iShares Plans to Extend the Municipal Series with 2018 and 2019 ETFs
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
iShares® announced today that the iShares 2012 S&P AMT-Free Municipal
Series ETF (NYSE: MUAA) will mature on August 15, 2012. Individual bonds
in the exchange traded fund (ETF) have begun to mature and the fund will
transition into short-term, tax-exempt instruments and cash until August
15, when the ETF will close and cease trading at the end of the day.
Remaining shareholders will receive the entire amount of their proceeds
in cash on or after August 21, subject to their brokerage processes.
The iShares 2012 S&P AMT-Free Municipal Series ETF is the first iShares
Municipal Series ETF to mature. The other five iShares ETFs in the
series have end dates ranging from 2013 to 2017. iShares has filed
registration statements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) that would expand the suite of iShares S&P AMT-Free Municipal
Series ETFs to include funds with 2018 and 2019 end dates. These funds
are pending SEC review and therefore are not yet available to the public.
“The iShares S&P AMT-Free Muni Series was created to offer investors a
bond-like experience, via a tradeable ETF. Fund shareholders receive
monthly income distributions and a maturity distribution with the added
benefits found in the ETF structure, such as a diversified portfolio of
bonds, transparency of holdings and pricing, and trading flexibility,”
said Matthew Tucker, Head of iShares Fixed Income Strategy at BlackRock.
“As the iShares 2012 Municipal Series ETF is the first of the series to
reach maturity, we plan to introduce additional ETFs to the iShares
series.”
About the iShares S&P AMT-Free Municipal Series
The six existing 2012 - 2017 iShares S&P AMT-Free Municipal Series funds
are designed to offer investors access to benefits of both ETFs and
bonds. As an ETF, each fund contains a diversified set of securities
tracking the S&P AMT-Free Municipal Series 2012 Index, and can be bought
and sold daily on an exchange. Like a bond, each fund has a
pre-determined date when the fund will close and distribute all proceeds
out to shareholders. The funds are designed to provide a yield to
maturity (YTM) profile comparable to that of the underlying bond
portfolio.
Editor’s Note:
iShares
2012 S&P AMT-Free Municipal Series Product Page (with FAQ)
http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/overview/MUAA.htm
About BlackRock
BlackRock is a leader in investment management, risk management and
advisory services for institutional and retail clients worldwide. At
March 31, 2012, BlackRock’s AUM was $3.684 trillion. BlackRock offers
products that span the risk spectrum to meet clients’ needs, including
active, enhanced and index strategies across markets and asset classes.
Products are offered in a variety of structures including separate
accounts, mutual funds, iShares® (exchange-traded
funds), and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk
management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a
broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions®.
Headquartered in New York City, as of March 31, 2012, the firm has
approximately 9,900 employees in 27 countries and a major presence in
key global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia,
Australia, and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information,
please visit the Company's website at www.blackrock.com.
About iShares
iShares is the global product leader in exchange traded funds with over
500 funds globally across equities, fixed income and commodities, which
trade on 20 exchanges worldwide. The iShares Funds are bought and sold
like common stocks on securities exchanges. The iShares Funds are
attractive to many individual and institutional investors and financial
intermediaries because of their relative 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. The iShares customer base consists of
the institutional segment of pension plans and fund managers, as well as
the retail segment of financial advisors and high net worth individuals.
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 (1-800-474-2737) or by visiting www.iShares.com.
Read the prospectus carefully before investing.
Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.
Transactions in shares of the iShares Funds will result in brokerage
commissions and will generate tax consequences. iShares Funds are
obliged to distribute portfolio gains to shareholders. Shares of the
iShares Funds may be sold throughout the day on the exchange through any
brokerage account. However, shares may only be redeemed directly from a
Fund by Authorized Participants, in very large creation/redemption units.
Bonds and bond funds will decrease in value as interest rates rise. A
portion of the Fund’s income may be subject to federal or state income
taxes. Capital gains, if any, are subject to capital gains tax.
Narrowly focused investments typically exhibit higher volatility and are
subject to greater geographic or asset class risk. The Fund is subject
to credit risk, which refers to the possibility that the debt issuers
will not be able to make principal and interest payments. Shares of the
Fund trade at market price, which may be greater or less than net asset
value.
An investment in the Fund(s) is not guaranteed, and an investor may
experience losses, including near or at the termination date. In the
final months of the Fund’s operation, as the bonds it holds mature, its
portfolio will transition to cash and cash-like instruments. Following
the Fund’s termination date, the Fund will distribute substantially all
of its net assets, after deduction of any liabilities, to then-current
investors without further notice and will no longer be listed or traded.
The Funds do not seek to return any predetermined amount.
During the final three months prior to the Fund’s planned termination
date, its yield will generally tend to move toward prevailing tax-exempt
money market rates, and may be lower than the yields of the bonds
previously held by the Fund and lower than prevailing yields for bonds
in the market.
The rate of Fund distribution payments may adversely affect the tax
characterization of an investor’s returns from an investment in the Fund
relative to a direct investment in municipal bonds. If the amount an
investor receives as liquidation proceeds upon the Fund’s termination is
higher or lower than the investor’s cost basis, the investor may
experience a gain or loss for tax purposes.
The iShares Funds are distributed by BlackRock Investments, LLC
(together with its affiliates, “BlackRock”). iS-7517-0612
The iShares Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold or promoted
by Standard & Poor’s, nor does this company make any representation
regarding the advisability of investing in the Funds. BlackRock is not
affiliated with the company listed above.
* Not FDIC Insured * No Bank Guarantee * May Lose Value
BlackRock, Inc.
Christine Hudacko, 415-670-2687
christine.hudacko@blackrock.com
Diane
Henry, 415-670-4567
diane.henry@blackrock.com
Source: BlackRock, Inc.