Form 485BPOS
FEBRUARY 27, 2026
 
 
Prospectus
iShares Trust
iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | SHYG | NYSE Arca
iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | SLQD | Nasdaq
iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF | QLTA | NYSE Arca
iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF | HYBB | NYSE Arca
iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | USHY | Cboe BZX
iShares CMBS ETF | CMBS | NYSE Arca
iShares Convertible Bond ETF  | ICVT | Cboe BZX
iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | HYXF | Nasdaq
iShares Fallen Angels USD Bond ETF | FALN | Nasdaq
iShares GNMA Bond ETF | GNMA | Nasdaq

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Table of Contents
Fund Summaries
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iSHARES® 0-5 YEAR HIGH YIELD
CORPORATE BOND ETF
Ticker: SHYGStock Exchange: NYSE Arca
Investment Objective
The iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds with remaining maturities of less than five years.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Amounts in the table are rounded to the nearest basis point, which in some cases may be 0.00. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the Trust) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) (the Investment Advisory Agreement) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except: (i) the management fees, (ii) interest expenses, (iii) taxes, (iv) expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, (v) distribution fees or expenses, and (vi) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)1
Management
Fees
Distribution
and Service
(12b-1) Fees
Other
Expenses2
Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
0.30%
None
0.00%
0.30%

1Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.
2The expense information in the table has been restated to reflect current fees.
Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$31
$97
$169
$381
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Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 29% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Markit iBoxx® USD Liquid High Yield 0-5 Index (the Underlying Index), which is designed to reflect the performance of U.S. dollar-denominated high yield (as determined by Markit Indices Limited (the Index Provider or Markit)) corporate debt. High yield bonds are also known as junk bonds and are generally rated below investment-grade. The Underlying Index offers exposure to liquid (according to Markit’s liquidity screens, which could vary from other measures of liquidity) U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds maturing between zero and five years and is rebalanced on a monthly basis. Only bonds with $350 million minimum face value per bond are included in the Underlying Index, provided they are trading at a minimum price in accordance with Markit's liquidity screens. The Underlying Index uses a market value-weighted methodology with a cap on each issuer of 3%. As of October 31, 2025, a significant portion of the Underlying Index is represented by securities of companies in the consumer goods and services industry or sector. The components of the Underlying Index are likely to change over time.
BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund does not try to beat the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities or other instruments that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The instruments selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration (i.e., an instrument's price sensitivity to a change in interest rates), maturity or credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the components of the Underlying Index.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index, and the Fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the Underlying Index that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund will invest no more than 10% of its assets in futures, options and swaps contracts that BFA believes
will help the Fund track the Underlying Index as well as in fixed income securities other than the types included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.
The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of any collateral received).
The Underlying Index is sponsored by Markit, which isindependent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components of the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Certain key risks are prioritized below (with others following in alphabetical order), but the relative significance of any risk is difficult to predict and may change over time. You should review each risk factor carefully.
High Yield Securities Risk. Debt securities that are rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as junk bonds) and debt securities that are unrated are generally considered to be speculative. Compared to higher-quality debt securities, high yield securities are subject to a greater risk of default, illiquidity, price volatility and valuation uncertainty. Such investments may be subject to additional risks including subordination to other creditors, no collateral or limited rights in collateral, lack of a regular trading market, prepayment risk, and lack of publicly available information.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer, guarantor or liquidity provider of a fixed-income security may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. The credit rating assigned to a security or its issuer does not necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or an investment’s volatility or liquidity. An actual or perceived decline in an issuer’s creditworthiness may result in a
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decrease in the value and liquidity of its securities as well as greater price volatility, which may make it difficult to sell the securities. The Fund may be adversely affected if an investment that it holds experiences a downgrade or a default.
Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, pandemics or other public health issues, recessions, the prospect or occurrence of a sovereign default or other financial crisis, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Index-Related Risk. The Index Provider may rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of components of the Underlying Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor BFA can offer assurances that the Index Provider’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or will result in the Fund meeting its investment objective. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur, and the Index Provider may not identify or correct them promptly or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition.
Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to financial markets generally, a particular financial market, another index, or other asset classes.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk.  An Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of creation units (Creation Units). Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants for the Fund, including on an agency basis on behalf of other market participants. No Authorized Participant is obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or do not place creation or redemption orders for the Fund and no other Authorized Participant places orders, Fund shares are more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable debt obligation held by the Fund may call or repay the debt obligation before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in instruments with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in instruments with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities or other assets of one or more issuers, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, project types, or asset classes.
Consumer Goods and Services Companies Risk. Consumer goods and services companies face risks related to changes in consumer preferences and disposable income, commodity prices, government regulation, supply chain disruptions, damage to brand or reputation, economic slowdown and labor shortages, among other things.
Illiquid Investments Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce its returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. In addition, if the Fund is limited in its ability to sell illiquid investments during periods when shareholders are redeeming their shares, it will need to sell liquid securities to meet redemption requests and illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund’s holdings. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for Fund shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or other assets held by the Fund, which could lead to Fund shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.
Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. This can occur because the Fund may be required to invest in lower-yielding bonds when a bond in the Fund’s portfolio matures, is near maturity, is called or is prepaid, when bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted, or when the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity guidelines.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk of fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security due to changes in the general level of interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for fixed-income securities. An increase in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income securities to decline. Securities with longer maturities generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes and subject to greater fluctuations in value. Changes in interest rates may have unpredictable effects on fixed-income markets and result in heightened volatility and lower liquidity for certain instruments, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to shareholders.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities or other assets to which the Fund has exposure. The value of securities or other assets may decline, or perform differently from the market as a whole, due to
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changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the issuer or counterparty.
Management Risk. The Fund generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. As the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities or other assets not included in the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that the investment strategy of BFA may not produce the intended results. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Underlying Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares (including through a trading halt), losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility, and disruptions in the process of creating and redeeming Fund shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading in the secondary market at a premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. If you buy Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to NAV or sell Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares.
Operational and Technology Risks. The Fund is directly and indirectly susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or may impair the Fund’s operations. While the Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value.
Privately Issued Securities Risk. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act). Such securities typically are subject to legal restrictions on resale and generally are not traded in established public markets. As a result, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities, may be subject to wide fluctuations in value and may have higher transaction costs. There can be no assurance that a trading market will exist at any time for any particular privately issued security. Difficulty in selling such securities at a desirable time or price may result in a loss to the Fund.
Risk of Investing in the U.S. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur due to a number of factors, including differences between the securities and other assets held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index; differences in the timing and methodologies used to value securities and other assets; transaction costs and other expenses incurred by the Fund that the Underlying Index does not incur; the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash; differences in the timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to Fund shareholders; tax gains or losses; differences between the amount and/or timing of withholding taxes on dividends reflected in the Underlying Index from the Fund’s obligation, if any, for foreign withholding taxes; the requirements for the Fund to maintain pass-through tax treatment; portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders; the acceptance of custom baskets; changes to the Underlying Index; and impacts to the Fund of complying with certain regulatory requirements or limits. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. A Fund that tracks an index with exposure to non-U.S. issuers may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes. A Fund that tracks an index where high yield securities are an investment focus may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes.
Valuation Risk. The price that the Fund could receive upon the sale (or other disposition) of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The price received by the Fund also may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when investors are not able to purchase or sell Fund shares. Authorized Participants that create or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities or other assets may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities or other assets not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
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Performance Information
The performance information below illustrates how the Fund’s performance has varied over different periods and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of an appropriate broad-based securities market indexand the Underlying Index. Returns assume the reinvestment of any dividends and distributions. The Fund’s returns reflect the impact of any agreements to waive or reimburse expenses, which would reduce performance if not in effect. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Calendar Year-by-Year Returns
 
Return (%)
Period Ended
During the periods shown in the chart:
Best Quarter
6.60%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter
-11.43%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2025)
 
One Year
Five Years
Ten Years
(Inception Date: 10/15/2013)
Return Before Taxes
7.79%
5.21%
5.64%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
4.74%
2.60%
3.12%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
4.55%
2.82%
3.20%
Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
7.58%
0.06%
2.44%
Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield 0-5 Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees,
expenses or taxes)
8.05%
5.44%
5.94%

After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sales of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.
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Management
Investment Adviser. BlackRock Fund Advisors.
Portfolio Managers. Jonathan Graves, James Mauro and Marcus Tom (the Portfolio Managers) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Mr. Graves, Mr. Mauro and Mr. Tom have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since 2025, 2013 and 2025, respectively.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the bid-ask spread).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BFA or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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iSHARES® 0-5 YEAR INVESTMENT GRADE CORPORATE BOND ETF
Ticker: SLQDStock Exchange: Nasdaq
Investment Objective
The iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, investment-grade corporate bonds with remaining maturities of less than five years.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Amounts in the table are rounded to the nearest basis point, which in some cases may be 0.00. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the Trust) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) (the Investment Advisory Agreement) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except: (i) the management fees, (ii) interest expenses, (iii) taxes, (iv) expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, (v) distribution fees or expenses, and (vi) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)1
Management
Fees
Distribution
and Service
(12b-1) Fees
Other
Expenses
Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
0.06%
None
0.00%
0.06%

1Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.
Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$6
$19
$34
$77
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Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 24% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Markit iBoxx® USD Liquid Investment Grade 0-5 Index (the Underlying Index), which is designed to reflect the performance of U.S. dollar-denominated investment-grade (as determined by Markit Indices Limited (the Index Provider or Markit)) corporate debt. The Underlying Index offers exposure to liquid (according to Markit’s liquidity screens, which could vary from other measures of liquidity) corporate bonds maturing between zero and five years and is rebalanced on a monthly basis. Only bonds that are from issuers with at least $1 billion in aggregate outstanding issuance and that have $500 million face value per bond are included in the Underlying Index. The Underlying Index uses a market value-weighted methodology with a cap on each issuer of 3%. As of October 31, 2025, a significant portion of the Underlying Index is represented by securities of companies in the consumer goods and services and financial services industries or sectors. The components of the Underlying Index are likely to change over time.
BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund does not try to beat the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities or other instruments that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The instruments selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration (i.e., an instrument's price sensitivity to a change in interest rates), maturity or credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the components of the Underlying Index.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index, and the Fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the Underlying Index that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund will invest no more than 10% of its assets in futures, options and swaps contracts that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index as well as in fixed
income securities other than the types included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.
The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of any collateral received).
The Underlying Index is sponsored by Markit, which isindependent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components of the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Certain key risks are prioritized below (with others following in alphabetical order), but the relative significance of any risk is difficult to predict and may change over time. You should review each risk factor carefully.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk of fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security due to changes in the general level of interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for fixed-income securities. An increase in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income securities to decline. Securities with longer maturities generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes and subject to greater fluctuations in value. Changes in interest rates may have unpredictable effects on fixed-income markets and result in heightened volatility and lower liquidity for certain instruments, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to shareholders.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer, guarantor or liquidity provider of a fixed-income security may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make
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timely principal and/or interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. The credit rating assigned to a security or its issuer does not necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or an investment’s volatility or liquidity. An actual or perceived decline in an issuer’s creditworthiness may result in a decrease in the value and liquidity of its securities as well as greater price volatility, which may make it difficult to sell the securities. The Fund may be adversely affected if an investment that it holds experiences a downgrade or a default.
Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, pandemics or other public health issues, recessions, the prospect or occurrence of a sovereign default or other financial crisis, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Index-Related Risk. The Index Provider may rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of components of the Underlying Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor BFA can offer assurances that the Index Provider’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or will result in the Fund meeting its investment objective. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur, and the Index Provider may not identify or correct them promptly or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition.
Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to financial markets generally, a particular financial market, another index, or other asset classes.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk.  An Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of creation units (Creation Units). Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants for the Fund, including on an agency basis on behalf of other market participants. No Authorized Participant is obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or do not place creation or redemption orders for the Fund and no other Authorized Participant places orders, Fund shares are more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable debt obligation held by the Fund may call or repay the debt obligation before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have
to reinvest the proceeds in instruments with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in instruments with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities or other assets of one or more issuers, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, project types, or asset classes.
Consumer Goods and Services Companies Risk. Consumer goods and services companies face risks related to changes in consumer preferences and disposable income, commodity prices, government regulation, supply chain disruptions, damage to brand or reputation, economic slowdown and labor shortages, among other things.
Financial Companies Risk. Financial services companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect their profitability, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge, the amount of capital and liquid assets they must maintain and their size, among other things. Financial services companies also may be significantly affected by, among other things, interest rates, economic conditions, volatility in financial markets, credit rating downgrades, adverse public perception, exposure concentration and counterparty risk.
Illiquid Investments Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce its returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. In addition, if the Fund is limited in its ability to sell illiquid investments during periods when shareholders are redeeming their shares, it will need to sell liquid securities to meet redemption requests and illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund’s holdings. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for Fund shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or other assets held by the Fund, which could lead to Fund shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.
Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. This can occur because the Fund may be required to invest in lower-yielding bonds when a bond in the Fund’s portfolio matures, is near maturity, is called or is prepaid, when bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted, or when the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity guidelines.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities or other assets to which the Fund has exposure. The value of securities or other assets may decline, or perform differently from the market as a whole, due to changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the issuer or counterparty.
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Management Risk. The Fund generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. As the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities or other assets not included in the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that the investment strategy of BFA may not produce the intended results. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Underlying Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares (including through a trading halt), losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility, and disruptions in the process of creating and redeeming Fund shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading in the secondary market at a premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. If you buy Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to NAV or sell Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares.
Operational and Technology Risks. The Fund is directly and indirectly susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or may impair the Fund’s operations. While the Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The Fund invests in countries or regions whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments.
Risk of Investing in the U.S. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may
lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur due to a number of factors, including differences between the securities and other assets held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index; differences in the timing and methodologies used to value securities and other assets; transaction costs and other expenses incurred by the Fund that the Underlying Index does not incur; the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash; differences in the timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to Fund shareholders; tax gains or losses; differences between the amount and/or timing of withholding taxes on dividends reflected in the Underlying Index from the Fund’s obligation, if any, for foreign withholding taxes; the requirements for the Fund to maintain pass-through tax treatment; portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders; the acceptance of custom baskets; changes to the Underlying Index; and impacts to the Fund of complying with certain regulatory requirements or limits. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. A Fund that tracks an index with exposure to non-U.S. issuers may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes.
Valuation Risk. The price that the Fund could receive upon the sale (or other disposition) of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The price received by the Fund also may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when investors are not able to purchase or sell Fund shares. Authorized Participants that create or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities or other assets may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities or other assets not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
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Performance Information
The performance information below illustrates how the Fund’s performance has varied over different periods and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of an appropriate broad-based securities market indexand the Underlying Index. Returns assume the reinvestment of any dividends and distributions. The Fund’s returns reflect the impact of any agreements to waive or reimburse expenses, which would reduce performance if not in effect. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Calendar Year-by-Year Returns
 
Return (%)
Period Ended
During the periods shown in the chart:
Best Quarter
4.64%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter
-3.11%
March 31, 2022
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2025)
 
One Year
Five Years
Ten Years
(Inception Date: 10/15/2013)
Return Before Taxes
6.25%
2.38%
2.80%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
4.45%
1.18%
1.70%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
3.67%
1.29%
1.67%
Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
7.58%
0.06%
2.44%
Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade 0-5 Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for
fees, expenses or taxes)
6.18%
2.38%
2.84%

After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sales of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.
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Management
Investment Adviser. BlackRock Fund Advisors.
Portfolio Managers. Jonathan Graves, James Mauro and Marcus Tom (the Portfolio Managers) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Mr. Graves, Mr. Mauro and Mr. Tom have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since 2025, 2013 and 2025, respectively.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the bid-ask spread).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BFA or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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iSHARES® Aaa - A RATED CORPORATE
BOND ETF
Ticker: QLTAStock Exchange: NYSE Arca
Investment Objective
The iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of Aaa to A, or equivalently rated, fixed rate U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporations.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Amounts in the table are rounded to the nearest basis point, which in some cases may be 0.00. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the Trust) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) (the Investment Advisory Agreement) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except: (i) the management fees, (ii) interest expenses, (iii) taxes, (iv) expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, (v) distribution fees or expenses, and (vi) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)1
Management
Fees
Distribution
and Service
(12b-1) Fees
Other
Expenses
Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
0.15%
None
0.00%
0.15%

1Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.
Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$15
$48
$85
$192
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Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 15% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Aaa - A Capped Index (the Underlying Index), which is a subset of the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Index, which measures the performance of the Aaa – A rated range of the fixed-rate, U.S. dollar-denominated taxable, corporate bond market. The Underlying Index is market capitalization-weighted with a 3% cap on any one issuer and a pro rata distribution of any excess weight across the remaining issuers in the Underlying Index.
The Underlying Index includes U.S. dollar-denominated securities publicly-issued by U.S. and non-U.S. industrials, utility and financial corporate issuers, with maturities of one year or more, that have $500 million or more of outstanding face value. Each corporate bond must be registered with the SEC, have been exempt from registration at issuance, or have been offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act), with registration rights. In addition, only securities rated A3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's) or higher (or the equivalent on another rating agency's scale) will be included in the Underlying Index. When ratings from each of Fitch Ratings, Inc., Moody’s and S&P Global Ratings are available, the median rating is used to determine eligibility. When ratings from only two of the three rating agencies are available, the lower rating is used to determine eligibility. When a rating from only one of these agencies is available, that rating is used to determine eligibility. The securities in the Underlying Index are updated on the last calendar day of each month.
The Fund will invest in non-U.S. issuers to the extent necessary for it to track the Underlying Index. As of October 31, 2025, 16.95% of the Underlying Index was composed of bonds issued by non-U.S. issuers from the following countries or regions: Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom (the U.K.). As of October 31, 2025, a significant portion of the Underlying Index is represented by  securities of companies in the consumer goods and services and financial services industries or sectors. The components of the Underlying Index are likely to change over time.
BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund does not try to beat the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities or other instruments that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The instruments selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration (i.e., an instrument's price sensitivity to a change in interest rates), maturity or credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the components of the Underlying Index.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index, and the Fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the Underlying Index that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund will invest no more than 10% of its assets in futures, options and swaps contracts that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index as well as in fixed income securities other than the types included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.
The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of any collateral received).
The Underlying Index is sponsored by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the Index Provider or Bloomberg), which isindependent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components of the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Certain key risks are prioritized below (with others
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following in alphabetical order), but the relative significance of any risk is difficult to predict and may change over time. You should review each risk factor carefully.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer, guarantor or liquidity provider of a fixed-income security may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. The credit rating assigned to a security or its issuer does not necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or an investment’s volatility or liquidity. An actual or perceived decline in an issuer’s creditworthiness may result in a decrease in the value and liquidity of its securities as well as greater price volatility, which may make it difficult to sell the securities. The Fund may be adversely affected if an investment that it holds experiences a downgrade or a default.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk of fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security due to changes in the general level of interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for fixed-income securities. An increase in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income securities to decline. Securities with longer maturities generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes and subject to greater fluctuations in value. Changes in interest rates may have unpredictable effects on fixed-income markets and result in heightened volatility and lower liquidity for certain instruments, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to shareholders.
Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, pandemics or other public health issues, recessions, the prospect or occurrence of a sovereign default or other financial crisis, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Index-Related Risk. The Index Provider may rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of components of the Underlying Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor BFA can offer assurances that the Index Provider’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or will result in the Fund meeting its investment objective. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur, and the Index Provider may not identify or correct them promptly or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition.
Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to financial markets generally, a particular financial market, another index, or other asset classes.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk.  An Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of creation units (Creation Units). Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants for the Fund, including on an agency basis on behalf of other market participants. No Authorized Participant is obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or do not place creation or redemption orders for the Fund and no other Authorized Participant places orders, Fund shares are more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable debt obligation held by the Fund may call or repay the debt obligation before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in instruments with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in instruments with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities or other assets of one or more issuers, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, project types, or asset classes.
Consumer Goods and Services Companies Risk. Consumer goods and services companies face risks related to changes in consumer preferences and disposable income, commodity prices, government regulation, supply chain disruptions, damage to brand or reputation, economic slowdown and labor shortages, among other things.
Financial Companies Risk. Financial services companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect their profitability, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge, the amount of capital and liquid assets they must maintain and their size, among other things. Financial services companies also may be significantly affected by, among other things, interest rates, economic conditions, volatility in financial markets, credit rating downgrades, adverse public perception, exposure concentration and counterparty risk.
Illiquid Investments Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce its returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. In addition, if the Fund is limited in its ability to sell illiquid investments during
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periods when shareholders are redeeming their shares, it will need to sell liquid securities to meet redemption requests and illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund’s holdings. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for Fund shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or other assets held by the Fund, which could lead to Fund shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.
Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. This can occur because the Fund may be required to invest in lower-yielding bonds when a bond in the Fund’s portfolio matures, is near maturity, is called or is prepaid, when bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted, or when the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity guidelines.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities or other assets to which the Fund has exposure. The value of securities or other assets may decline, or perform differently from the market as a whole, due to changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the issuer or counterparty.
Management Risk. The Fund generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. As the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities or other assets not included in the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that the investment strategy of BFA may not produce the intended results. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Underlying Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares (including through a trading halt), losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility, and disruptions in the process of creating and redeeming Fund shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading in the secondary market at a premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. If you buy Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to NAV or sell Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares.
Operational and Technology Risks. The Fund is directly and indirectly susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or may impair the Fund’s operations. While the Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The Fund invests in countries or regions whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments.
Risk of Investing in China. Investments in Chinese securities, including certain Hong Kong-listed and U.S.-listed securities, are subject to risks specific to China. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. Despite economic and market reforms in recent decades, the Chinese government’s control over certain sectors and enterprises and significant regulation of investment and industry are still pervasive. Chinese companies are subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure. Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability and may be subject to volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence. Internal social unrest or confrontations with other countries, including military conflicts in response to such events, may disrupt China’s economy and markets and result in a greater risk of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher inflation.
China has experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Additionally, China is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments. Actual and threatened responses to such activity and strained international relations, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, export controls, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Chinese government or Chinese companies, may impact China’s economy and Chinese issuers in which the Fund invests. Incidents involving China’s or the region’s security may adversely affect the Chinese economy and markets and the Fund’s investments.
The Chinese economy is highly reliant on trade. A reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, supply chain diversification, the institution of additional tariffs or other trade barriers (including as a result of heightened trade tensions or a trade war between China and the U.S. or in response to actual or alleged Chinese cyber activity) or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy. The Underlying Index may include companies that are subject to economic or trade restrictions (but not investment restrictions) imposed by the U.S. or other governments due to national security, human rights or other concerns of such government. So long as these restrictions do not include restrictions on investments, the Fund is generally expected to invest in such companies, consistent with its objective to track the performance of the Underlying Index.
Chinese companies, including those listed on U.S. exchanges, are not subject to the same degree of regulatory requirements, accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in more developed countries. As a result, information about the Chinese securities in which the Fund invests may be less reliable or complete. Chinese companies with securities listed on U.S. exchanges may be delisted if they do not meet U.S. accounting standards and auditor oversight requirements, or for other reasons, which would significantly decrease the liquidity and value of the securities. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining
S-16


information necessary for investigations into or litigation against Chinese companies, and shareholders may have limited legal remedies.
Many Chinese companies listed on U.S. exchanges use variable interest entities or VIEs in their structure as a result of foreign ownership restrictions. Any change in the operations of entities in a VIE structure, the status of VIE contractual arrangements or the legal or regulatory environment in China could result in significant, and possibly permanent and/or total, losses for investments in VIE issuers. The Fund does not select investments based on investor protection considerations.
Risk of Investing in the China Bond Market. The Fund invests directly in the domestic bond market in the People’s Republic of China (China or the PRC) (the China Interbank Bond Market) through the Bond Connect trading channel. All bonds traded through Bond Connect are registered in the name of the PRC’s Central Moneymarkets Unit (CMU), which holds such bonds as a nominee owner. The precise nature and rights of the Fund as the beneficial owner of bonds traded in the China Interbank Bond Market through CMU as nominee are relatively new and untested areas of PRC law, and the exact nature of the Fund’s remedies and methods of enforcement of its rights and interests under PRC law are uncertain.
Market volatility and potential lack of liquidity due to low trading volume of certain bonds in the China Interbank Bond Market may result in the prices of certain bonds fluctuating significantly. Also, the systems used to trade through Bond Connect may not function as expected. Trading through Bond Connect is also subject to regulatory risks, including laws and regulations that are subject to change. There can be no assurance that Bond Connect or its features or systems will not be materially altered, suspended, discontinued or abolished. The Fund may be subject to additional taxation if certain tax exemptions under PRC tax regulations are withdrawn or amended. Any taxes arising from or to the Fund may be directly borne by, or indirectly passed on to, the Fund, which may substantially impact its NAV. Investing through Bond Connect subjects the Fund to currency risk, to the extent that currency rates used for Bond Connect are different than the rates used in the China Interbank Bond Market.
Risk of Investing in the U.S. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to
return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur due to a number of factors, including differences between the securities and other assets held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index; differences in the timing and methodologies used to value securities and other assets; transaction costs and other expenses incurred by the Fund that the Underlying Index does not incur; the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash; differences in the timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to Fund shareholders; tax gains or losses; differences between the amount and/or timing of withholding taxes on dividends reflected in the Underlying Index from the Fund’s obligation, if any, for foreign withholding taxes; the requirements for the Fund to maintain pass-through tax treatment; portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders; the acceptance of custom baskets; changes to the Underlying Index; and impacts to the Fund of complying with certain regulatory requirements or limits. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. A Fund that tracks an index with exposure to non-U.S. issuers may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes.
Valuation Risk. The price that the Fund could receive upon the sale (or other disposition) of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The price received by the Fund also may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when investors are not able to purchase or sell Fund shares. Authorized Participants that create or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities or other assets may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities or other assets not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
S-17


Performance Information
The performance information below illustrates how the Fund’s performance has varied over different periods and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of an appropriate broad-based securities market indexand the Underlying Index. Returns assume the reinvestment of any dividends and distributions. The Fund’s returns reflect the impact of any agreements to waive or reimburse expenses, which would reduce performance if not in effect. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Calendar Year-by-Year Returns
 
Return (%)
Period Ended
During the periods shown in the chart:
Best Quarter
8.02%
December 31, 2023
Worst Quarter
-7.10%
March 31, 2022
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2025)
 
One Year
Five Years
Ten Years
(Inception Date: 2/14/2012)
Return Before Taxes
7.37%
-0.62%
2.55%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
5.47%
-1.95%
1.28%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
4.33%
-1.04%
1.41%
Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
7.58%
0.06%
2.44%
Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Aaa - A Capped Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees,
expenses or taxes)
7.61%
-0.50%
2.68%

After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sales of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.
S-18


Management
Investment Adviser. BlackRock Fund Advisors.
Portfolio Managers. Jonathan Graves, James Mauro and Marcus Tom (the Portfolio Managers) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Mr. Graves, Mr. Mauro and Mr. Tom have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since 2025, 2012 and 2025, respectively.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the bid-ask spread).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BFA or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
S-19


iSHARES® BB RATED CORPORATE
BOND ETF
Ticker: HYBBStock Exchange: NYSE Arca
Investment Objective
The iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of BB (or its equivalent) fixed rate U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by U.S. and non-U.S. corporate issuers.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Amounts in the table are rounded to the nearest basis point, which in some cases may be 0.00. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the Trust) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) (the Investment Advisory Agreement) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except: (i) the management fees, (ii) interest expenses, (iii) taxes, (iv) expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, (v) distribution fees or expenses, and (vi) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)1
Management
Fees
Distribution
and Service
(12b-1) Fees
Other
Expenses
Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
0.25%
None
0.00%
0.25%

1Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.
Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$26
$80
$141
$318
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Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 27% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the ICE BofA BB US High Yield Constrained Index (the Underlying Index), which measures the performance of the BB (or its equivalent) fixed-rate, U.S. dollar-denominated, corporate bond market. The Underlying Index is a subset of the ICE BofA US High Yield Index that is market capitalization-weighted with a 2% cap on any one issuer and a pro rata distribution of any excess weight across the remaining issuers in the Underlying Index.
The Underlying Index includes U.S. dollar-denominated securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. industrials, utility and financial corporate issuers, with maturities of one year or more, that have $250 million or more of outstanding face value. Only securities rated BB+ through BB-, based on an average of Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s), Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch), and S&P Global Ratings, are eligible for the Underlying Index. Securities rated BB+ and below are generally considered non-investment grade (commonly referred to as junk bonds). The securities in the Underlying Index are updated on the last calendar day of each month. Excluded from the Underlying Index are certain hybrid capital securities, securities issued or marketed primarily to retail investors, equity-linked securities, securities in legal default, hybrid securitized corporates, eurodollar bonds, taxable and tax-exempt US municipal securities and $1000 par preferred and dividends received deduction-eligible securities.
The Fund will invest in non-U.S. issuers to the extent necessary for it to track the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest in privately issued securities, including those that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act).
As of October 31, 2025, a significant portion of the Underlying Index is represented by securities of companies in the industrials industry or sector. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, are likely to change over time.
BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund does not try to beat the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that
involves investing in a representative sample of securities or other instruments that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The instruments selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration (i.e., an instrument's price sensitivity to a change in interest rates), maturity or credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the components of the Underlying Index.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index, and the Fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the Underlying Index that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund will invest no more than 10% of its assets in futures, options and swaps contracts that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index as well as in fixed income securities other than the types included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.
The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of any collateral received).
The Underlying Index is owned, maintained and administered by ICE Data Indices, LLC (the Index Provider or IDI), which isindependent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components of the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Certain key risks are prioritized below (with others following in alphabetical order), but the relative significance of any risk is difficult to predict and may change over time. You should review each risk factor carefully.
S-21


High Yield Securities Risk. Debt securities that are rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as junk bonds) and debt securities that are unrated are generally considered to be speculative. Compared to higher-quality debt securities, high yield securities are subject to a greater risk of default, illiquidity, price volatility and valuation uncertainty. Such investments may be subject to additional risks including subordination to other creditors, no collateral or limited rights in collateral, lack of a regular trading market, prepayment risk, and lack of publicly available information.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer, guarantor or liquidity provider of a fixed-income security may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. The credit rating assigned to a security or its issuer does not necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or an investment’s volatility or liquidity. An actual or perceived decline in an issuer’s creditworthiness may result in a decrease in the value and liquidity of its securities as well as greater price volatility, which may make it difficult to sell the securities. The Fund may be adversely affected if an investment that it holds experiences a downgrade or a default.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk of fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security due to changes in the general level of interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for fixed-income securities. An increase in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income securities to decline. Securities with longer maturities generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes and subject to greater fluctuations in value. Changes in interest rates may have unpredictable effects on fixed-income markets and result in heightened volatility and lower liquidity for certain instruments, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to shareholders.
Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, pandemics or other public health issues, recessions, the prospect or occurrence of a sovereign default or other financial crisis, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Index-Related Risk. The Index Provider may rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of components of the Underlying Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor BFA can offer assurances that the Index Provider’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or will result in the Fund meeting its investment objective. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur, and the Index Provider may not identify or correct them promptly or at all, which may have an adverse
impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition.
Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to financial markets generally, a particular financial market, another index, or other asset classes.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk.  An Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of creation units (Creation Units). Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants for the Fund, including on an agency basis on behalf of other market participants. No Authorized Participant is obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or do not place creation or redemption orders for the Fund and no other Authorized Participant places orders, Fund shares are more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable debt obligation held by the Fund may call or repay the debt obligation before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in instruments with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in instruments with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities or other assets of one or more issuers, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, project types, or asset classes.
Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. This can occur because the Fund may be required to invest in lower-yielding bonds when a bond in the Fund’s portfolio matures, is near maturity, is called or is prepaid, when bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted, or when the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity guidelines.
Industrial Companies Risk. Industrial companies face a number of risks, including supply chain and distribution disruptions, business interruptions, product obsolescence, third-party vendor risks, cyber attacks, trade disputes, product recalls, liability claims, scarcity of materials or parts, excess capacity, changes in consumer preferences, and volatility in commodity prices and currencies. The performance of such companies may also be affected by technological developments, labor relations,
S-22


legislative and regulatory changes, government spending policies, and changes in domestic and international economies.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities or other assets to which the Fund has exposure. The value of securities or other assets may decline, or perform differently from the market as a whole, due to changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the issuer or counterparty.
Management Risk. The Fund generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. As the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities or other assets not included in the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that the investment strategy of BFA may not produce the intended results. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Underlying Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares (including through a trading halt), losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility, and disruptions in the process of creating and redeeming Fund shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading in the secondary market at a premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. If you buy Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to NAV or sell Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares.
Operational and Technology Risks. The Fund is directly and indirectly susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or may impair the Fund’s operations. While the Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value.
Privately Issued Securities Risk. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act). Such securities typically are subject to legal restrictions on resale and generally are not traded in established public markets. As a result, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities, may be subject to wide fluctuations in value and may have higher transaction costs. There can be no assurance that a trading market will exist at any time for any particular privately issued security. Difficulty in selling such securities at a desirable time or price may result in a loss to the Fund.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The Fund invests in countries or regions whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments.
Risk of Investing in the U.S. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur due to a number of factors, including differences between the securities and other assets held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index; differences in the timing and methodologies used to value securities and other assets; transaction costs and other expenses incurred by the Fund that the Underlying Index does not incur; the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash; differences in the timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to Fund shareholders; tax gains or losses; differences between the amount and/or timing of withholding taxes on dividends reflected in the Underlying Index from the Fund’s obligation, if any, for foreign withholding taxes; the requirements for the Fund to maintain pass-through tax treatment; portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders; the acceptance of custom baskets; changes to the Underlying Index; and impacts to the Fund of complying with certain regulatory requirements or limits. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. A Fund that tracks an index with exposure to non-U.S. issuers may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes. A Fund that tracks an index where high yield securities are an investment focus may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes.
Valuation Risk. The price that the Fund could receive upon the sale (or other disposition) of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The price received by the Fund also may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when investors are not able to purchase or sell Fund shares. Authorized Participants that create or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities or other assets may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities or other assets not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
S-23


Performance Information
The performance information below illustrates how the Fund’s performance has varied over different periods and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of an appropriate broad-based securities market indexand the Underlying Index. Returns assume the reinvestment of any dividends and distributions. The Fund’s returns reflect the impact of any agreements to waive or reimburse expenses, which would reduce performance if not in effect. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Calendar Year-by-Year Returns
 
Return (%)
Period Ended
During the periods shown in the chart:
Best Quarter
7.40%
December 31, 2023
Worst Quarter
-8.64%
June 30, 2022
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2025)
 
One Year
Five Years
Since Fund
Inception
(Inception Date: 10/6/2020)
Return Before Taxes
8.86%
3.70%
4.40%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
6.16%
1.37%
2.10%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
5.18%
1.77%
2.34%
ICE BofA US Broad Market Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or
taxes)
7.15%
-0.42%
-0.25%
ICE BofA BB US High Yield Constrained Index (Spliced)1(Returns do not reflect deductions for
fees, expenses or taxes)
8.93%
3.78%
4.51%

1 The ICE BofA BB US High Yield Constrained Index (Spliced) reflects the performance of the standard pricing variant of the ICE BofA BB US High Yield Constrained Index through February 28, 2021; the 4 PM pricing variant of the ICE BofA BB US High Yield Constrained Index from March 1, 2021 through November 30, 2023; and the standard pricing variant of the ICE BofA BB US High Yield Constrained Index, which now utilizes pricing as of 4 PM, thereafter.
After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sales of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.
S-24


