RBC iShares has expanded its ETF line-up in Canada by listing four new funds on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Helen Hayes, Head of iShares Canada at BlackRock.
Comprising two equity and two fixed income ETFs, the new listings provide low-cost access to long-duration Canadian and US government bonds, stocks from emerging markets excluding China, and companies aligned with the electric and autonomous vehicles investment theme.
Helen Hayes, Head of iShares Canada at BlackRock, commented: “With the launch of these new ETFs, we’re working to empower Canadian investors to take a more granular approach to portfolio construction and enable financial advisors to create highly customizable portfolios to help their clients reach their investment objectives.”
The ETFs
The iShares Core Canadian 15+ Year Federal Bond Index ETF (XFLB CN) provides exposure to Canadian government bonds with remaining maturities greater than 15 years. RBC iShares notes that this asset class is typically considered a strong hedge for Canadian equity exposure in periods of economic uncertainty. The fund is currently the only passive Canadian long-duration fixed income ETF to exclusively contains federal bonds. It tracks the Bloomberg Canada 15+ Year Federal Bond Float Adjusted Index and comes with a management fee of 0.15%.
The iShares 20+ Year US Treasury Bond Index ETF (CAD: XTLT CN; USD: XTLT.U CN; CAD-Hedged: XTLH CN) delivers access to US Treasury bonds with remaining maturities greater than 20 years. The fund is linked to the ICE US Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index and comes with a management fee of 0.18%.
The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex-China Index ETF (XEMC CN) is Canada’s first emerging market equities ETF that omits China exposure, allowing investors to take a tailored approach to their equity allocation for the region. The fund tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets ex-China Index and comes with a management fee of 0.30%.
The iShares Global Electric and Autonomous Vehicles Index ETF (XDRV CN) provides global exposure to companies that stand to benefit from the development and adoption of electric and autonomous vehicles. The fund tracks the Morningstar Global Electric & Autonomous Vehicles Select Index and comes with a management fee of 0.39%. It is the latest addition to RBC iShares’ suite of ‘Megatrend’ ETFs which also includes funds targeting the investment themes of water, infrastructure, clean energy, exponential technologies, cybersecurity, and genomics & healthcare technology.