iShares targets dividend-paying firms in Asia/Pacific, emerging markets with two new ETF offerings

By Toni Weeks

San Diego, Feb. 24 - iShares, Inc. said it has launched the iShares Asia/Pacific Dividend 30 Index Fund and the iShares Emerging Markets Dividend Index Fund, according to a press release by BlackRock, Inc., the exchange-traded funds' sponsor.

The funds trade on the NYSE Arca under the symbols "DVYA" and "DVYE," respectively.

"In today's market environment, traditional sources of income are offering historically low yields," Darek Wojnar, head of U.S. iShares Product Development and Management at BlackRock said in the release.

"Emerging markets and the developed markets in the Asia/Pacific region are expected to lead global economic growth and offer an attractive opportunity for investment income in the near term."

The ETFs are designed to give investors access to dividend-paying companies in the Asia/Pacific developed markets and the emerging markets.

"The new iShares funds are well positioned to marry international growth potential with the value characteristics of dividend solutions in an ETF," Wojnar continued.

"The funds also offer investors the added benefit of a liquid investment approach, representing flexibility in establishing and adjusting allocations."

As previously reported, the iShares Asia/Pacific Dividend 30 Index Fund seeks seek investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Dow Jones Asia/Pacific Select Dividend 30 Index, which measures the stock performance of 30 high-dividend-paying companies in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore.

The top sector holdings are financials, consumer services and telecomm.

The fund invests at least 90% of its assets in securities of the underlying index or in depositary receipts representing securities in the index. The remaining assets may be invested in other securities that help track the underlying index, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, options and swaps related to the index, as well as cash and cash equivalents.

The portfolio managers will be Rene Casis, Diane Hsiung and Greg Savage.

The iShares Emerging Markets Dividend Index Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Dow Jones Emerging Markets Select Dividend Index, which measures the performance of 100 dividend-paying emerging market companies. The top sector holdings are telecomm, industrials and basic materials.

The fund invests at least 80% of its assets in the securities of the underlying index or in depositary receipts representing securities of the underlying index.

Christopher Bliss, Rene Casis, Diane Hsiung and Greg Savage are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund.

San Francisco-based BlackRock Fund Advisors is the investment adviser to the funds.

© 2015 Prospect News.
All content on this website is protected by copyright law in the U.S. and elsewhere. For the use of the person downloading only.
Redistribution and copying are prohibited by law without written permission in advance from Prospect News.
Redistribution or copying includes e-mailing, printing multiple copies or any other form of reproduction.