Management
Investment Adviser. BlackRock Fund Advisors.
Portfolio Managers. Jonathan Graves, James Mauro and Marcus Tom (the Portfolio Managers) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Mr. Graves, Mr. Mauro and Mr. Tom have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since 2025, 2020 and 2025, respectively.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the bid-ask spread).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BFA or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
S-25


iSHARES® BROAD USD HIGH YIELD CORPORATE BOND ETF
Ticker: USHYStock Exchange: Cboe BZX
Investment Objective
The iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Amounts in the table are rounded to the nearest basis point, which in some cases may be 0.00. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the Trust) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) (the Investment Advisory Agreement) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except: (i) the management fees, (ii) interest expenses, (iii) taxes, (iv) expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, (v) distribution fees or expenses, and (vi) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)1
Management
Fees
Distribution
and Service
(12b-1) Fees
Other
Expenses
Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
0.08%
None
0.00%
0.08%

1Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.
Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$8
$26
$45
$103
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Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 18% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the ICE BofA US High Yield Constrained Index (the Underlying Index), which is a rules-based index consisting of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield (as determined by ICE Data Indices, LLC (Index Provider or IDI)) corporate bonds publicly issued and settled in the U.S. The Underlying Index is designed to provide a broad representation of the U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bond market. The Underlying Index is a modified market value-weighted index with a cap on each issuer of 2%. There is no limit to the number of issues in the Underlying Index, but as of October 31, 2025, the Underlying Index included approximately 1,918 constituents and the issuers in the Underlying Index are principally located in the U.S. The components of the Underlying Index are likely to change over time.
As of the date of this prospectus (the Prospectus), the bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index include U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds that: (i) are issued by companies having risk exposure to countries (i.e.issuers that are subject to the risks of one or more of these countries as a result of the principal country of domicile of the issuers (as determined by the Index Provider)) that are members of the FX-G10, which include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. and their respective territories; (ii) have an average rating of below investment grade (ratings from Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's) or S&P Global Ratings are considered; if more than one agency provides a rating, the average rating is attached to the bond); (iii) are registered with the SEC, exempt from registration at issuance, or offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act), with or without registration rights; (iv) have at least $250 million of outstanding face value; (v) have an original maturity date of at least 18 months; and (vi) have at least one year to maturity. Excluded from the Underlying Index are certain hybrid capital securities, securities issued or marketed primarily to retail investors, equity-linked securities, securities in legal default, hybrid securitized corporates, eurodollar bonds, taxable and tax-exempt US municipal securities and $1000 par preferred and dividends received deduction-eligible securities. As of October 31, 2025, a significant portion of the Underlying Index is represented by bonds of companies in the industrials industry or sector.
BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund does not try to beat the index it
tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities or other instruments that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The instruments selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration (i.e., an instrument's price sensitivity to a change in interest rates), maturity or credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the components of the Underlying Index.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index, and the Fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the Underlying Index that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund will invest no more than 10% of its assets in futures, options and swaps contracts that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index as well as in fixed income securities other than the types included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.
The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of any collateral received).
The Underlying Index is owned, maintained and administered by the Index Provider, which isindependent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components of the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
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Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Certain key risks are prioritized below (with others following in alphabetical order), but the relative significance of any risk is difficult to predict and may change over time. You should review each risk factor carefully.
High Yield Securities Risk. Debt securities that are rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as junk bonds) and debt securities that are unrated are generally considered to be speculative. Compared to higher-quality debt securities, high yield securities are subject to a greater risk of default, illiquidity, price volatility and valuation uncertainty. Such investments may be subject to additional risks including subordination to other creditors, no collateral or limited rights in collateral, lack of a regular trading market, prepayment risk, and lack of publicly available information.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk of fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security due to changes in the general level of interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for fixed-income securities. An increase in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income securities to decline. Securities with longer maturities generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes and subject to greater fluctuations in value. Changes in interest rates may have unpredictable effects on fixed-income markets and result in heightened volatility and lower liquidity for certain instruments, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to shareholders.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer, guarantor or liquidity provider of a fixed-income security may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. The credit rating assigned to a security or its issuer does not necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or an investment’s volatility or liquidity. An actual or perceived decline in an issuer’s creditworthiness may result in a decrease in the value and liquidity of its securities as well as greater price volatility, which may make it difficult to sell the securities. The Fund may be adversely affected if an investment that it holds experiences a downgrade or a default.
Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, pandemics or other public health issues, recessions, the prospect or occurrence of a sovereign default or other financial crisis, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Index-Related Risk. The Index Provider may rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of components of the Underlying Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor BFA can offer assurances that the Index Provider’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or will result in the Fund meeting its investment objective. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur, and the Index Provider may not identify or correct them promptly or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition.
Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to financial markets generally, a particular financial market, another index, or other asset classes.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk.  An Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of creation units (Creation Units). Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants for the Fund, including on an agency basis on behalf of other market participants. No Authorized Participant is obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or do not place creation or redemption orders for the Fund and no other Authorized Participant places orders, Fund shares are more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable debt obligation held by the Fund may call or repay the debt obligation before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in instruments with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in instruments with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities or other assets of one or more issuers, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, project types, or asset classes.
Illiquid Investments Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce its returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. In addition, if the Fund is limited in its ability to sell illiquid investments during
S-28


periods when shareholders are redeeming their shares, it will need to sell liquid securities to meet redemption requests and illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund’s holdings. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for Fund shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or other assets held by the Fund, which could lead to Fund shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.
Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. This can occur because the Fund may be required to invest in lower-yielding bonds when a bond in the Fund’s portfolio matures, is near maturity, is called or is prepaid, when bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted, or when the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity guidelines.
Industrial Companies Risk. Industrial companies face a number of risks, including supply chain and distribution disruptions, business interruptions, product obsolescence, third-party vendor risks, cyber attacks, trade disputes, product recalls, liability claims, scarcity of materials or parts, excess capacity, changes in consumer preferences, and volatility in commodity prices and currencies. The performance of such companies may also be affected by technological developments, labor relations, legislative and regulatory changes, government spending policies, and changes in domestic and international economies.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities or other assets to which the Fund has exposure. The value of securities or other assets may decline, or perform differently from the market as a whole, due to changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the issuer or counterparty.
Management Risk. The Fund generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. As the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities or other assets not included in the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that the investment strategy of BFA may not produce the intended results. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Underlying Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares (including through a trading halt), losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility, and disruptions in the process of creating and redeeming Fund shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading in the secondary market at a premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. If you buy Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to NAV or sell Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares.
Operational and Technology Risks. The Fund is directly and indirectly susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors,
communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or may impair the Fund’s operations. While the Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value.
Privately Issued Securities Risk. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act). Such securities typically are subject to legal restrictions on resale and generally are not traded in established public markets. As a result, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities, may be subject to wide fluctuations in value and may have higher transaction costs. There can be no assurance that a trading market will exist at any time for any particular privately issued security. Difficulty in selling such securities at a desirable time or price may result in a loss to the Fund.
Risk of Investing in the U.S. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur due to a number of factors, including differences between the securities and other assets held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index; differences in the timing and methodologies used to value securities and other assets; transaction costs and other expenses incurred by the Fund that the Underlying Index does not incur; the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash; differences in the timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to Fund shareholders; tax gains or losses; differences between the amount and/or timing of withholding taxes on dividends reflected in the Underlying Index from the Fund’s obligation, if any, for foreign withholding taxes; the requirements for the Fund to maintain pass-through tax treatment; portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders; the acceptance of custom baskets; changes to the Underlying Index; and impacts to the Fund of complying with certain regulatory requirements or limits. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. A Fund that tracks an index with
S-29


exposure to non-U.S. issuers may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes. A Fund that tracks an index where high yield securities are an investment focus may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes.
Valuation Risk. The price that the Fund could receive upon the sale (or other disposition) of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The price received by the Fund also may differ from
the value used by the Underlying Index. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when investors are not able to purchase or sell Fund shares. Authorized Participants that create or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities or other assets may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities or other assets not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
S-30


Performance Information
The performance information below illustrates how the Fund’s performance has varied over different periods and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of an appropriate broad-based securities market indexand the Underlying Index. Returns assume the reinvestment of any dividends and distributions. The Fund’s returns reflect the impact of any agreements to waive or reimburse expenses, which would reduce performance if not in effect. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Calendar Year-by-Year Returns
 
Return (%)
Period Ended
During the periods shown in the chart:
Best Quarter
9.56%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter
-13.02%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2025)
 
One Year
Five Years
Since Fund
Inception
(Inception Date: 10/25/2017)
Return Before Taxes
8.79%
4.50%
4.87%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
5.80%
1.86%
2.30%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
5.13%
2.24%
2.56%
ICE BofA US Broad Market Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or
taxes)
7.15%
-0.42%
1.79%
ICE BofA US High Yield Constrained Index (Spliced)1(Returns do not reflect deductions for
fees, expenses or taxes)
8.50%
4.50%
4.90%

1 The ICE BofA US High Yield Constrained Index (Spliced) reflects the performance of the standard pricing variant of the ICE BofA US High Yield Constrained Index through February 28, 2021; the 4 PM pricing variant of the ICE BofA US High Yield Constrained Index from March 1, 2021 through November 30, 2023; and the standard pricing variant of the ICE BofA US High Yield Constrained Index, which now utilizes pricing as of 4 PM, thereafter.
After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sales of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.
S-31


Management
Investment Adviser. BlackRock Fund Advisors.
Portfolio Managers. Jonathan Graves, James Mauro and Marcus Tom (the Portfolio Managers) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Mr. Graves, Mr. Mauro and Mr. Tom have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since 2025, 2017 and 2025, respectively.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the bid-ask spread).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BFA or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
S-32


iSHARES® CMBS ETF
Ticker: CMBSStock Exchange: NYSE Arca
Investment Objective
The iShares CMBS ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of investment-grade commercial mortgage-backed securities.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Amounts in the table are rounded to the nearest basis point, which in some cases may be 0.00. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the Trust) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) (the Investment Advisory Agreement) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except: (i) the management fees, (ii) interest expenses, (iii) taxes, (iv) expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, (v) distribution fees or expenses, and (vi) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)1
Management
Fees
Distribution
and Service
(12b-1) Fees
Other
Expenses
Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
0.25%
None
0.00%
0.25%

1Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.
Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$26
$80
$141
$318
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Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 37% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg U.S. CMBS (ERISA Only) Index (the Underlying Index), which measures the performance of investment-grade (as determined by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the Index Provider or Bloomberg)) commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), which are classes of securities (known as certificates) that represent interests in pools of commercial mortgages. The Underlying Index includes only CMBS that are Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA) eligible under the underwriter’s exemption, which will deem ERISA eligible the certificates with the first priority of principal repayment, as long as certain conditions are met, including the requirement that the certificates be rated in one of the three highest rating categories by Fitch Ratings, Inc., Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or S&P Global Ratings.
The Underlying Index includes investment-grade CMBS that are ERISA eligible with $300 million or more of aggregate outstanding transaction size. In addition, the original aggregate transaction must be $500 million or more and the tranche size must be $25 million or more. CMBS certificates must have an expected life of at least one year and must be either fixed-rate or subject to an interest rate cap equal to the weighted average coupon of the underlying asset pool. Excluded from the Underlying Index are non-ERISA eligible securities and privately issued securities, including those which may be resold in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act). The securities in the Underlying Index are updated on the last calendar day of each month.
BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund does not try to beat the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities or other instruments that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The instruments selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration (i.e., an instrument's price sensitivity to a change in interest
rates), maturity or credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the components of the Underlying Index.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index, and the Fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the Underlying Index that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund will invest no more than 10% of its assets in futures, options and swaps contracts that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index as well as in fixed income securities other than the types included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.
The Underlying Index is sponsored by Bloomberg, which isindependent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components of the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Certain key risks are prioritized below (with others following in alphabetical order), but the relative significance of any risk is difficult to predict and may change over time. You should review each risk factor carefully.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. The value of CMBS may reflect adverse economic and market conditions, and CMBS are subject to risk of default on the underlying mortgages, particularly during periods of economic downturn. CMBS that are issued by non-government entities may offer higher yields, but also may be subject to greater volatility, than those that are issued or guaranteed by government agencies or government-sponsored entities. CMBS are subject to a greater degree of prepayment and extension risk than many other forms of fixed-income securities and therefore react differently to changes in interest rates than other bonds. Securities issued or guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored entities are not backed by the full
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faith and credit of the U.S. government, and there is no assurance that the U.S. government will provide financial support.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer, guarantor or liquidity provider of a fixed-income security may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. The credit rating assigned to a security or its issuer does not necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or an investment’s volatility or liquidity. An actual or perceived decline in an issuer’s creditworthiness may result in a decrease in the value and liquidity of its securities as well as greater price volatility, which may make it difficult to sell the securities. The Fund may be adversely affected if an investment that it holds experiences a downgrade or a default.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk of fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security due to changes in the general level of interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for fixed-income securities. An increase in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income securities to decline. Securities with longer maturities generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes and subject to greater fluctuations in value. Changes in interest rates may have unpredictable effects on fixed-income markets and result in heightened volatility and lower liquidity for certain instruments, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to shareholders.
Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, pandemics or other public health issues, recessions, the prospect or occurrence of a sovereign default or other financial crisis, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Index-Related Risk. The Index Provider may rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of components of the Underlying Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor BFA can offer assurances that the Index Provider’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or will result in the Fund meeting its investment objective. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur, and the Index Provider may not identify or correct them promptly or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition.
Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in
comparison to financial markets generally, a particular financial market, another index, or other asset classes.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk.  An Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of creation units (Creation Units). Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants for the Fund, including on an agency basis on behalf of other market participants. No Authorized Participant is obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or do not place creation or redemption orders for the Fund and no other Authorized Participant places orders, Fund shares are more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable debt obligation held by the Fund may call or repay the debt obligation before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in instruments with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in instruments with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Cash Transactions Risk. The Fund’s creation and redemption transactions generally are expected to be effected in cash, rather than as in-kind transactions in which portfolio securities or other investments are delivered. As a result, the Fund may have to sell investments at inopportune times in order to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. Such sales may cause the Fund to recognize capital gains or losses that might not have been incurred if the redemption had been transacted in-kind. This may decrease the tax efficiency of the Fund compared with that of ETFs that use in-kind redemptions. The use of cash creations and redemptions also may cause the Fund’s shares to trade in the market at wider bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities or other assets of one or more issuers, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, project types, or asset classes.
Extension Risk. During periods of rising interest rates, certain debt obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those debt obligations may fall sharply, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income and potentially in the value of the Fund’s investments.
Illiquid Investments Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce its returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. In addition, if the Fund is limited in its ability to sell illiquid investments during
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periods when shareholders are redeeming their shares, it will need to sell liquid securities to meet redemption requests and illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund’s holdings. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for Fund shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or other assets held by the Fund, which could lead to Fund shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.
Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. This can occur because the Fund may be required to invest in lower-yielding bonds when a bond in the Fund’s portfolio matures, is near maturity, is called or is prepaid, when bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted, or when the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity guidelines.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities or other assets to which the Fund has exposure. The value of securities or other assets may decline, or perform differently from the market as a whole, due to changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the issuer or counterparty.
Large Shareholder and Large-Scale Redemption Risk. Certain shareholders of the Fund, including an Authorized Participant, a third-party investor, the Fund’s adviser, an affiliate of the Fund’s adviser, a market maker, or another entity, may from time to time own or manage a substantial amount of Fund shares, or may hold their investment in the Fund for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder or large group of shareholders would not redeem their investment. Redemptions of a large number of Fund shares could require the Fund to dispose of assets to meet the redemption requests, which can accelerate the realization of taxable income and/or capital gains and cause the Fund to make taxable distributions to its shareholders earlier than the Fund otherwise would have. In addition, under certain circumstances, non-redeeming shareholders may be treated as receiving a disproportionately large taxable distribution during or with respect to such year. In some circumstances, the Fund may hold a relatively large proportion of its assets in cash in anticipation of large redemptions, diluting its investment returns. These large redemptions may also force the Fund to sell portfolio securities or other assets when it might not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund’s NAV, increase the Fund’s brokerage costs and/or have a material effect on the market price of Fund shares.
Management Risk. The Fund generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. As the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities or other assets not included in the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that the investment strategy of BFA may not produce the intended results. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Underlying Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares (including through a trading halt), losses from trading in
secondary markets, periods of high volatility, and disruptions in the process of creating and redeeming Fund shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading in the secondary market at a premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. If you buy Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to NAV or sell Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares.
Operational and Technology Risks. The Fund is directly and indirectly susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or may impair the Fund’s operations. While the Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value.
Prepayment Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, issuers of certain debt obligations may repay principal prior to the debt obligation’s maturity, which may cause the Fund to have to reinvest in instruments with lower yields or a higher risk of default, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income or return potential.
Risk of Investing in the U.S. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur due to a number of factors, including differences between the securities and other assets held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index; differences in the timing and methodologies used to value securities and other assets; transaction costs and other expenses incurred by the Fund that the Underlying Index does not incur; the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash; differences in the timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to Fund shareholders; tax gains or losses; differences between the amount and/or timing of withholding taxes on dividends reflected in the Underlying Index from the Fund’s obligation, if any, for foreign withholding taxes; the requirements for the Fund to maintain pass-through tax treatment; portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders; the acceptance of custom baskets; changes to the Underlying Index; and impacts to the Fund of complying with certain regulatory requirements or limits. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. A Fund that tracks an index with exposure to non-U.S. issuers may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes.
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Valuation Risk. The price that the Fund could receive upon the sale (or other disposition) of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The price received by the Fund also may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when investors are not able to
purchase or sell Fund shares. Authorized Participants that create or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities or other assets may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities or other assets not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
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Performance Information
The performance information below illustrates how the Fund’s performance has varied over different periods and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of an appropriate broad-based securities market indexand the Underlying Index. Returns assume the reinvestment of any dividends and distributions. The Fund’s returns reflect the impact of any agreements to waive or reimburse expenses, which would reduce performance if not in effect. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Calendar Year-by-Year Returns
 
Return (%)
Period Ended
During the periods shown in the chart:
Best Quarter
4.99%
December 31, 2023
Worst Quarter
-5.58%
March 31, 2022
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2025)
 
