BlackRock's iShares has launched the iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF and the iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF.

The funds, follow the debut last month of the iShares Short Maturity Bond ETF. The firm is also launching short maturity funds today in Europe.

Here is the press release:

Company Press Release
iShares Launches Short Maturity Investment Grade and High Yield Corporate Bond ETFs
Enables investors to seek income amid rising interest rate environment

� � 17 October 2013, New York � BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) announced today that its iShares Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) business launched the iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEArca: SLQD) and the iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEArca: SHYG). As the world�s largest manager of ETFs[1], iShares is seeing significant investor demand for funds that help investors reduce their exposure to rising interest rates while still generating income. The new funds, in addition to last month�s debut of the iShares Short Maturity Bond ETF (BATS: NEAR) and new iShares short maturity funds launching today in Europe, strengthen iShares position as a leading provider of short duration bond ETFs.

� The new funds complement the existing flagship fixed income iShares funds � iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEArca: LQD) and iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEArca: HYG), by providing exposure to shorter maturity bonds and lower durations. SLQD and SHYG seek to capture the yield offered by corporate bonds while also reducing exposure to rising interest rates relative to longer duration corporate bond portfolios. �

�Interest rates continue to climb and investors are concerned this trend will continue, leading them to demand short maturity ETF solutions,� commented Matthew Tucker, Head of iShares Fixed Income Investment Strategy. �iShares new short maturity bond ETFs provide diversified exposure in a single, cost efficient fund and can be combined with our existing fixed income iShares funds to create a fixed income portfolio that is nimble for today�s market conditions.�

� SLQD seeks to track the investment results of the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade 0-5 Index, which is designed to reflect the performance of USD denominated short duration investment grade corporate bonds maturing between 0 and 5 years. The index held 1,183 bonds, as of June 30, 2013, with an average duration of 2.56 years. Only bonds from large issuers with at least $1 billion in aggregate outstanding issuance and $500 million face value per bond are included in the index. The index uses a market-value weighted methodology with a cap on each issuer of 3%.

� SHYG seeks to track the investment results of the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield 0-5 Index, which is composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds with remaining maturities of less than five years. The index holds 354 bonds, as of June 30, 2013, with an average duration of 2.2 years. Bonds with $350 million minimum face value per bond are included in the index. The index uses a market-value weighted methodology with a cap on each issuer of 3%.

� �Whether an investor is looking to put cash to work, or is looking to reduce the interest rate sensitivity of their portfolio, iShares is committed to providing the highest quality investment solutions to help investors meet their investment goals. With a broad range of short maturity iShares funds available investors can choose the right combination of interest rate risk and yield to help meet their investment objectives,� says Mr. Tucker.

� � About BlackRock

BlackRock is a leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients worldwide.� At September 30, 2013, BlackRock�s AUM was $4.096 trillion. BlackRock helps clients meet their goals and overcome challenges with a range of products that include 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 September 30, 2013, the firm had approximately 11,200 employees in 30 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 a global product leader in exchange traded funds with over 600 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 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.

� About iShares Bond ETFs

In 2002 iShares launched the iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (LQD), the first bond income ETF in the U.S. iShares is a global leader in bond ETFs with 172 funds listed globally with more than $180 billion in assets within which iShares manages $39.3 billion in short duration bond ETFs.

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