptions below relate to general long-term and
short-term obligations of an issuer.
Moody’s
Ratings
Long-Term Obligations
Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are
judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.
Aa: Obligations rated Aa are
judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A: Obligations rated A are
judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa: Obligations rated Baa are
judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba: Obligations rated Ba are
judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.
B: Obligations rated B are
considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
Caa: Obligations rated Caa are
judged to be speculative, of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
Ca: Obligations rated Ca are
highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C: Obligations rated C are the
lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
Note: Moody's appends
numerical modifiers 1, 2 and 3 in each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the
modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.
Absence of Rating: Where no
rating has been assigned or where a rating has been withdrawn, it may be for reasons unrelated to the creditworthiness of the issue.
Should no rating be assigned, the reason may be one of the
following:
1. An application was not received or
accepted.
2. The issue or issuer belongs to a group of
securities or entities that are not rated as a matter of policy.
3. There is a lack of essential data pertaining to the issue
or issuer.
4. The issue was privately placed, in which
case the rating is not published in Moody’s publications.
Withdrawal may occur if new and material circumstances arise,
the effects of which preclude satisfactory analysis; if there is no longer available reasonable up-to-date data to permit a judgment to be formed; if a bond is called for redemption; or for other reasons.
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Short-Term Obligations
Moody’s short-term debt ratings are opinions of the
ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations, generally with an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months.
Moody's employs the following designations to indicate the
relative repayment ability of rated issuers:
P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-2: Issuers (or supporting
institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-3: Issuers (or supporting
institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
NP: Issuers (or supporting
institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services
Long-Term Obligations
AAA: An obligation rated AAA
has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA: An obligation rated AA
differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment is very strong.
A: An obligation rated A is
somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still
strong.
BBB: An
obligation rated BBB exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation.
BB; B; CCC; CC; and C: Obligations rated BB, B, CCC, CC, and C are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. BB indicates the least degree of speculation and C the highest. While such obligations will likely have some
quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB: An obligation rated BB is
less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its
financial commitment on the obligation.
B: An obligation rated B is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic
conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC: An obligation rated CCC
is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic
conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CC: An obligation rated CC is
currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The CC rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but Standard & Poor's expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
C: An obligation rated C is
currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.
D: An obligation rated D is in
default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be made within
five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of
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similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for
example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
NR: NR indicates no rating has
been requested, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor's does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
Note: The ratings from AA to
CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
Short-Term Obligations
A-1: A short-term obligation
rated A-1 is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor's. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates
that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2: A short-term obligation
rated A-2 is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is
satisfactory.
A-3: A short-term obligation rated A-3 exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its
financial commitment on the obligation.
B: A short-term obligation rated B is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing
uncertainties which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
C: A short-term obligation
rated C is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
D: A short-term obligation
rated D is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poor's believes that such payments will be
made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and
where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation's rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
Fitch Ratings
Long-Term Obligations
AAA: Highest credit quality.
AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable
events.
AA: Very
high credit quality. AA ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A: High credit quality. A
ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher
ratings.
BBB:
Good credit quality. BBB ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this
capacity.
BB:
Speculative. BB ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial
commitments to be met.
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B: Highly speculative. B
ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.
CCC: Substantial credit risk.
CCC ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present.
CC: Very high levels of credit
risk. CC ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk.
C: Exceptionally high levels
of credit risk. C indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk.
Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned RD or D
ratings, but are instead rated in the B to C rating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability
to default and loss.
Note: The modifiers “+”
or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the AAA obligation rating category, or to corporate finance obligation ratings in the categories below CCC.
The subscript 'emr' is appended to a rating to denote embedded
market risk which is beyond the scope of the rating. The designation is intended to make clear that the rating solely addresses the counterparty risk of the issuing bank. It is not meant to indicate any limitation in the analysis of the counterparty
risk, which in all other respects follows published Fitch criteria for analyzing the issuing financial institution. Fitch does not rate these instruments where the principal is to any degree subject to market risk.
Short-Term Obligations (Corporate and Public Finance)
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases
on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity or security stream and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to
obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short-term” based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public
finance markets.
F1:
Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2: Good short-term credit
quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.
F3: Fair short-term credit
quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.
B: Speculative short-term
credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C: High short-term default
risk. Default is a real possibility.
RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings
only.
D: Default.
Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.
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