One Year
Five Years
Ten Years
(Inception Date: 2/14/2012)
Return Before Taxes
7.38%
0.57%
2.50%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
5.86%
-0.63%
1.34%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
4.35%
-0.09%
1.41%
Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
7.58%
0.06%
2.44%
Bloomberg U.S. CMBS (ERISA Only) Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses
or taxes)
7.75%
0.92%
2.81%

After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sales of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.
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Management
Investment Adviser. BlackRock Fund Advisors.
Portfolio Managers. Jonathan Graves, James Mauro and Marcus Tom (the Portfolio Managers) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Mr. Graves, Mr. Mauro and Mr. Tom have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since 2025, 2012 and 2025, respectively.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the bid-ask spread).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BFA or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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iSHARES® CONVERTIBLE BOND ETF
Ticker: ICVTStock Exchange: Cboe BZX
Investment Objective
The iShares Convertible Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated convertible securities, specifically cash pay bonds, with outstanding issue sizes greater than $250 million.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Amounts in the table are rounded to the nearest basis point, which in some cases may be 0.00. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the Trust) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) (the Investment Advisory Agreement) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except: (i) the management fees, (ii) interest expenses, (iii) taxes, (iv) expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, (v) distribution fees or expenses, and (vi) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)1
Management
Fees
Distribution
and Service
(12b-1) Fees
Other
Expenses
Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
0.20%
None
0.00%
0.20%

1Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.
Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$20
$64
$113
$255
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Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 30% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg U.S. Convertible Cash Pay Bond ˃ $250MM Index (the Underlying Index). The Underlying Index is a subset of the Bloomberg U.S. Convertibles: Cash Pay Bonds Index, which is one of the four classes of the Bloomberg U.S. Convertibles Index (the Parent Index) (i.e., cash pay, zero coupon, preferred and mandatory convertible bonds) and measures the performance of the U.S. dollar-denominated convertibles market. The Underlying Index is market capitalization-weighted and consists of only cash pay convertible bonds. Cash pay convertible bonds allow the holder of the bond the option to convert into a pre-specified number of shares of the issuer’s common stock, but do not require conversion.
The universe of securities that are eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index includes U.S. dollar-denominated securities with maturities of 31 days or more and $250 million or more of outstanding face value issued by financials, industrials and utilities corporations. The securities may be investment-grade, high yield (as determined by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the Index Provider or Bloomberg)) (i.e., non-investment-grade and commonly referred to as junk bonds) or non-rated. The Underlying Index is rebalanced on the last business day of each month.
Securities eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index must be convertible tranches registered with the SEC or issued under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act).
The Fund will invest in only U.S. dollar-denominated securities in order to track the Underlying Index. The methodology used to construct the Underlying Index does not provide for the conversion of the bonds constituting the Underlying Index into the associated common stock regardless of the current price of the common stock. As a result, the Fund generally will not exercise the conversion feature associated with the convertible securities, even if it is economically beneficial to do so.
As of October 31, 2025, a significant portion of the Underlying Index is represented by securities of companies in the consumer goods and services and technology industries or sectors. The components of the Underlying Index are likely to change over time.
BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund does not try to beat the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection.
Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities or other instruments that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The instruments selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration (i.e., an instrument's price sensitivity to a change in interest rates), maturity or credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the components of the Underlying Index.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index, and the Fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the Underlying Index that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund will invest no more than 10% of its assets in futures, options and swaps contracts that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index as well as in fixed income securities other than the types included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.
The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of any collateral received).
The Underlying Index is sponsored by Bloomberg, which isindependent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components of the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Certain key risks are prioritized below (with others
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following in alphabetical order), but the relative significance of any risk is difficult to predict and may change over time. You should review each risk factor carefully.
Convertible Securities Risk. The value of a convertible security is affected by factors including interest rates, the risk of issuer default on interest or principal payments, and the value of the underlying common stock into which the convertible security may be converted. A convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. Because its value can be influenced by many different factors, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rate changes as a similar non-convertible debt security and has less potential for gain or loss than the underlying stock. Certain convertible securities are subject to involuntary conversions; they may undergo principal write-downs upon the occurrence of certain triggering events and, as a result, are subject to an increased risk of loss.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer, guarantor or liquidity provider of a fixed-income security may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. The credit rating assigned to a security or its issuer does not necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or an investment’s volatility or liquidity. An actual or perceived decline in an issuer’s creditworthiness may result in a decrease in the value and liquidity of its securities as well as greater price volatility, which may make it difficult to sell the securities. The Fund may be adversely affected if an investment that it holds experiences a downgrade or a default.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk of fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security due to changes in the general level of interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for fixed-income securities. An increase in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income securities to decline. Securities with longer maturities generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes and subject to greater fluctuations in value. Changes in interest rates may have unpredictable effects on fixed-income markets and result in heightened volatility and lower liquidity for certain instruments, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to shareholders.
Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, pandemics or other public health issues, recessions, the prospect or occurrence of a sovereign default or other financial crisis, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Index-Related Risk. The Index Provider may rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of components of the Underlying Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor BFA can offer
assurances that the Index Provider’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or will result in the Fund meeting its investment objective. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur, and the Index Provider may not identify or correct them promptly or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition.
Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to financial markets generally, a particular financial market, another index, or other asset classes.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk.  An Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of creation units (Creation Units). Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants for the Fund, including on an agency basis on behalf of other market participants. No Authorized Participant is obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or do not place creation or redemption orders for the Fund and no other Authorized Participant places orders, Fund shares are more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable debt obligation held by the Fund may call or repay the debt obligation before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in instruments with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in instruments with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities or other assets of one or more issuers, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, project types, or asset classes.
Consumer Goods and Services Companies Risk. Consumer goods and services companies face risks related to changes in consumer preferences and disposable income, commodity prices, government regulation, supply chain disruptions, damage to brand or reputation, economic slowdown and labor shortages, among other things.
Illiquid Investments Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the
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illiquid investments may reduce its returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. In addition, if the Fund is limited in its ability to sell illiquid investments during periods when shareholders are redeeming their shares, it will need to sell liquid securities to meet redemption requests and illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund’s holdings. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for Fund shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or other assets held by the Fund, which could lead to Fund shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.
Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. This can occur because the Fund may be required to invest in lower-yielding bonds when a bond in the Fund’s portfolio matures, is near maturity, is called or is prepaid, when bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted, or when the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity guidelines.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities or other assets to which the Fund has exposure. The value of securities or other assets may decline, or perform differently from the market as a whole, due to changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the issuer or counterparty.
Management Risk. The Fund generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. As the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities or other assets not included in the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that the investment strategy of BFA may not produce the intended results. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Underlying Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares (including through a trading halt), losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility, and disruptions in the process of creating and redeeming Fund shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading in the secondary market at a premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. If you buy Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to NAV or sell Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares.
Operational and Technology Risks. The Fund is directly and indirectly susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or may impair the Fund’s operations. While the Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund. Operational and technology risks for the
issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value.
Privately Issued Securities Risk. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act). Such securities typically are subject to legal restrictions on resale and generally are not traded in established public markets. As a result, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities, may be subject to wide fluctuations in value and may have higher transaction costs. There can be no assurance that a trading market will exist at any time for any particular privately issued security. Difficulty in selling such securities at a desirable time or price may result in a loss to the Fund.
Risk of Investing in the U.S. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
Technology Companies Risk. Technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources, supply chains and personnel. These companies typically face intense competition, potentially rapid product obsolescence and changes in product cycles and customer preferences. They may face unexpected risks and costs associated with technological developments, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Technology companies also depend heavily on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or impairment of those rights. Technology companies may face increased government scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or legal action.
Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur due to a number of factors, including differences between the securities and other assets held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index; differences in the timing and methodologies used to value securities and other assets; transaction costs and other expenses incurred by the Fund that the Underlying Index does not incur; the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash; differences in the timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to Fund shareholders; tax gains or losses; differences between the amount and/or timing of withholding taxes on dividends reflected in the Underlying Index from the Fund’s obligation, if any, for foreign withholding taxes; the requirements for the Fund to maintain pass-through tax treatment; portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to
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shareholders; the acceptance of custom baskets; changes to the Underlying Index; and impacts to the Fund of complying with certain regulatory requirements or limits. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions.
Valuation Risk. The price that the Fund could receive upon the sale (or other disposition) of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The price received by the Fund also may differ from
the value used by the Underlying Index. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when investors are not able to purchase or sell Fund shares. Authorized Participants that create or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities or other assets may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities or other assets not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
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Performance Information
The performance information below illustrates how the Fund’s performance has varied over different periods and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of an appropriate broad-based securities market indexand the Underlying Index. Returns assume the reinvestment of any dividends and distributions. The Fund’s returns reflect the impact of any agreements to waive or reimburse expenses, which would reduce performance if not in effect. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Calendar Year-by-Year Returns
 
Return (%)
Period Ended
During the periods shown in the chart:
Best Quarter
28.90%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter
-16.30%
June 30, 2022
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2025)
 
One Year
Five Years
Ten Years
(Inception Date: 6/2/2015)
Return Before Taxes
17.87%
3.49%
11.57%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
17.01%
2.40%
10.26%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
10.57%
2.26%
8.92%
Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
7.58%
0.06%
2.44%
Bloomberg U.S. Convertible Cash Pay Bond ˃ $250MM Index (Returns do not reflect
deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
18.40%
3.80%
12.07%

After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sales of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.
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Management
Investment Adviser. BlackRock Fund Advisors.
Portfolio Managers. Jonathan Graves, James Mauro and Marcus Tom (the Portfolio Managers) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Mr. Graves, Mr. Mauro and Mr. Tom have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since 2025, 2015 and 2025, respectively.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the bid-ask spread).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BFA or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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iSHARES® ESG ADVANCED HIGH YIELD
CORPORATE BOND ETF
Ticker: HYXFStock Exchange: Nasdaq
Investment Objective
The iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar denominated high yield corporate bonds from issuers with a favorable environmental, social and governance rating as identified by the index provider, while applying extensive screens for involvement in controversial activities.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Amounts in the table are rounded to the nearest basis point, which in some cases may be 0.00. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the Trust) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) (the Investment Advisory Agreement) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except: (i) the management fees, (ii) interest expenses, (iii) taxes, (iv) expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, (v) distribution fees or expenses, and (vi) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)1
Management
Fees
Distribution
and Service
(12b-1) Fees
Other
Expenses
Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
0.35%
None
0.00%
0.35%

1Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.
Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$36
$113
$197
$443
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Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 47% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg MSCI US High Yield Choice ESG Screened Index (the Underlying Index), developed by Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates (the Index Provider or Bloomberg) with environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating inputs from MSCI Solutions LLC (MSCI Solutions) pursuant to an agreement between MSCI Solutions and Bloomberg Index Services Limited (a subsidiary of Bloomberg) or an affiliate. The Underlying Index is a modified market value-weighted index with a cap on each issuer of 2% at each monthly rebalancing. The Underlying Index is designed to reflect the performance of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds of issuers with favorable ESG ratings, as identified by the Index Provider, while applying additional screens. To construct the Underlying Index, Bloomberg begins with the Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Index (the Parent Index). The Parent Index includes U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield, fixed-rate corporate bonds that: (i) are issued by companies with a developed markets country of risk, as defined by the Index Provider based primarily on quantitative economic criteria established by the Index Provider, and (ii) have a rating of below-investment grade (as determined by the Index Provider). From the Parent Index, Bloomberg selects bonds that have $400 million or more of outstanding face value at the time of inclusion. The Parent Index includes bonds with at least one year until final maturity.
In determining whether a bond has a rating of below investment grade, ratings from Moody’s Investors Services, Inc. (Moody’s), Standard & Poor’s® Global Ratings, a subsidiary of S&P Global (S&P Global Ratings) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch) are considered. Securities in the Underlying Index must be rated high yield (below BBB- by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch, or below Baa3 by Moody's) using the middle rating from Moody’s, S&P Global Ratings, and Fitch. When a rating from only two agencies is available, the lower of the two agencies’ ratings is used. When a rating from only one agency is available, that rating is used to determine eligibility in the Underlying Index. Securities that are rated below investment grade are commonly referred to as junk bonds.
To select favorable ESG rated companies from the Parent Index, MSCI excludes companies with an ESG controversy score of less than three (3) or an ESG rating below BB. To determine if companies are involved in ESG business controversies, MSCI assesses the possible negative environmental, social, and/or governance impact of a company’s operations or products on a scale from zero to ten, with zero being the most severe controversy rating. To determine ESG ratings, MSCI rates the ESG characteristics of securities on a scale of CCC (lowest) to AAA (highest). MSCI then evaluates a company’s risks and
opportunities using a sector-specific ESG Key Issues (Key Issues) (e.g., carbon emissions) selection and weighting model. Each company is scored on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest, for each Key Issue before being provided an ESG rating based on average Key Issue score. MSCI Solutions also excludes securities of companies involved in adult entertainment, alcohol, gambling, tobacco, genetically modified organisms, controversial weapons, nuclear weapons, civilian firearms, conventional weapons, palm oil, for-profit prisons, predatory lending, and nuclear power based on revenue or percentage of revenue thresholds for certain categories (e.g., $500 million or 50%) and categorical exclusions for others (e.g., nuclear weapons). MSCI Solutions screens companies with involvement in fossil fuels by excluding the securities of any company in the Bloomberg Class 3 energy sector (i.e., corporate issuers in the energy sector include both independent and integrated exploration and production companies, as well as midstream oil field services, and refining companies) and all companies with an industry tie to fossil fuels such as thermal coal, oil and gas—in particular, reserve ownership, related revenues and power generation.
The Underlying Index is rebalanced on a monthly basis, on the last business day of each month. As of October 31, 2025, a significant portion of the Underlying Index is represented by securities of companies in the communications, consumer goods and services and industrials industries or sectors. The components of the Underlying Index are likely to change over time. As of October 31, 2025, the Underlying Index had 625 components.
BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund does not try to beat the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities or other instruments that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The instruments selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration (i.e., an instrument's price sensitivity to a change in interest rates), maturity or credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the components of the Underlying Index.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index, and the Fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the Underlying Index that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund will invest no more than 10% of its assets in futures, options, and swaps contracts that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index as well as in fixed income securities other than the types included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the
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Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.
The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of any collateral received).
The Underlying Index is sponsored by Bloomberg, MSCI Solutions, or their affiliates, which areindependent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components of the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Certain key risks are prioritized below (with others following in alphabetical order), but the relative significance of any risk is difficult to predict and may change over time. You should review each risk factor carefully.
High Yield Securities Risk. Debt securities that are rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as junk bonds) and debt securities that are unrated are generally considered to be speculative. Compared to higher-quality debt securities, high yield securities are subject to a greater risk of default, illiquidity, price volatility and valuation uncertainty. Such investments may be subject to additional risks including subordination to other creditors, no collateral or limited rights in collateral, lack of a regular trading market, prepayment risk, and lack of publicly available information.
ESG Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Index uses criteria related to the ESG characteristics of issuers, this may limit the types and number of investment opportunities available to the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may underperform other funds whose underlying index does not use ESG criteria. The Underlying Index’s use of ESG criteria may result in the Fund investing in, or allocating greater weight to, securities or market sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds that use ESG criteria. In addition, the use of representative sampling may result in divergence of the Fund’s overall ESG
characteristics or ESG risk from those of the Underlying Index. The Index Provider may evaluate security-level ESG data and, if applicable, ESG objectives or constraints that are relevant to the Underlying Index only at index reviews or rebalances. Securities included in the Underlying Index may cease to meet the relevant ESG criteria but may nevertheless remain in the Underlying Index and the Fund until the next review or rebalance by the Index Provider. As a result, certain securities in the Underlying Index, or the Underlying Index as a whole, may not meet the relevant ESG objectives or constraints at all times.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer, guarantor or liquidity provider of a fixed-income security may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. The credit rating assigned to a security or its issuer does not necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or an investment’s volatility or liquidity. An actual or perceived decline in an issuer’s creditworthiness may result in a decrease in the value and liquidity of its securities as well as greater price volatility, which may make it difficult to sell the securities. The Fund may be adversely affected if an investment that it holds experiences a downgrade or a default.
Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. This can occur because the Fund may be required to invest in lower-yielding bonds when a bond in the Fund’s portfolio matures, is near maturity, is called or is prepaid, when bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted, or when the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity guidelines.
Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, pandemics or other public health issues, recessions, the prospect or occurrence of a sovereign default or other financial crisis, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Index-Related Risk. The Index Provider may rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of components of the Underlying Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor BFA can offer assurances that the Index Provider’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or will result in the Fund meeting its investment objective. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur, and the Index Provider may not identify or correct them promptly or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition.
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Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to financial markets generally, a particular financial market, another index, or other asset classes.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk.  An Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of creation units (Creation Units). Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants for the Fund, including on an agency basis on behalf of other market participants. No Authorized Participant is obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or do not place creation or redemption orders for the Fund and no other Authorized Participant places orders, Fund shares are more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable debt obligation held by the Fund may call or repay the debt obligation before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in instruments with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in instruments with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Communications Companies Risk. Companies in the communications industry (communications companies) include telecommunications and media companies. Communications companies face risks related to cybersecurity incidents, data breaches, new technologies, substantial capital requirements, government regulation, cyclicality of revenues and earnings, obsolescence of products and services, and changes in consumer preferences and expectations, among other things. 
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities or other assets of one or more issuers, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, project types, or asset classes.
Consumer Goods and Services Companies Risk. Consumer goods and services companies face risks related to changes in consumer preferences and disposable income, commodity prices, government regulation, supply chain disruptions, damage to brand or reputation, economic slowdown and labor shortages, among other things.
Illiquid Investments Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce its returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. In addition, if the Fund is limited in its ability to sell illiquid investments during periods when shareholders are redeeming their shares, it will need to sell liquid securities to meet redemption requests and
illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund’s holdings. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for Fund shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or other assets held by the Fund, which could lead to Fund shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.
Industrial Companies Risk. Industrial companies face a number of risks, including supply chain and distribution disruptions, business interruptions, product obsolescence, third-party vendor risks, cyber attacks, trade disputes, product recalls, liability claims, scarcity of materials or parts, excess capacity, changes in consumer preferences, and volatility in commodity prices and currencies. The performance of such companies may also be affected by technological developments, labor relations, legislative and regulatory changes, government spending policies, and changes in domestic and international economies.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk of fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security due to changes in the general level of interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for fixed-income securities. An increase in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income securities to decline. Securities with longer maturities generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes and subject to greater fluctuations in value. Changes in interest rates may have unpredictable effects on fixed-income markets and result in heightened volatility and lower liquidity for certain instruments, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to shareholders.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities or other assets to which the Fund has exposure. The value of securities or other assets may decline, or perform differently from the market as a whole, due to changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the issuer or counterparty.
Management Risk. The Fund generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. As the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities or other assets not included in the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that the investment strategy of BFA may not produce the intended results. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Underlying Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares (including through a trading halt), losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility, and disruptions in the process of creating and redeeming Fund shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading in the secondary market at a premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. If you buy Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to NAV or sell Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount
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to NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares.
Operational and Technology Risks. The Fund is directly and indirectly susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or may impair the Fund’s operations. While the Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value.
Privately Issued Securities Risk. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act). Such securities typically are subject to legal restrictions on resale and generally are not traded in established public markets. As a result, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities, may be subject to wide fluctuations in value and may have higher transaction costs. There can be no assurance that a trading market will exist at any time for any particular privately issued security. Difficulty in selling such securities at a desirable time or price may result in a loss to the Fund.
Risk of Investing in the U.S. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of
the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur due to a number of factors, including differences between the securities and other assets held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index; differences in the timing and methodologies used to value securities and other assets; transaction costs and other expenses incurred by the Fund that the Underlying Index does not incur; the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash; differences in the timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to Fund shareholders; tax gains or losses; differences between the amount and/or timing of withholding taxes on dividends reflected in the Underlying Index from the Fund’s obligation, if any, for foreign withholding taxes; the requirements for the Fund to maintain pass-through tax treatment; portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders; the acceptance of custom baskets; changes to the Underlying Index; and impacts to the Fund of complying with certain regulatory requirements or limits. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. A Fund that tracks an index with exposure to non-U.S. issuers may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes. A Fund that tracks an index where high yield securities are an investment focus may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes.
Valuation Risk. The price that the Fund could receive upon the sale (or other disposition) of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The price received by the Fund also may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when investors are not able to purchase or sell Fund shares. Authorized Participants that create or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities or other assets may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities or other assets not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
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Performance Information
The performance information below illustrates how the Fund’s performance has varied over different periods and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of an appropriate broad-based securities market indexand the Underlying Index. Returns assume the reinvestment of any dividends and distributions. The Fund’s returns reflect the impact of any agreements to waive or reimburse expenses, which would reduce performance if not in effect. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Calendar Year-by-Year Returns
 
