Press Release Barclays Global Investors Announces Three New iShares Russell Exchange-Traded Funds
iShares Family Now Totals 67 Funds San Francisco - July 20, 2001 - Barclays Global Investors (BGI) announces that the iShares Russell Midcap Index Fund (ticker: IWR), iShares Russell Midcap Growth Index Fund (ticker: IWP), and iShares Russell Midcap Value Index Fund (ticker: IWS) will begin trading on the American Stock Exchange today. iShares offers the greatest number of exchange-traded funds tracking Russell indexes. The iShares Russell fund series now totals 12 funds, which also include funds that track the Russell 1000®, Russell 2000® and Russell 3000® indexes along with each of their corresponding value and growth indexes. The new iShares exchange-traded funds will be managed by Barclays Global Fund Advisors, a subsidiary of Barclays Global Investors, N.A., and manager of the largest selection of exchange-traded funds, known as iShares. Wagner Stott Bear Specialists, LLC will be the specialist firm for these new products.
"With the addition of the iShares Russell Midcap Index Funds, individuals, financial professionals and institutions can now target a portion of the Russell 1000® Index's market capitalization, enhancing their asset allocation and portfolio management opportunities," said Brad Zigler of BGI's Individual Investor Business. "These portfolios, like all iShares funds, give investors more choice and more flexibility," he added.
"Russell's family of U.S. indexes are proving to be effective investment tools as the benchmarks for exchange-traded funds," said Tom Hanly, chief financial officer at Russell. "The new iShares based on our three Midcap indexes definitely give iShares a well-rounded product offering for discerning investors."
iShares are index funds that are bought and sold like common stocks on national securities exchanges as well as certain foreign exchanges. iShares are attractive to many individual and institutional investors and financial intermediaries because of their relatively low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account. Because iShares can be traded like stocks, they offer intraday liquidity. The liquidity of iShares is driven by the liquidity of the underlying securities, thus as long as the stocks in the portfolio can be bought and sold easily, any supply and demand requirements can be met.
Similar to many index funds, iShares are designed to have relatively low portfolio turnover, which reduces transaction costs incurred by the fund and minimizes capital gains distributions to investors. For a list of currently available iShares, visit www.ishares.com.
Russell Midcap™ Index— is a capitalization-weighted index consisting of the 800 smallest companies in the Russell 1000 Index.
The Russell Midcap™ Growth Index— measures the performance of the mid-capitalization growth sector of the U.S. equity market. It is a subset of the Russell Midcap Index, representing approximately 50% of the total market capitalization of the Russell Midcap Index. The Index measures the performance of those Russell Midcap Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth.
Russell Midcap™ Value Index—measures the performance of the mid-capitalization value sector of the U.S. equity market. It is a subset of the Russell Midcap Index, representing approximately 50% of the total market capitalization of the Russell Midcap Index. The Index measures the performance of those Russell Midcap Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth.
Barclays Global Investors is the world's largest institutional investment manager, and the world's largest provider of structured investment strategies such as indexing, tactical asset allocation, and quantitative active strategies*. BGI managed more than $800 billion in assets as of 12/31/00, and over 1,500 funds, which track over 200 global indexes, for nearly 2,000 clients in 37 countries around the world. As the creator of the first index strategy 30 years ago, BGI is an innovator in investment management, applying science and technology to the investment process. BGI has over 2,000 employees worldwide and is owned by Barclays PLC, one of the UK's leading global financial services providers, with operations in over 60 countries worldwide.
Frank Russell Company, a global investment services firm, provides manager-of-manager investment products and services in more than 35 countries. Russell manages $66 billion in assets and advises clients representing more than US$1 trillion worldwide. Founded in 1936, Russell is a subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual and is headquartered in Tacoma, Wash., with additional offices in New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Singapore, Sydney, Auckland and Tokyo.
* Source: "Special Report: Global Leaders." Pensions & Investments,(Sept. 2000),p.15 To determine if the fund(s) are an appropriate investment for you, carefully consider the funds' investment objectives, risk factors and charges and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the funds' prospectuses, which may be obtained by calling 1-800-iShares or click here to view or download a prospectus. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. There are risks involved with investing, including possible loss of principal. iShares are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Co. (SEI). Barclays Global Fund Advisors (BGFA) serves as an advisor to iShares. Barclays Global Investors Services (BGIS) assists in the marketing of iShares. BGFA and BGIS are subsidiaries of Barclays Global Investors, N.A., none of which are affiliated with SEI. iShares transactions will result in brokerage commissions and will generate tax consequences. Mutual funds and iShares are obliged to distribute portfolio gains to shareholders. The investment return and principal value of an iShares investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when sold, or Creation Unit(s) when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. In addition to the normal risks associated with equity investing, investments in smaller companies typically exhibit higher volatility. iShares may be sold throughout the day on the exchange through any brokerage account. However, iShares may only be redeemed directly from the fund by Authorized Participants, in very large Creation/Redemption Units. Russell Indexes have been licensed for use by Barclays Global Fund Advisors for use in connection with iShares. iShares are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Frank Russell Company. Neither Frank Russell Company nor any of its affiliates make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in iShares. Frank Russell Company is not affiliated with SEI, BGI N.A. or any of their affiliates. Frank Russell Company, a Washington, USA corporation, operates through subsidiaries worldwide. ©2001, 2004 Barclays Global Investors. All rights reserved. iShares is a registered trademark of Barclays Global Investors, N.A. All other trademarks, servicemarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. iShares are not FDIC Insured. Have No Bank Guarantee. May Lose Value. As of December 1, 2009, the former Barclays Global Investors entities referred to in this publication are owned and controlled ultimately by BlackRock Inc. and neither Barclays nor any Barclays affiliate is responsible for, or associated with, the contents of this publication. Help for Journalists iShares offers insights on ETFs and financial news topics. Journalists may request information, photos or media support by contacting the PR Group. Experts Members of the press can select from a list of investment categories to find iShares experts who can assist with stories. Please contact a member of Public Relations to speak with any of our experts. About iShares Learn more about the past, present and future of iShares. The Idea The Facts The Timeline The Growth |
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