Fifty years ago, two inventions set in motion changes that
would upend whole industries. The first commercial microchip was released in
Silicon Valley, and the first index investment product was created not far
north, in San Francisco, by one of BlackRock’s predecessor firms. Microchips
were revolutionary from the start and are essential building blocks for devices
that enable modern life. The influence of index investing has proven to be
evolutionary — step by step, it reshaped the money management industry by
methodically breaking down barriers to investment. Even five decades later,
index investing has a long way to ascend. We estimate that indexed assets
account for a mere 10% of total public investment assets globally, and that
potentially hundreds of millions more people could experience the benefits of
index investing.
Indexing has shown that investing doesn’t need to be
complex, or exclusive, since it offers all types of investors a simpler
strategy, one that doesn’t require picking among thousands of stocks or bonds,
or between many professional investment managers. It has provided easy access
to the building blocks of investment returns, made investing more affordable,
and offered a transparent line of sight into what investors own and how much
they pay. More recently, indexation and index-tracking exchange traded funds
(ETFs) have expanded choices for investing sustainably, and are driving new
standards of quality in markets, and a longer-term investment focus that helps
support the real economy.
iShares is proud to help advance index investing across the
globe. In the hallways of our offices and on our home-office screen savers are
reminders that we aspire to be “Champions for Investor Progress.” It’s an
articulation of the iShares mission, which furthers BlackRock’s purpose of
helping more and more people experience financial well-being.
Lots of businesses have inspirational mantras that can lack
substance because they aren’t supported by commitment. This inaugural iShares
Report on Investor Progress is about making our commitments clear: We want to
make investing easier, more affordable, more sustainable, and more resilient
for the long term. To realize these ambitions is to uphold the hopes and
expectations of the many millions of investors around the world whose money
BlackRock has been entrusted to manage.
"We estimate that indexed assets account for a mere 10%
of total public investment assets globally"
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 or, if available, the summary
prospectuses, which may be obtained by visiting the iShares Fund and BlackRock
Fund prospectus pages. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.
Investing involves risk, including possible loss of
principal.
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