Return (%)
Period Ended
During the periods shown in the chart:
Best Quarter
7.81%
December 31, 2023
Worst Quarter
-9.33%
June 30, 2022
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2025)
 
One Year
Five Years
Since Fund
Inception
(Inception Date: 6/14/2016)
Return Before Taxes
8.81%
3.65%
5.26%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
6.08%
1.27%
2.85%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
5.16%
1.71%
2.96%
Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
7.58%
0.06%
2.05%
Bloomberg MSCI US High Yield Choice ESG Screened Index (Spliced)1(Returns do not
reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
9.08%
3.77%
5.50%

1 The Bloomberg MSCI US High Yield Choice ESG Screened Index (Spliced) reflects the performance of the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield ex-Oil and Gas Index through September 14, 2020 and the Bloomberg MSCI US High Yield Choice ESG Screened Index thereafter, which reflect the times when each index was the Underlying Index of the Fund.
After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sales of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.
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Management
Investment Adviser. BlackRock Fund Advisors.
Portfolio Managers. Jonathan Graves, James Mauro and Marcus Tom (the Portfolio Managers) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Mr. Graves, Mr. Mauro and Mr. Tom have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since 2025, 2016 and 2025, respectively.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the bid-ask spread).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BFA or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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iSHARES® FALLEN ANGELS USD BOND ETF
Ticker: FALNStock Exchange: Nasdaq
Investment Objective
The iShares Fallen Angels USD Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield corporate bonds that were previously rated investment grade.
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Amounts in the table are rounded to the nearest basis point, which in some cases may be 0.00. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the Trust) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) (the Investment Advisory Agreement) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except: (i) the management fees, (ii) interest expenses, (iii) taxes, (iv) expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, (v) distribution fees or expenses, and (vi) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)1
Management
Fees
Distribution
and Service
(12b-1) Fees
Other
Expenses
Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
0.25%
None
0.00%
0.25%

1Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.
Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$26
$80
$141
$318
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Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 26% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg US High Yield Fallen Angel 3% Capped Index (the Underlying Index), which is designed to reflect the performance of U.S. dollar denominated, high yield (as determined by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the Index Provider or Bloomberg)) corporate bonds that were previously rated investment grade. Bonds are market value weighted with a 3% cap on each issuer.
The bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index are U.S. dollar-denominated corporate bonds that: (i) are issued by companies domiciled in countries classified as developed markets by the Index Provider (based primarily on World Bank income classifications); (ii) have an average rating of below-investment grade (as determined by the Index Provider); (iii) previously had an average rating of investment grade; (iv) have at least $150 million of outstanding face value; (v) have a fixed-rate coupon; and (vi) have at least one year to maturity.  In determining whether a bond has an average rating of investment grade or below-investment grade, ratings from Moody’s Investors Services, Inc. (Moody’s), S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch) are considered. Securities in the Underlying Index must be rated below-investment grade (lower than BBB- by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch, or Baa3 by Moody’s) using the middle rating of Moody’s, S&P Global Ratings, or Fitch after dropping the highest and lowest available ratings. When a rating from only two agencies is available, the lower more conservative rating is used. When a rating from only one agency is available, that rating is used to determine eligibility in the Underlying Index. If an issue is unrated, the Index Provider may consider expected ratings and/or issuer-level ratings adopted by a ratings agency.
There is no limit to the number of issues in the Underlying Index, but as of October 31, 2025, the Underlying Index included approximately 149 constituents. As of October 31, 2025, a significant portion of the Underlying Index is represented by securities of companies in the consumer goods and services and industrials industries or sectors. The components of the Underlying Index are likely to change over time.
BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund does not try to beat the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities or other instruments that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The instruments selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration (i.e., an instrument's price sensitivity to a change in interest rates), maturity or credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the components of the Underlying Index.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index, and the Fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the Underlying Index that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund will invest no more than 10% of its assets in futures, options and swaps contracts that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index as well as in fixed income securities other than the types included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.
The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of any collateral received).
The Underlying Index is sponsored by Bloomberg, which isindependent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components of the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Certain key risks are prioritized below (with others following in alphabetical order), but the relative significance of any risk is difficult to predict and may change over time. You should review each risk factor carefully.
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High Yield Securities Risk. Debt securities that are rated below investment grade (commonly referred to as junk bonds) and debt securities that are unrated are generally considered to be speculative. Compared to higher-quality debt securities, high yield securities are subject to a greater risk of default, illiquidity, price volatility and valuation uncertainty. Such investments may be subject to additional risks including subordination to other creditors, no collateral or limited rights in collateral, lack of a regular trading market, prepayment risk, and lack of publicly available information.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer, guarantor or liquidity provider of a fixed-income security may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. The credit rating assigned to a security or its issuer does not necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or an investment’s volatility or liquidity. An actual or perceived decline in an issuer’s creditworthiness may result in a decrease in the value and liquidity of its securities as well as greater price volatility, which may make it difficult to sell the securities. The Fund may be adversely affected if an investment that it holds experiences a downgrade or a default.
Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. This can occur because the Fund may be required to invest in lower-yielding bonds when a bond in the Fund’s portfolio matures, is near maturity, is called or is prepaid, when bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted, or when the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity guidelines.
Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, pandemics or other public health issues, recessions, the prospect or occurrence of a sovereign default or other financial crisis, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Index-Related Risk. The Index Provider may rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of components of the Underlying Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor BFA can offer assurances that the Index Provider’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or will result in the Fund meeting its investment objective. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur, and the Index Provider may not identify or correct them promptly or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition.
Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to financial markets generally, a particular financial market, another index, or other asset classes.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk.  An Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of creation units (Creation Units). Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants for the Fund, including on an agency basis on behalf of other market participants. No Authorized Participant is obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or do not place creation or redemption orders for the Fund and no other Authorized Participant places orders, Fund shares are more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable debt obligation held by the Fund may call or repay the debt obligation before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in instruments with lower yields, which would result in a decline in the Fund's income, or in instruments with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities or other assets of one or more issuers, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, project types, or asset classes.
Consumer Goods and Services Companies Risk. Consumer goods and services companies face risks related to changes in consumer preferences and disposable income, commodity prices, government regulation, supply chain disruptions, damage to brand or reputation, economic slowdown and labor shortages, among other things.
Illiquid Investments Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce its returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. In addition, if the Fund is limited in its ability to sell illiquid investments during periods when shareholders are redeeming their shares, it will need to sell liquid securities to meet redemption requests and illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund’s holdings. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for Fund shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or other assets held by the Fund, which could lead to Fund shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.
Industrial Companies Risk. Industrial companies face a number of risks, including supply chain and distribution disruptions,
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business interruptions, product obsolescence, third-party vendor risks, cyber attacks, trade disputes, product recalls, liability claims, scarcity of materials or parts, excess capacity, changes in consumer preferences, and volatility in commodity prices and currencies. The performance of such companies may also be affected by technological developments, labor relations, legislative and regulatory changes, government spending policies, and changes in domestic and international economies.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk of fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security due to changes in the general level of interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for fixed-income securities. An increase in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income securities to decline. Securities with longer maturities generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes and subject to greater fluctuations in value. Changes in interest rates may have unpredictable effects on fixed-income markets and result in heightened volatility and lower liquidity for certain instruments, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to shareholders.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities or other assets to which the Fund has exposure. The value of securities or other assets may decline, or perform differently from the market as a whole, due to changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the issuer or counterparty.
Management Risk. The Fund generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. As the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities or other assets not included in the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that the investment strategy of BFA may not produce the intended results. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Underlying Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares (including through a trading halt), losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility, and disruptions in the process of creating and redeeming Fund shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading in the secondary market at a premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. If you buy Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to NAV or sell Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares.
Operational and Technology Risks. The Fund is directly and indirectly susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or may impair the Fund’s operations. While the Fund’s service
providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value.
Privately Issued Securities Risk. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act). Such securities typically are subject to legal restrictions on resale and generally are not traded in established public markets. As a result, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities, may be subject to wide fluctuations in value and may have higher transaction costs. There can be no assurance that a trading market will exist at any time for any particular privately issued security. Difficulty in selling such securities at a desirable time or price may result in a loss to the Fund.
Risk of Investing in the U.S. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.
Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur due to a number of factors, including differences between the securities and other assets held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index; differences in the timing and methodologies used to value securities and other assets; transaction costs and other expenses incurred by the Fund that the Underlying Index does not incur; the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash; differences in the timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to Fund shareholders; tax gains or losses; differences between the amount and/or timing of withholding taxes on dividends reflected in the Underlying Index from the Fund’s obligation, if any, for foreign withholding taxes; the requirements for the Fund to maintain pass-through tax treatment; portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders; the acceptance of custom baskets; changes to the Underlying Index; and impacts to the Fund of complying with certain regulatory requirements or limits. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. A Fund that tracks an index with exposure to non-U.S. issuers may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes. A Fund that tracks
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an index where high yield securities are an investment focus may experience higher tracking error than ETFs that do not track such indexes.
Valuation Risk. The price that the Fund could receive upon the sale (or other disposition) of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The price received by the Fund also may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change
on days or during time periods when investors are not able to purchase or sell Fund shares. Authorized Participants that create or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities or other assets may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities or other assets not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
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Performance Information
The performance information below illustrates how the Fund’s performance has varied over different periods and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of an appropriate broad-based securities market indexand the Underlying Index. Returns assume the reinvestment of any dividends and distributions. The Fund’s returns reflect the impact of any agreements to waive or reimburse expenses, which would reduce performance if not in effect. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Calendar Year by Year Returns
 
Return (%)
Period Ended
During the periods shown in the chart:
Best Quarter
19.16%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter
-16.54%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2025)
 
One Year
Five Years
Since Fund
Inception
(Inception Date: 6/14/2016)
Return Before Taxes
8.91%
4.05%
6.78%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
6.12%
1.82%
4.34%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
5.21%
2.09%
4.16%
Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
7.58%
0.06%
2.05%
Bloomberg US High Yield Fallen Angel 3% Capped Index (Returns do not reflect deductions
for fees, expenses or taxes)
8.94%
4.07%
7.09%

After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sales of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.
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Management
Investment Adviser. BlackRock Fund Advisors.
Portfolio Managers. Jonathan Graves, James Mauro and Marcus Tom (the Portfolio Managers) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Mr. Graves, Mr. Mauro and Mr. Tom have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since 2025, 2016 and 2025, respectively.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the bid-ask spread).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BFA or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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iSHARES® GNMA BOND ETF
Ticker: GNMAStock Exchange: Nasdaq
Investment Objective
The iShares GNMA Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of mortgage-backed pass-through securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA or Ginnie Mae).
Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Amounts in the table are rounded to the nearest basis point, which in some cases may be 0.00. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the Trust) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) (the Investment Advisory Agreement) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except: (i) the management fees, (ii) interest expenses, (iii) taxes, (iv) expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, (v) distribution fees or expenses, and (vi) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.
The Fund may incur Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses reflect the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund as a result of investing in other investment companies. The impact of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses is included in the Fund's total return but is not included in the Fund's ratio of expenses to average net assets. Both figures are shown in the Financial Highlights section of the Fund's prospectus (the Prospectus). BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount equal to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any, attributable to investments by the Fund in other registered investment companies through February 28, 2029. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to February 28, 2029 only upon written agreement of the Trust and BFA.
You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)1
Management
Fees
Distribution
and Service
(12b-1) Fees
Other
Expenses
Acquired Fund
Fees and
Expenses
Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses
Fee Waiver
and/or
Expense
Reimbursement
Total Annual
Fund
Operating
Expenses After
Fee Waiver
and/or
Expense
Reimbursement
0.10%
None
0.00%
0.01%
0.11%
(0.01)%
0.10%

1Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any.
Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$10
$32
$59
$138
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Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 269% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg U.S. GNMA Bond Index (the Underlying Index), which is a market capitalization-weighted index that measures the performance of mortgage-backed pass-through securities (MBS) issued by GNMA.
The Underlying Index includes fixed-rate MBS issued by GNMA that have 30- or 15-year maturities. All securities in the Underlying Index must have a weighted average maturity of at least one year and have $1 billion or more of outstanding face value. The securities in the Underlying Index are updated on the last calendar day of each month.
BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund does not try to beat the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities or other instruments that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The instruments selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market value and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, duration (i.e., an instrument's price sensitivity to a change in interest rates), maturity or credit ratings and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the components of the Underlying Index.
The Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index and to-be-announced transactions (TBAs) that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of the component securities of the Underlying Index, and the Fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the Underlying Index that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund will invest no more than 10% of its assets in futures, options and swaps contracts that BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index as well as in fixed income securities other than the types included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a TBA position will be treated as part of that position for purposes of calculating investments in the component securities of the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent
investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index.
Most transactions in MBS occur through standardized contracts for future delivery in which the exact mortgage pools to be delivered are not specified until a few days prior to settlement (TBAs). The Fund may enter into such contracts for fixed-rate pass-through securities on a regular basis. The Fund, pending settlement of such contracts, will invest the relevant assets in liquid, short-term instruments, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates. The Fund will assume its pro rata share of the fees and expenses of any money market fund that it may invest in, in addition to the Fund's own fees and expenses. The Fund may also acquire interests in mortgage pools through means other than such standardized contracts for future delivery. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.
The Fund’s investments in MBS (including transactions occurring through TBAs) will be limited to GNMA issuances.
The Underlying Index is sponsored by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the Index Provider or Bloomberg), which isindependent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the components of the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political subdivisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Certain key risks are prioritized below (with others following in alphabetical order), but the relative significance of any risk is difficult to predict and may change over time. You should review each risk factor carefully.
Risk of Investing in Ginnie Mae Securities. The Fund invests substantially in MBS for which Ginnie Mae guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest. Ginnie Mae’s guarantee is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Any actual or potential disruption to Ginnie Mae, or the financial condition or credit of the U.S. government, could cause the value of Ginnie Mae securities to decline. MBS represent interests in pools of mortgages and are subject to interest rate, prepayment, and extension risk. MBS react differently to changes in interest rates than other bonds, and the prices of MBS may
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reflect adverse economic and market conditions. Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain MBS. MBS are also subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgage loans, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Default or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA transaction would expose the Fund to possible losses.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk of fluctuations in the value of a fixed-income security due to changes in the general level of interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for fixed-income securities. An increase in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income securities to decline. Securities with longer maturities generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes and subject to greater fluctuations in value. Changes in interest rates may have unpredictable effects on fixed-income markets and result in heightened volatility and lower liquidity for certain instruments, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance. During periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to shareholders.
Risk of Investing in the U.S. Investing in U.S. issuers subjects the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S., such as a weakening of the U.S. economy or a decline in its financial markets, may have an adverse effect on U.S. issuers.
Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, pandemics or other public health issues, recessions, the prospect or occurrence of a sovereign default or other financial crisis, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Index-Related Risk. The Index Provider may rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of components of the Underlying Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor BFA can offer assurances that the Index Provider’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or will result in the Fund meeting its investment objective. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur, and the Index Provider may not identify or correct them promptly or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition.
Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to financial markets generally, a particular financial market, another index, or other asset classes.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk.  An Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of creation units (Creation Units). Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. There are a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants for the Fund, including on an agency basis on behalf of other market participants. No Authorized Participant is obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or do not place creation or redemption orders for the Fund and no other Authorized Participant places orders, Fund shares are more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.
Cash Transactions Risk. The Fund’s creation and redemption transactions generally are expected to be effected in cash, rather than as in-kind transactions in which portfolio securities or other investments are delivered. As a result, the Fund may have to sell investments at inopportune times in order to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. Such sales may cause the Fund to recognize capital gains or losses that might not have been incurred if the redemption had been transacted in-kind. This may decrease the tax efficiency of the Fund compared with that of ETFs that use in-kind redemptions. The use of cash creations and redemptions also may cause the Fund’s shares to trade in the market at wider bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities or other assets of one or more issuers, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, project types, or asset classes.
Extension Risk. During periods of rising interest rates, certain debt obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those debt obligations may fall sharply, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income and potentially in the value of the Fund’s investments.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. High portfolio turnover is considered by the Fund to mean turnover of greater than 100% annually. Portfolio turnover (i.e., the sale of securities or other assets and reinvestment in other securities or assets) generally involves transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other costs. In addition, the sale of securities by the Fund may result in the realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains. Higher portfolio turnover may cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs, which have the effect of reducing the Fund’s investment return, and may result in different tax consequences for shareholders compared to a fund with lower portfolio turnover.
Illiquid Investments Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the
S-63


