iShares Adds Russia ETF

BlackRock launched the iShares MSCI Russia Capped Index Fund (ERUS) on the NYSE Arca.

ERUS seeks to track the MSCI Russia 25/50 Index, which is a free-float adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the performance of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in Russia. The benchmark index is a customized variation of the MSCI Russia Index, designed to cap certain weightings to take into account the investment diversification requirement applicable to U.S. regulated investment companies. The top three sectors in the index as of October 15, 2010, are Energy (50.7%), Materials (18.4%) and Financials (14.5%).

BlackRock’s new exchange traded fund enhances the large single country iShares ETF lineup to respond to requests from financial advisors and investors for greater precision in implementing their international-focused investment strategies and interest in getting deeper access to emerging market stocks to help diversify portfolio.