iShares

Seeking Alpha

The availability of ETFs which cover a broad range of investment sectors, styles, and capitalizations offers investors seeking alpha a wide variety of ways to express tactical views that seek to add incremental return to a portfolio. For example, an investor can underweight or even short¹ a market sector or asset class on which he has a negative near-term view. Alternatively, he could tactically layer on exposures to targeted asset classes he believes have strong short-term prospects. Within fixed income investing, investors can use ETFs opportunistically to choose their desired effective duration** and help manage credit risk in anticipation of interest rate movements in an attempt to earn additional return.

* Alpha is the level of outperformance of a portfolio over and above its benchmark.
** A measure of the responsiveness of a bond or portfolio’s price to changes in interest rates. Effective duration takes into account the possible changes in the expected bond cash flows due to interest rate changes.

¹ With short sales, you risk paying more for a security than you received from its sale.

Carefully consider the iShares 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 (1-800-474-2737), or by viewing or downloading a prospectus. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

Bonds and bond funds will decrease in value as interest rates rise. Asset allocation may not protect against market risk.

Neither BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A., and it affiliates nor SEI and its affiliates provide investment advice. The strategies discussed are strictly for illustrative and educational purposes and should not be construed as a recommendation to purchase or sell, or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. There is no guarantee that any strategies discussed will be effective.

The iShares Funds ("Funds") are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Co. ("SEI"). BlackRock Fund Advisors ("BFA") serves as the investment advisor to the Funds. BFA is a subsidiary of BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A., neither of which is affiliated with SEI.

Neither SEI, and its affiliates, nor BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A., and its affiliates, are affiliated with the Tarbox Group.

© 2000-2012 BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. All rights reserved. iShares® is a registered trademark of BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. BlackRock® is a registered trademark of BlackRock, Inc. All other trademarks, servicemarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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