illiquid investments may reduce its returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. In addition, if the Fund is limited in its ability to sell illiquid investments during periods when shareholders are redeeming their shares, it will need to sell liquid securities to meet redemption requests and illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund’s holdings. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for Fund shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or other assets held by the Fund, which could lead to Fund shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund’s NAV.
Income Risk. The Fund’s income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. This can occur because the Fund may be required to invest in lower-yielding bonds when a bond in the Fund’s portfolio matures, is near maturity, is called or is prepaid, when bonds in the Underlying Index are substituted, or when the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds. The Index Provider’s substitution of bonds in the Underlying Index may occur, for example, when the time to maturity for the bond no longer matches the Underlying Index’s stated maturity guidelines.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities or other assets to which the Fund has exposure. The value of securities or other assets may decline, or perform differently from the market as a whole, due to changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the issuer or counterparty.
Large Shareholder and Large-Scale Redemption Risk. Certain shareholders of the Fund, including an Authorized Participant, a third-party investor, the Fund’s adviser, an affiliate of the Fund’s adviser, a market maker, or another entity, may from time to time own or manage a substantial amount of Fund shares, or may hold their investment in the Fund for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder or large group of shareholders would not redeem their investment. Redemptions of a large number of Fund shares could require the Fund to dispose of assets to meet the redemption requests, which can accelerate the realization of taxable income and/or capital gains and cause the Fund to make taxable distributions to its shareholders earlier than the Fund otherwise would have. In addition, under certain circumstances, non-redeeming shareholders may be treated as receiving a disproportionately large taxable distribution during or with respect to such year. In some circumstances, the Fund may hold a relatively large proportion of its assets in cash in anticipation of large redemptions, diluting its investment returns. These large redemptions may also force the Fund to sell portfolio securities or other assets when it might not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund’s NAV, increase the Fund’s brokerage costs and/or have a material effect on the market price of Fund shares.
Management Risk. The Fund generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. As the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities or other assets not included in the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that the investment strategy of BFA may not produce the intended results. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Underlying Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares (including through a trading halt), losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility, and disruptions in the process of creating and redeeming Fund shares. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading in the secondary market at a premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. If you buy Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to NAV or sell Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares.
Operational and Technology Risks. The Fund is directly and indirectly susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or may impair the Fund’s operations. While the Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value.
Prepayment Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, issuers of certain debt obligations may repay principal prior to the debt obligation’s maturity, which may cause the Fund to have to reinvest in instruments with lower yields or a higher risk of default, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income or return potential.
Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur due to a number of factors, including differences between the securities and other assets held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index; differences in the timing and methodologies used to value securities and other assets; transaction costs and other expenses incurred by the Fund that the Underlying Index does not incur; the Fund’s holding of uninvested cash; differences in the timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to Fund shareholders; tax gains or losses; differences between the amount and/or timing of withholding taxes on dividends reflected in the Underlying Index from the Fund’s obligation, if any, for foreign withholding taxes; the requirements for the Fund to maintain pass-through tax treatment; portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders; the acceptance of custom baskets; changes to the Underlying Index; and impacts to the Fund of complying with certain regulatory requirements or limits. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions.
Valuation Risk. The price that the Fund could receive upon the sale (or other disposition) of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume
S-64


or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The price received by the Fund also may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when investors are not able to purchase or sell Fund shares. Authorized Participants that create or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-
valued securities or other assets may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities or other assets not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
Performance Information
The performance information below illustrates how the Fund’s performance has varied over different periods and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Fund has varied from one calendar year to another over the periods shown. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of an appropriate broad-based securities market indexand the Underlying Index. Returns assume the reinvestment of any dividends and distributions. The Fund’s returns reflect the impact of any agreements to waive or reimburse expenses, which would reduce performance if not in effect. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
Calendar Year-by-Year Returns
 
Return (%)
Period Ended
During the periods shown in the chart:
Best Quarter
7.27%
December 31, 2023
Worst Quarter
-5.16%
September 30, 2022
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2025)
 
One Year
Five Years
Ten Years
(Inception Date: 2/14/2012)
Return Before Taxes
7.84%
0.11%
1.34%
Return After Taxes on Distributions
5.99%
-1.01%
0.34%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
4.61%
-0.41%
0.59%
Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
7.58%
0.06%
2.44%
Bloomberg U.S. GNMA Bond Index (Returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or
taxes)
8.08%
0.23%
1.50%

After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sales of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.
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Management
Investment Adviser. BlackRock Fund Advisors.
Portfolio Managers. Jonathan Graves, James Mauro and Marcus Tom (the Portfolio Managers) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Mr. Graves, Mr. Mauro and Mr. Tom have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since 2025, 2012 and 2025, respectively.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the bid-ask spread).
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BFA or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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More Information About the Funds
This Prospectus contains important information about investing in the Funds listed below. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Funds as well as other funds that are series of iShares Trust, iShares U.S. ETF Trust or iShares, Inc. (each, a Fund) is available at www.iShares.com.
Each Fund’s investment objective and its Underlying Index may be changed without shareholder approval.
Fund
Underlying Index
Investment Objective
iShares 0-5 Year High Yield
Corporate Bond ETF
Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High
Yield 0-5 Index
The iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF seeks to track
the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-
denominated, high yield corporate bonds with remaining maturities
of less than five years.
iShares 0-5 Year Investment
Grade Corporate Bond ETF
Markit iBoxx USD Liquid
Investment Grade 0-5 Index
The iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF seeks
to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S.
dollar-denominated, investment-grade corporate bonds with
remaining maturities of less than five years.
iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate
Bond ETF
Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Aaa -
A Capped Index
The iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF seeks to track the
investment results of an index composed of Aaa to A, or
equivalently rated, fixed rate U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued
by U.S. and non-U.S. corporations.
iShares BB Rated Corporate
Bond ETF
ICE BofA BB US High Yield
Constrained Index
The iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF seeks to track the
investment results of an index composed of BB (or its equivalent)
fixed rate U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by U.S. and non-
U.S. corporate issuers.
iShares Broad USD High Yield
Corporate Bond ETF
ICE BofA US High Yield
Constrained Index
The iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF seeks to
track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-
denominated, high yield corporate bonds.
iShares CMBS ETF
Bloomberg U.S. CMBS (ERISA
Only) Index
The iShares CMBS ETF seeks to track the investment results of an
index composed of investment-grade commercial mortgage-
backed securities.
iShares Convertible Bond ETF
Bloomberg U.S. Convertible Cash
Pay Bond ˃ $250MM Index
The iShares Convertible Bond ETF seeks to track the investment
results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-denominated
convertible securities, specifically cash pay bonds, with
outstanding issue sizes greater than $250 million.
iShares ESG Advanced High Yield
Corporate Bond ETF
Bloomberg MSCI US High Yield
Choice ESG Screened Index
The iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF seeks to
track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar
denominated high yield corporate bonds from issuers with a
favorable environmental, social and governance rating as identified
by the index provider, while applying extensive screens for
involvement in controversial activities.
iShares Fallen Angels USD Bond
ETF
Bloomberg US High Yield Fallen
Angel 3% Capped Index
The iShares Fallen Angels USD Bond ETF seeks to track the
investment results of an index composed of U.S. dollar-
denominated, high yield corporate bonds that were previously
rated investment grade.
iShares GNMA Bond ETF
Bloomberg U.S. GNMA Bond
Index
The iShares GNMA Bond ETF seeks to track the investment results
of an index composed of mortgage-backed pass-through securities
guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association
(GNMA or Ginnie Mae).
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded securities. Shares of each Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day. The market price for a share of a Fund may be different from the Fund’s most recent NAV.
Each Fund invests in a particular segment of the markets for securities and other instruments (as applicable) and is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies. Accordingly, an investment in a Fund should not constitute a complete investment program. An investment in a Fund is not a bank deposit, and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, any other government agency, BFA or any of BFA’s affiliates.
1


Index Funds
A share of a Fund represents an ownership interest in an underlying portfolio of securities and other instruments (as applicable) that is intended to track the Fund’s Underlying Index. An index is a financial calculation, based on a grouping of financial instruments, and is not an investment product, while each Fund is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of a Fund and that of its Underlying Index may vary for a number of reasons, including transaction costs, asset or currency valuations, corporate actions, timing variances and differences between the composition of a Fund’s portfolio and that of the Underlying Index resulting from the Fund’s use of representative sampling or from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to its Underlying Index.
From time to time, the provider of the Underlying Index (Index Provider) may make changes to the index methodology or other adjustments to a Fund’s Underlying Index. Unless otherwise determined by BFA, any such change will be reflected in the calculation of the Underlying Index’s performance on a going-forward basis after the effective date of such change. Therefore, the performance of the Underlying Index that is shown for periods prior to the effective date of any such change generally will not be recalculated or restated to reflect the change.
BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Funds. Representative sampling is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities or other instruments that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. Because the Funds use representative sampling, they can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if they used a replication indexing strategy. Replication is an indexing strategy in which a fund invests in substantially all of the components of its underlying index in approximately the same proportions as in the underlying index.
European Union Disclosure
The Fund listed below has not been categorized under the European Union (EU) sustainable finance disclosure regulation (SFDR) as an Article 8 or Article 9 product. In addition, the Fund’s investment strategy does not take into account the criteria for environmentally sustainable economic activities under the EU sustainable investment taxonomy regulation or principal adverse impacts (PAIs) on sustainability factors under the SFDR. PAIs are identified under the SFDR as the material impacts of investment decisions on sustainability factors relating to environmental, social and employee matters, respect for human rights, and anti-corruption and anti-bribery matters.
 iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
2


Additional Information About the Funds' Risks
Each Fund is subject to various risks, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Each Fund discloses its portfolio holdings daily at www.iShares.com. You could lose all or part of your investment in a Fund, which could underperform other investments. The table below identifies the principal and other (non-principal) risks that apply to each Fund. A Fund that invests in an underlying fund (Underlying Fund) also may be indirectly exposed to these risks through such investment. A description of each risk is provided after the table.
 
iShares 0-5
Year High Yield
Corporate
Bond ETF
iShares 0-5
Year
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond ETF
iShares Aaa - A
Rated
Corporate
Bond ETF
iShares BB
Rated
Corporate
Bond ETF
iShares Broad
USD High Yield
Corporate
Bond ETF
iShares CMBS
ETF
✓ Principal Risk | Other Risk
Asset Class Risk
Authorized Participant
Concentration Risk
Call Risk
Cash Transactions Risk
 
 
 
 
 
Close-Out Risk for Qualified
Financial Contracts
Commercial Mortgage-Backed
Securities Risk
 
 
 
 
 
Communications Companies Risk
 
 
 
 
Concentration Risk
Consumer Goods and Services
Companies Risk
 
Convertible Securities Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
Credit Risk
Currency Risk
 
Energy Companies Risk
 
ESG Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
European Economic Risk
 
Extension Risk
 
 
 
 
 
Financial Companies Risk
 
Geographic and Security Risks
Healthcare Companies Risk
 
 
High Portfolio Turnover Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
High Yield Securities Risk
 
 
 
Illiquid Investments Risk
Income Risk
Index-Related Risk
Industrial Companies Risk
 
 
Interest Rate Risk
Issuer Risk
Large Shareholder and Large-
Scale Redemption Risk
Management Risk
Market Risk
Market Trading Risk
Materials Companies Risk
 
 
 
 
 
3


 
iShares 0-5
Year High Yield
Corporate
Bond ETF
iShares 0-5
Year
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond ETF
iShares Aaa - A
Rated
Corporate
Bond ETF
iShares BB
Rated
Corporate
Bond ETF
iShares Broad
USD High Yield
Corporate
Bond ETF
iShares CMBS
ETF
✓ Principal Risk | Other Risk
National Closed Market Trading
Risk
 
Non-U.S. Securities Risk
 
North American Economic Risk
 
 
 
 
 
Operational and Technology Risks
Ownership Limitations Risk
Prepayment Risk
 
 
 
 
 
Privately Issued Securities Risk
 
 
 
Real Estate Companies Risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk
 
 
Risk of Investing in China
 
 
 
 
 
Risk of Investing in the China
Bond Market
 
 
 
 
 
Risk of Investing in Developed
Countries
 
Risk of Investing in Ginnie Mae
Securities
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk of Investing in the U.S.
Securities Lending Risk
 
Sustainability Risk
 
 
 
 
 
Technology Companies Risk
 
 
Tracking Error Risk
Utility Companies Risk
 
 
 
 
 
Valuation Risk
 
iShares Convertible
Bond ETF
iShares ESG
Advanced High Yield
Corporate Bond ETF
iShares Fallen
Angels USD Bond
ETF
iShares GNMA Bond
ETF
✓ Principal Risk | Other Risk
Asset Class Risk
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk
Call Risk
 
Cash Transactions Risk
 
 
 
Close-Out Risk for Qualified Financial
Contracts
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities
Risk
 
 
 
 
Communications Companies Risk
 
 
Concentration Risk
Consumer Goods and Services Companies
Risk
 
Convertible Securities Risk
 
 
 
Credit Risk
 
4


 
iShares Convertible
Bond ETF
iShares ESG
Advanced High Yield
Corporate Bond ETF
iShares Fallen
Angels USD Bond
ETF
iShares GNMA Bond
ETF
✓ Principal Risk | Other Risk
Currency Risk
 
 
Energy Companies Risk
 
 
 
ESG Risk
 
 
 
European Economic Risk
 
 
 
Extension Risk
 
 
 
Financial Companies Risk
 
Geographic and Security Risks
Healthcare Companies Risk
 
 
 
 
High Portfolio Turnover Risk
 
 
 
High Yield Securities Risk
 
 
Illiquid Investments Risk
Income Risk
Index-Related Risk
Industrial Companies Risk
 
Interest Rate Risk
Issuer Risk
Large Shareholder and Large-Scale
Redemption Risk
Management Risk
Market Risk
Market Trading Risk
National Closed Market Trading Risk
 
 
Non-U.S. Securities Risk
 
 
North American Economic Risk
 
 
 
Operational and Technology Risks
Ownership Limitations Risk
Prepayment Risk
 
 
 
Privately Issued Securities Risk
 
Real Estate Companies Risk
 
 
 
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk
 
 
 
 
Risk of Investing in China
 
 
 
 
Risk of Investing in the China Bond Market
 
 
 
 
Risk of Investing in Developed Countries
 
 
Risk of Investing in Ginnie Mae Securities
 
 
 
Risk of Investing in the U.S.
Securities Lending Risk
 
Sustainability Risk
 
 
 
 
Technology Companies Risk
 
 
Tracking Error Risk
Utility Companies Risk
 
 
 
