iShares Crosses Globe With New Currency Hedged ETFs

The demand is indeed deep for currency hedged exchange traded funds said Jane Leung, head of iShares Precision Exposures. And it will only get deeper. 'Investors are waking up to the fact that there is currency risk in their portfolios and they are trying to do something about it now,' said Leung. BlackRock expanded its iShares U.S. Dollar Currency Hedged ETF product line-up last week with the introduction of 11 new funds, including the industry’s first currency hedged ETFs for Italy and Spain. The launch brings iShares currency hedged lineup up to 16 funds. The 11 new funds are comprised of eight single country ETFs including: iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Australia ETF (HAUD), iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF (HEWC), iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Italy ETF (HEWI), iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Mexico ETF (HEWW), iShares Currency Hedged MSCI South Korea ETF (HEWY), iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Spain ETF (HEWP), iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Switzerland ETF (HEWL) and the iShares Currency Hedged MSCI United Kingdom ETF (HEWU). The remaining three new funds are the iShares Currency Hedged MSCI ACWI ETF (HACW), iShares Currency Hedged MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF (HAWX) and the iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE Small-Cap ETF (HSCZ).