Valuation Risk
Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in a Fund’s portfolio or, if applicable, its Underlying Index may underperform in comparison to indexes that track, or assets that represent, other countries or geographic units, industries, markets, market segments, or asset classes. Various types of securities, other assets and indexes may experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in
5


comparison to financial markets generally. This divergence may be due to a number of factors including, among other things, inflation, interest rates, productivity, global demand for local products or resources, and regulation and governmental controls. This may cause a Fund to underperform other investment vehicles that invest in different asset classes.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with a Fund. There are a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants for the Fund, including on an agency basis on behalf of other market participants. No Authorized Participant is obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or do not place creation or redemption orders for a Fund and no other Authorized Participant places orders, Fund shares are more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting. Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened for a Fund that invests in securities issued by non-U.S. issuers or instruments with lower trading volume. Such assets often entail greater settlement and operational complexity and higher capital costs for Authorized Participants, which may limit the number of Authorized Participants that engage with the Fund.
Call Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of a callable debt obligation held by a Fund may call or repay the debt obligation before its stated maturity, and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in instruments with lower yields, which would result in a decline in a Fund’s income, or in instruments with greater risks or with other less favorable features.
Cash Transactions Risk. Certain Funds expect to effect their creation and redemption transactions in cash, rather than as in-kind transactions. Paying redemption proceeds in cash rather than through in-kind delivery may require a Fund to sell investments at an inopportune time to obtain the cash needed to meet redemption orders. As a result, the Fund may recognize capital gains or losses that might not have been incurred if it had made an in-kind redemption, and it may pay out higher or lower annual capital gains distributions than ETFs that redeem in-kind. This may decrease the tax efficiency of the Fund compared with that of ETFs that use in-kind redemptions. The use of cash creations and redemptions also may cause a Fund’s shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, a Fund may not be able to purchase or sell investments in connection with cash creations and redemptions, respectively, at the same price used to determine the Fund’s NAV for such creations or redemptions. To the extent that the maximum additional charge for creation or redemption transactions that can be allocated to Authorized Participants is insufficient to cover the execution costs of a cash transaction, a Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted.
Close-Out Risk for Qualified Financial Contracts. Regulations adopted by global prudential regulators require counterparties that are part of U.S. or foreign global systemically important banking organizations to include contractual restrictions on close-out and cross-default in agreements relating to qualified financial contracts. Qualified financial contracts include agreements relating to swaps, currency forwards and other derivatives as well as repurchase agreements and securities lending agreements. The restrictions prevent a Fund from closing out a qualified financial contract during a specified time period if the counterparty is subject to resolution proceedings and also prohibit a Fund from exercising default rights due to a receivership or similar proceeding of an affiliate of the counterparty. These requirements may increase credit risk and other risks to a Fund.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. CMBS depend on cash flows generated by underlying commercial real estate loans, receivables or other assets. The value of CMBS can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, the availability of information about the underlying assets and their structure, and the creditworthiness of the originators of the underlying assets. In addition, the value of CMBS may be adversely affected by regulatory or tax changes.
CMBS are subject to a greater degree of prepayment and extension risk than many other forms of fixed-income securities. Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain CMBS. Certain CMBS are issued in several classes with different levels of yield and credit protection, and a Fund may invest in the lower classes that have greater risks than the higher classes, including greater default, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks.
CMBS issued by non-government entities such as banks and mortgage lenders may offer higher yields, but also may be subject to greater volatility, than those issued or guaranteed by government agencies or government-sponsored entities. Securities issued or guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored entities are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, and there is no assurance that the U.S. government will provide financial support.
Communications Companies Risk. Communications companies may face rapid product obsolescence as well as unexpected risks and costs related to product compatibility and standardization, new product introduction and technological developments, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. These companies may need to commit substantial capital to integrate new technologies and develop new products and services. Demographic shifts and changes in consumer preferences and expectations may have negative impacts on their business. Cybersecurity and data privacy risks may be heightened for communications companies, and a theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service could have a material adverse effect on their operations and reputation.   
Communications companies are subject to extensive government regulation, including licensing and franchise requirements. The costs of complying with regulations and seeking required approvals, as well as potential delays or denials, may adversely affect their business. These companies may face increased government scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or legal action. They depend significantly on patent and other intellectual property rights, and the loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect their profitability. 
Concentration Risk. A Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund’s investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in the securities or other assets of
6


one or more issuers, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, project types, or asset classes. A Fund with investment concentration may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those assets, may experience greater price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory impacts on those assets compared to a fund that does not concentrate its investments.
Consumer Goods and Services Companies Risk. Many consumer goods and services companies (consumer companies) rely heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending and may be impacted by social trends, marketing campaigns, demographic shifts and other factors affecting consumer preferences and demand. In addition, damage to a brand or a reputation crisis can have a substantial adverse impact on consumer companies.
Certain consumer companies, such as those providing discretionary goods or services, may depend more on business cycles, overall economic conditions and consumer confidence. Many consumer goods and services are subject to government regulation and the related compliance costs, and consumer companies also face the risk of product liability claims. Consumer companies also may be adversely affected by volatility in commodity prices, supply chain disruptions and labor shortages.
Convertible Securities Risk. The value of a convertible security is affected by factors including interest rates, the risk of issuer default on interest or principal payments, and the value of the underlying common stock into which the convertible security may be converted. A convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. Because its value can be influenced by many different factors, a convertible security generally is not as sensitive to interest rate changes as a similar non-convertible debt security and has less potential for gain or loss than the underlying stock. Certain convertible securities are subject to involuntary conversions and may undergo principal write-downs upon the occurrence of certain triggering events and, as a result, are subject to an increased risk of loss.
A convertible security tends to perform more like a stock (including the potential for increased volatility) when the underlying stock price is high relative to the conversion price, because more of the security's value resides in the option to convert. On the other hand, when the underlying stock price is low relative to the conversion price, a convertible security tends to perform more like a debt security (including greater sensitivity to interest rate changes), because the option to convert is less valuable.
Certain convertible securities are subject to involuntary conversions; they may undergo principal write-downs upon the occurrence of certain triggering events and, as a result, are subject to an increased risk of loss. If a convertible security is called for redemption, a Fund may be required to surrender the security for redemption and convert it into the issuing company's common stock or cash at a time that may be unfavorable to the Fund.
Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer, guarantor or liquidity provider of a fixed-income security may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling (whether by market participants, ratings agencies, pricing services or otherwise), to make timely principal and/or interest payments or to otherwise honor its obligations. It includes the risk that the security will be downgraded by a credit rating agency; generally, lower credit quality issuers present higher credit risks. The credit rating assigned to a security or its issuer does not necessarily reflect the issuer’s current financial condition or an investment’s volatility or liquidity. An actual or perceived decline in an issuer’s creditworthiness may result in a decrease in the value and liquidity of its securities as well as greater price volatility, which may make it difficult for a Fund to sell the securities and otherwise have an adverse impact on the Fund. It is possible that the ability of an issuer to meet its obligations will decline substantially during the period when a Fund owns securities of the issuer or that the issuer will default on its obligations or that the obligations of the issuer will be limited or restructured. A Fund may be adversely affected if an investment that it holds experiences a downgrade or a default.
Currency Risk. Because each Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which a Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of foreign currency, even if the foreign currency value of the Fund’s holdings in that market increases. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, a Fund’s NAV may change quickly and without warning. In addition, a Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
Energy Companies Risk. The energy sector tends to be closely tied to the economic cycle and can be significantly affected by supply-demand dynamics and volatility in commodity prices. Energy companies also may be adversely affected by exchange rate fluctuations, war or other conflicts, sanctions, import/export controls, depletion of resources, technological advances and labor relations. This sector generally is subject to substantial government regulation, and companies may incur significant costs in complying with environmental and other laws. Policies that promote energy conservation, clean energy or the transition to low carbon alternatives also may affect the performance of energy companies.
Energy companies may depend on a relatively small number of customers, including governmental entities and utilities. The exploration and production of energy sources and the development of energy infrastructure often require significant capital expenditures, and companies may face high interest costs and difficulty in raising capital. Energy companies also may face challenges from operating in countries with a history of adverse policies or events, such as expropriation, confiscation of assets, corruption, political instability and social unrest. The operations of energy companies may be disrupted by events that target or damage energy infrastructure, including cyber or other attacks, accidents and natural disasters. Energy companies are at risk of liability for environmental harm and other types of damages.
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The energy sector may experience significant market volatility. For example, Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to disruptions and increased volatility in the energy and commodity futures markets due to actual and potential disruptions in the supply and demand for certain commodities, including oil and natural gas. The U.S. and other actors have imposed various sanctions and restrictions on business dealings with Russia, which include restrictions on imports of oil, natural gas and coal. It is impossible to predict the effect of current or future sanctions and restrictions, the extent and duration of the conflict, and associated disruptions in the energy sector. The effect of these events or any related developments could be significant and may have a severe adverse effect on a Fund’s performance.
ESG Risk. To the extent that a Fund’s Underlying Index uses criteria related to the ESG characteristics of issuers, this may limit the types and number of investment opportunities available to the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may underperform other funds whose underlying index does not use ESG criteria. An Underlying Index’s use of ESG criteria may result in a Fund investing in, or allocating greater weight to, securities or market sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds that use ESG criteria. In addition, the use of representative sampling may result in the divergence of a Fund's overall ESG characteristics or ESG risk from those of the Underlying Index.
An Index Provider evaluates securities for inclusion and/or weighting in such an Underlying Index based on ESG criteria and data provided by the Index Provider or third parties. The Index Provider’s evaluation of securities’ ESG characteristics depends on these criteria and data, which may vary by index provider, and no assurance can be given that they will be complete, accurate or current. In addition, an Index Provider may evaluate security-level ESG data (including ratings) and, if applicable, ESG objectives or constraints that are relevant to an Underlying Index only at index reviews or rebalances. Securities included in an Underlying Index may cease to meet the relevant ESG criteria but may nevertheless remain in the Underlying Index and in the Fund using the Underlying Index until the next review or rebalance by the Index Provider. As a result, certain securities in the Underlying Index, or the Underlying Index as a whole, may not meet the relevant ESG objectives or constraints at all times. If the ESG assessment of a security in an Underlying Index or a Fund changes, neither the Fund nor BFA accepts any liability in relation to such change. BFA does not monitor securities in an Underlying Index with respect to ESG objectives or constraints applied by the Index Provider and is not responsible for changes to the ESG assessment of a security in an Underlying Index between rebalances. In addition, BFA does not assess the validity of an Index Provider’s evaluation of the ESG characteristics of securities or the criteria and data used in such evaluation.
The impacts of risks related to ESG investing are likely to change over time, and new ESG risks may be identified as further data and information regarding ESG factors and impacts become available. In addition, methodologies for ESG investing continue to develop, and the ESG methodology applied by an Index Provider may change over time.
European Economic Risk. The Economic and Monetary Union (the eurozone) of the EU requires compliance by member states that are members of the eurozone with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates and debt levels, as well as fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the eurozone. Additionally, European countries outside of the eurozone may present economic risks that are independent of the indirect effects that eurozone policies have on them. In particular, the U.K.'s economy may be affected by global economic, industrial and financial shifts. Changes in imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of eurozone countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member state on its sovereign debt and/or an economic recession in an EU member state may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other EU member states and their trading partners. The European financial markets have historically experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or government debt levels in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have affected and may in the future adversely affect the exchange rate of the euro and may significantly affect European countries.
Responses to financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest, may limit future growth and economic recovery or may have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The U.K. left the EU (Brexit) on January 31, 2020. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets.
The national politics of countries in Europe have been unpredictable and subject to influence by disruptive political groups and ideologies, including, for example, secessionist movements. The governments of European countries may be subject to change and such countries may experience social and political unrest. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. The occurrence of terrorist incidents throughout Europe or war in the region could also impact financial markets. The impact of these events is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of a Fund's investments.
Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and resulting future market disruptions, including declines in its stock markets and the value of the ruble against the U.S. dollar, are impossible to predict, but could be significant. Disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including purchasing and financing restrictions, boycotts or changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, sanctions, import and export restrictions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Russian
8


government, Russian companies or Russian individuals, including politicians, may impact Russia's economy, Russian issuers of securities in which a Fund invests, or the economies of Europe as a whole. Actual and threatened responses to Russian military action may also impact the markets for certain Russian commodities, such as oil and natural gas, as well as other sectors of the Russian economy, and are likely to have collateral impacts on such sectors across Europe and globally.
Extension Risk. During periods of rising interest rates, certain debt obligations may be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those debt obligations may fall sharply, resulting in a decline in a Fund’s income and potentially in the value of a Fund’s investments.
Financial Companies Risk. Financial services companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may change frequently and may adversely affect their profitability, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge, the amount of capital and liquid assets they must maintain and their size, among other things. Financial services companies also may be significantly affected by, among other things, interest rates, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, adverse public perception and exposure concentration. Increased risk-taking by financial companies may result in greater overall risk in the global financial sector. Certain events may cause an unusually high degree of volatility in financial markets and pose the risk of large losses for financial services companies.
Financial companies frequently operate with substantial financial leverage and are exposed directly to the credit risk of their borrowers and counterparties, which also may be leveraged to an unknown degree. Financial companies may have significant exposure to the same borrowers and counterparties; as a result, a borrower’s or counterparty’s inability to meet its obligations to one company may affect other financial companies with exposure to the same borrower or counterparty. This interconnectedness of risk may result in significant negative impacts to companies with direct exposure to the defaulting counterparty as well as adverse cascading effects in the markets and the financial sector generally.
Geographic and Security Risks. Issuers in a Fund’s portfolio may be located in, or otherwise connected to, parts of the world affected by natural disasters, such as severe heat, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, droughts, floods, hurricanes and tsunamis. In addition, issuers may be impacted by security concerns with respect to a country or region, such as war and other types of conflict, terrorism, strained international relations and territorial disputes. Any of these events may adversely affect the issuers, markets and economies to which a Fund is exposed, which may adversely affect the value of the Fund.
Healthcare Companies Risk. The profitability of healthcare companies may be adversely affected by the following factors, among others: extensive government regulations, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, a limited number of products, labor shortages, supply chain issues and industry innovation. Many new products in the healthcare sector entail significant research and development and require regulatory approval, all of which may be long and costly, and such efforts ultimately may be unsuccessful. Many healthcare companies depend heavily on obtaining and defending patents, which can be costly, and may be adversely affected by the expiration of patents. Healthcare companies also are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The sale and purchase of securities and other assets in a Fund’s portfolio generally involve transaction costs to the Fund (e.g., brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups). Higher portfolio turnover may cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs, which have the effect of reducing the Fund’s investment return. In addition, greater frequency in the sale of securities or other assets may result in the realization or distribution to Fund shareholders of greater capital gains (including short-term gains) compared to a fund with less turnover. These effects of high portfolio turnover may adversely affect a Fund’s performance and could result in undesirable tax consequences for shareholders. Certain investment strategies (e.g., active management, investing in dollar rolls or to-be-announced mortgage trades) and volatile market conditions may be more likely to involve higher portfolio turnover.
High Yield Securities Risk. Debt securities that are rated below investment grade and debt securities that are unrated are generally considered to be speculative. Compared to higher-quality debt securities, high yield securities are subject to a greater risk of default, illiquidity, price volatility and valuation uncertainty. Issuers of high yield securities may be less creditworthy and have a greater risk of insolvency or bankruptcy than issuers of higher-quality debt securities. Certain privately held issuers may provide less timely or less detailed financial reporting or other information.
High yield securities may be less liquid than higher-rated debt securities, even under normal economic conditions. There are fewer dealers in the high yield securities market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for such securities. There may be no active trading market for some instruments, and certain securities may be subject to restrictions on resale. The inability to dispose of investments in a timely fashion could result in losses to a Fund. High yield securities that are deemed to be liquid at the time of purchase may become illiquid.
High yield securities frequently have prepayment features. When securities are prepaid, a Fund may lose any premiums paid for the instruments and may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields. This could result in an unexpected capital loss and/or a decrease in the amount of dividends and yield.
Investments in high yield securities may be subject to additional risks, including subordination to other creditors (leaving few or no assets to repay high yield securities holders), no collateral or limited rights in collateral. High yield securities also may have weaker or less restrictive covenant protections for creditors than higher-quality instruments. For example, high yield issuers may be able to incur more debt (including
9


secured debt), return more capital to shareholders, reduce assets designated as collateral or otherwise manage their business in ways that could negatively impact creditors. If an issuer defaults, a Fund may incur expenses in seeking recovery or negotiating new terms with the issuer.
Illiquid Investments Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that a Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. An investment may be illiquid due to, among other things, fewer participants or less capacity to make a market in the investment, the lack of an active market for the investment, capital controls, delays or limits on repatriation of local currency, and the insolvency of local governments. To the extent that a Fund invests in securities or other assets with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have increased exposure to the risks associated with illiquid investments. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets.
Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by a Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. There can be no assurance that a security or other asset that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by a Fund, and any security or other asset held by a Fund may be deemed an illiquid investment pursuant to the Fund’s liquidity risk management program.
Holdings of illiquid investments may reduce a Fund’s returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. If a Fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where redemptions of Fund shares may be greater than normal. If other market participants attempt to liquidate holdings at the same time as a Fund, this will lead to an increased supply of the Fund’s underlying investments in the market and contribute to greater illiquid investments risk and downward pricing pressure. In addition, if a Fund is limited in its ability to sell illiquid investments during periods when shareholders are redeeming their shares, the Fund will need to sell liquid securities to meet redemption requests, and illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund’s holdings. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for a Fund’s shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or other assets held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund's NAV.
Income Risk. A Fund’s income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. This can occur because the Fund may be required to invest in lower-yielding bonds when a bond in the Fund’s portfolio matures, is near maturity, is called or is prepaid or when the Fund otherwise needs to purchase additional bonds, such as due to a substitution in the underlying index for an index fund.
Index-Related Risk. A Fund that tracks an Underlying Index seeks to achieve a return that corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of its Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider or its agents will construct or calculate the Underlying Index accurately. While the Index Provider describes what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, neither the Index Provider nor its agents provide any warranty or accept any liability regarding the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Underlying Index or its related data, and they do not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider’s methodology. BFA also does not provide any warranty or guarantee against the Index Provider’s or any agent’s errors.
The Index Provider may rely on various sources of information to assess the criteria of components of the Underlying Index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither a Fund nor BFA can offer assurances that the Index Provider’s methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included components or will result in the Fund meeting its investment objective. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of an Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur, and the Index Provider may not identify or correct them promptly or at all, particularly for indexes that are less commonly used as benchmarks. In addition, there may be heightened risks associated with the adequacy and reliability of information about emerging markets constituents, as such markets may have less information available or less regulatory oversight. Errors related to an Underlying Index may negatively or positively impact a Fund and its shareholders. For example, if the Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund will have exposure to such constituents and will be underexposed to the Underlying Index’s other constituents. Shareholders should understand that any gains from an Index Provider’s errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs from such errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact an Index Provider or a third-party data provider and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance to an Underlying Index. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. If a scheduled rebalance is postponed, index constituents that would otherwise be removed at the rebalance (due to, for example, changes in market capitalization or issuer credit ratings) may remain, causing the performance and constituents of the Underlying Index to vary from those expected under normal conditions. In addition, to the extent circumstances evolve between periodic index reviews and reconstitutions, an Underlying Index may include constituents that do not align with its objective or selection criteria, and the Fund tracking the Underlying Index may be similarly affected.
In addition to scheduled rebalances, an Index Provider or its agents may carry out ad hoc index rebalances due to reaching certain weighting constraints, unusual market conditions, corporate events, or corrections of errors. The relevant Fund will in turn rebalance its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the portfolio and the Underlying Index. The Fund and its shareholders will directly bear any transaction costs and market exposure from such portfolio rebalancing. Therefore, index-related errors and ad hoc rebalances may increase a Fund’s costs and tracking error.
Industrial Companies Risk. Industrial companies face a number of risks, including supply chain and distribution disruptions, business interruptions, third-party vendor risks, cyber attacks, trade disputes, product recalls, liability and environmental damage claims, scarcity of
10


materials or parts, excess capacity, changes in consumer preferences, and volatility in commodity prices and currencies. The products of industrial companies may face obsolescence due to technological developments and new product introduction. Furthermore, changes in trade restrictions and tariffs as well as broader geopolitical developments could adversely affect industrial companies. These companies also may be significantly affected by domestic and international economic conditions, legislative and regulatory changes, and labor relations. Industrial companies may depend on public or private sector financing, which may become difficult to obtain due to government spending constraints or reduced availability of capital. Such companies may be unable to protect their intellectual property rights or may be liable for infringing the intellectual property rights of others.
Issuers with high carbon intensity or high switching costs associated with the transition to low carbon alternatives may be more impacted by climate transition risks. There may be increased impact on a Fund's performance to the extent that its investments are concentrated in locations that are more susceptible to adverse physical events.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply and demand for fixed-income securities. Changes in interest rates may have unpredictable effects on fixed-income markets and may result in heightened volatility and lower liquidity for certain instruments, which may adversely affect a Fund’s performance. When interest rates rise, the value of fixed-income securities or other instruments sensitive to interest rates typically decreases. Duration is a measure of how sensitive a bond is to interest rate changes. Fixed-income securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, and their prices usually are more volatile than those of shorter-duration securities. For example, if a bond has a duration of five years and interest rates rise, the price of the bond will likely decline by a greater percentage than for a bond with a one-year duration. To the extent a Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in fixed-income securities with longer duration, rising interest rates may cause the value of the Fund’s investments to decline significantly, which would adversely affect the Fund’s performance.
In addition, changes in prevailing interest rates, particularly sudden and significant changes, may lead to fluctuations in the value of floating-rate debt securities, because the rates for those securities typically reset only periodically. Additionally, during periods of very low or negative interest rates, a Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns or pay dividends to shareholders. Under certain market conditions when interest rates are set at low levels and the market prices of portfolio securities have increased, a Fund may have a very low or even negative yield, which would cause the Fund to lose money under certain conditions.
Decreases in market-making capacity for fixed-income dealers may lead to lower trading volume, heightened volatility, wider bid-ask spreads and less transparent pricing in certain fixed-income markets.
Issuer Risk. The performance of a Fund depends on the performance of individual securities or other assets to which the Fund has exposure. The value of securities or other assets may decline, or perform differently from the market as a whole, due to changes in the financial condition or credit rating of the issuer or counterparty.
Large Shareholder and Large-Scale Redemption Risk. Certain shareholders of a Fund, including an Authorized Participant, a third-party investor, the Fund’s adviser, an affiliate of the Fund’s adviser, a market maker, or another entity, may from time to time own or manage a substantial amount of Fund shares or may hold their investment in the Fund for a limited period of time. These shareholders may also pledge or loan Fund shares (to secure financing or otherwise), which may result in the shares becoming concentrated in another party. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder or large group of shareholders would not redeem their investment or that the size of a Fund would be maintained. Redemptions of a large number of Fund shares may adversely affect a Fund’s liquidity and net assets. To the extent a Fund permits redemptions in cash, these redemptions may force the Fund to sell portfolio securities or other assets when it might not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund’s NAV, have a material effect on the market price of Fund shares, increase the Fund’s brokerage costs, accelerate the realization of taxable income and/or capital gains, and cause the Fund to make taxable distributions to its shareholders earlier than the Fund otherwise would have. In addition, under certain circumstances, non-redeeming shareholders may be treated as receiving a disproportionately large taxable distribution during or with respect to such tax year. A Fund also may be required to sell its more liquid investments to meet a large redemption, in which case the Fund’s remaining assets may be less liquid, more volatile, and more difficult to price.
To the extent these large shareholders transact in Fund shares on the secondary market, such transactions may account for a large percentage of the trading volume for Fund shares and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the shares. In addition, large purchases of Fund shares may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would, diluting its investment returns.
Management Risk. An index Fund invests in securities or other assets included in, or representative of, its Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. Such a Fund may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to its Underlying Index, and BFA generally does not attempt to invest the Fund’s assets in defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on a Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track its Underlying Index. Because BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, a Fund will not fully replicate its Underlying Index and may hold securities or other assets not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, a Fund is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment strategy, whose implementation is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results. There is no guarantee that a Fund’s investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of its Underlying Index or that a Fund will achieve its investment objective.
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Market Risk. A Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. The value of a financial instrument or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the particular instrument or asset, or factors that affect one or more issuers, counterparties, exchanges, countries or other geographic units, markets, industries, or asset classes. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, pandemics or other public health issues, recessions, the prospect or occurrence of a sovereign default or other financial crisis, or other events could have a significant impact on a Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to a Fund’s NAV. Changes in market and economic conditions generally do not have the same impact on all types of instruments and assets.
Market Trading Risk. A Fund faces numerous market trading risks, any of which may lead to its shares trading in the secondary market at a premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. If you buy Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to NAV or sell Fund shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund shares.
Absence of an Active Primary Market. Although Fund shares are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active primary trading market for Fund shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.
Secondary Listing Risks. A Fund’s shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund’s primary listing is maintained. Fund shares also may be available to non-U.S. investors through funds or structured investment vehicles similar to depositary receipts. There can be no assurance that a Fund’s shares will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that a Fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for exchange listing or market trading. A Fund’s shares may be less actively traded in certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information that is available to investors who trade Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary Market Trading Risk. Shares of a Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to create or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts to NAV than might be experienced at times when the Fund accepts creation and redemption orders. Securities held by a Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than an exchange on which Fund shares are traded. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing time. As a result, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement time, there may be wider bid/ask spreads on the exchange and a greater premium or discount to NAV.
In stressed market conditions, the market for a Fund’s shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s portfolio holdings, and an investor may be unable to sell their Fund shares.
Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In times of extraordinary market volatility, Fund shares may be subject to trading halts pursuant to circuit breaker rules of a stock exchange or market. If there is a trading halt or unanticipated closure of an exchange or market, an investor may be unable to purchase or sell Fund shares. In addition, if trading in certain securities or financial instruments is restricted, this may disrupt a Fund’s creation/redemption process, affect the price at which Fund shares trade in the secondary market, and result in a Fund being unable to trade certain securities or financial instruments. In such circumstances, a Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio or accurately price its portfolio holdings and may incur substantial trading losses.
Shares of a Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility and price decreases associated with being sold short. In addition, trading activity in derivative products based on a Fund may lead to increased trading volume and volatility in the secondary market for the shares of the Fund.
Fund Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of a Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund’s most recent NAV. A Fund’s NAV is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. The trading price of a Fund’s shares fluctuates throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings or NAV. As a result, the trading prices of a Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from NAV during times of market volatility, significant redemption requests, or other unusual market conditions
However, because Fund shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to a Fund’s NAV are not likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that a Fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund’s next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund’s NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or other market participants, and during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of a Fund that differ significantly from its NAV. Authorized Participants may be less willing to create or redeem a Fund’s shares if there is a lack of an active market for such shares or the Fund’s underlying investments, which may contribute to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV.
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Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling Fund shares through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission and other charges. In addition, you may incur the cost of the spread, which is the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the bid price) and the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the ask price). The spread varies over time for Fund shares based on trading volume and market liquidity. It is generally narrower if a Fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and wider if a Fund has less trading volume and market liquidity. Increased market volatility also may cause wider spreads. In addition, there may be regulatory and other charges that are incurred as a result of trading activity. Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results, and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments through a brokerage account.
Materials Companies Risk. The materials sector tends to be closely tied to the economic cycle and can be significantly affected by supply-demand dynamics. Materials companies may be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rate fluctuations, social and political unrest, war, import and export controls, supply chain disruption, increased competition, depletion of resources, technical advances, labor relations, litigation and government regulations, among other factors. Materials companies are at risk of liability for environmental damage and product liability claims and may incur significant costs in complying with environmental laws.
National Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that securities or other assets held by a Fund trade on foreign exchanges or in foreign markets that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund’s shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between such asset’s current price and its last quoted price (i.e., the quote from the closed foreign market to the Fund). The impact of a closed foreign market on a Fund is likely to be greater where a large portion of the Fund’s holdings trade on a closed foreign market or when a foreign market is closed for unscheduled reasons. These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to a Fund’s NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other funds.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk. Securities issued by non-U.S. issuers (including depositary receipts) are subject to different legal, regulatory, political, economic, and market risks than securities issued by U.S. issuers. To the extent that investments are made in a limited number of countries, events in those countries will have a more significant impact on a Fund. The risks of investing in non-U.S. securities include the following, any of which may have an adverse impact on a Fund:
Less liquid markets, which may make valuing securities more difficult;
Greater market volatility;
Government intervention in issuers' operations or structure;
Government expropriation or nationalization of assets;
Exchange rate fluctuations and currency controls;
Limitations on the foreign ownership of securities;
Imposition of withholding or other taxes;
Restrictions on the repatriation of capital;
Higher transaction and custody costs;
Foreign market trading hours, different clearing and settlement procedures, and holiday schedules, which may limit a Fund's ability to engage in portfolio transactions;
Less regulation of the securities and other financial markets;
Less availability of public information about issuers;
Weaker accounting, audit, disclosure and financial reporting requirements and the risk of being delisted from U.S. exchanges;
Difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; and
Legal principles relating to corporate governance, directors’ fiduciary duties and liabilities, and shareholder rights that are less robust than those that apply in the U.S.
Withholding Tax Reclaims Risk. A Fund that holds non-U.S. securities may file claims to recover withholding tax on dividend and interest income (if any) received from issuers in certain countries where such withholding tax reclaim is possible. Whether or when a Fund will receive a withholding tax refund is within the control of the tax authorities in such countries. Where a Fund expects to recover withholding tax based on a continuous assessment of the probability of recovery, the Fund’s NAV generally includes accruals for such tax refunds. Funds continue to evaluate tax developments for potential impact to the probability of recovery. If the likelihood of receiving a tax refund materially decreases, such as due to a change in tax regulation or approach, accruals in a Fund’s NAV for such refunds may be written down partially or in full, which will adversely affect the Fund’s NAV. Investors in a Fund at the time when an accrual is written down will bear the impact of any resulting reduction in NAV regardless of whether they were investors during the accrual period. Conversely, if a Fund receives a tax refund that was not previously accrued, investors in the Fund at the time the claim is successful will benefit from any resulting increase in the Fund’s NAV. Investors who sold their shares prior to such time will not benefit from any such NAV increase.
North American Economic Risk. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in which a Fund invests.
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The U.S. is Canada's and Mexico's largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments including the implementation of tariffs by the U.S. and the renegotiation of NAFTA in the form of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which replaced NAFTA on July 1, 2020, could negatively affect North America’s economic outlook and, as a result, the value of securities held by a Fund. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by a Fund.
Operational and Technology Risks. A Fund and the entities with which it interacts directly or indirectly are susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or impair the Fund’s operations. These entities include, but are not limited to, a Fund’s adviser, administrator, distributor, other service providers (e.g., index and benchmark providers, accountants, custodians, and transfer agents), financial intermediaries, counterparties, market makers, Authorized Participants, listing exchanges, other financial market operators, and governmental authorities. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which a Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund’s investments in such issuers to lose value. A Fund may incur substantial costs in order to mitigate operational and technology risks.
Cybersecurity incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events against an issuer in which a Fund invests, the Fund or any of its service providers. They include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to systems, misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting or destroying data, and causing operational disruption. Geopolitical tension may increase the scale and sophistication of deliberate attacks, particularly those from nation states or from entities with nation state backing. Cybersecurity incidents may result in any of the following: financial losses; interference with a Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV; disclosure of confidential information; impediments to trading; submission of erroneous trades by a Fund or erroneous subscription or redemption orders; the inability of a Fund or its service providers to transact business; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; and other legal and compliance expenses. Furthermore, cybersecurity incidents may render records of a Fund, including records relating to its assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Fund shares, and other data integral to a Fund’s functioning, inaccessible, inaccurate or incomplete. Power outages, natural disasters, equipment malfunctions and processing errors that threaten information and technology systems relied upon by a Fund or its service providers, as well as market events that occur at a pace that overloads these systems, may also disrupt business operations or impact critical data. In addition, the risks of increased use of AI technologies, such as machine learning, include data risk, transparency risk, and operational risk. The AI technologies, which are generally highly reliant on the collection and analysis of large amounts of data, may incorporate biased or inaccurate data, and it is not possible or practicable to incorporate all relevant data into such technologies. The output or results of any such AI technologies may therefore be incomplete, erroneous, distorted or misleading. Further, AI tools may lack transparency as to how data is utilized and how outputs are generated. AI technologies may also allow the unintended introduction of vulnerabilities into infrastructures and applications. A Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result of these risks associated with AI technologies. AI technologies and their current and potential future applications, and the regulatory frameworks within which they operate, continue to quickly evolve, and it is impossible to anticipate the full scope of future AI capabilities or rules and the associated risks to a Fund.
While a Fund’s service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. Each Fund and its adviser seek to reduce these risks through controls, procedures and oversight, including establishing business continuity plans and risk management systems. However, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks that may affect a Fund have not been identified or may emerge in the future; that such plans and systems may not completely eliminate the occurrence or mitigate the effects of operational or information security disruptions or failures or of cybersecurity incidents; or that prevention and remediation efforts will not be successful or that incidents will go undetected. A Fund cannot control the systems, information security or other cybersecurity of the issuers in which it invests or its service providers, counterparties, and other third parties whose activities affect the Fund.
Lastly, the regulatory climate governing cybersecurity and data protection is developing quickly and may vary considerably across jurisdictions. Regulators continue to develop new rules and standards related to cybersecurity and data protection. Compliance with evolving regulations can be demanding and costly, requiring substantial resources to monitor and implement required changes.
Ownership Limitations Risk. If certain aggregate and/or fund-level ownership thresholds are reached through transactions undertaken by BFA, its affiliates or a Fund, or as a result of third-party transactions or actions by an issuer or regulator, the ability of BFA and its affiliates on behalf of clients (including a Fund) to purchase or dispose of investments, exercise rights or undertake business transactions may be restricted by law, regulation or rules or otherwise impaired. The capacity of a Fund to invest in certain securities or other assets may be affected by the relevant threshold limits, and such limitations may have adverse effects on the liquidity and performance of a Fund’s portfolio holdings.
For example, ownership limits may apply to securities whose issuers operate in certain regulated industries or in certain international markets. Such limits also may apply where the investing entity (such as a Fund) is subject to corporate or regulatory ownership restrictions or invests in certain futures or other derivative transactions. In certain circumstances, aggregate and/or fund-level amounts invested or voted by BFA and its affiliates for client funds and accounts managed by BFA (including a Fund) may not exceed the relevant limits without
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the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate approval, order, consent, relief or non-disapproval. However, there is no guarantee that permission will be granted or that, once granted, it will not be modified or revoked at a later date with minimal or no notice. In other cases, exceeding such thresholds may cause BFA and its affiliates, a Fund or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions.
Ownership limitations are highly complex. It is possible that, despite BFA’s intent to either comply with or be granted permission to exceed ownership limitations, it may inadvertently breach a limit or violate the corporate or regulatory approval, order, consent, relief or non-disapproval that was obtained.
Prepayment Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, issuers of certain debt obligations may repay principal prior to the debt obligation’s maturity, which may cause a Fund to have to reinvest in instruments with lower yields or a higher risk of default, resulting in a decline in a Fund’s income or return potential. Also, if an obligation subject to prepayment was purchased at a premium, the value of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment.
Privately Issued Securities Risk. Privately issued securities are securities that have not been registered under the 1933 Act, including securities that are normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S under the 1933 Act. Such securities typically are subject to legal restrictions on resale and generally are not traded in established public markets. As a result, privately issued securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments, may be more difficult to value than publicly traded securities, may be subject to wide fluctuations in value and may have higher transaction costs. There can be no assurance that a trading market will exist at any time for any particular privately issued security, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or if there are adverse events related to the issuer. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for privately issued securities, a Fund may find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so, or a Fund may be able to sell such securities only at prices that are lower than if such securities were more widely held and traded. Difficulty in selling such securities at a desirable time or price may result in a loss to a Fund.
At times, it may be more difficult to determine the fair value of privately issued securities for purposes of computing a Fund’s NAV due to the absence of an active trading market. There can be no assurance that a privately issued security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by a Fund, and its value may decline as a result, which may adversely affect the Fund.
Real Estate Companies Risk. Real estate companies, which include real estate investment trusts, real estate holding and operating companies, and real estate management or development companies, expose investors to the risks of owning real estate directly as well as to the risks from the way that such companies operate. Real estate companies and property values may be adversely affected by regulations and other governmental actions, including tax increases, zoning changes and other usage restrictions, environmental regulations, regulatory limitations on rent or eviction, and eminent domain.
Real estate is highly sensitive to general and local economic conditions and can be subject to intense competition and periodic overbuilding. Real estate companies may own a limited number of properties and concentrate their investments in a particular geographic region, industry or property type. Economic downturns or other adverse events (e.g., natural disasters) that affect a particular region, industry or property type may lead to decreases in property values, leasing declines and defaults by borrowers or tenants. In the event of a default, a real estate company may experience substantial delays and costs in enforcing its rights with respect to the property and protecting its investment. In addition, because real estate is relatively illiquid, a company may be constrained in its ability to diversify or liquidate its investments in response to economic conditions or other events.
Real estate companies may depend on the management skills of a few key individuals and may have limited financial resources. They may be highly leveraged, which can magnify losses, and interest rate increases can make it difficult for them, as well as borrowers and tenants, to obtain debt financing and meet payment obligations. Declining interest rates could result in increased prepayment on loans and require redeployment of capital in less desirable investments.
Certain real estate companies, such as REITs, could fail to qualify for favorable tax or regulatory treatment, which could produce adverse economic consequences for the company and its investors, including a Fund.
Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The economies of some countries or regions depend on trading with certain key trading partners. A reduction in spending on the products and services of these countries or regions, the institution of tariffs or other trade barriers by a key trading partner or a slowdown in the economy of a key trading partner may cause an adverse impact on the economies of such countries or regions and may negatively impact the performance of a Fund with exposure to those countries or regions.
Risk of Investing in China. Investments in Chinese securities, including certain Hong Kong-listed and U.S.-listed securities, subject a Fund to risks specific to China. China is subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability.
Political and Social Risk. The Chinese government is authoritarian and has periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth and the pace of economic liberalization may lead to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest. In addition, China continues to experience disagreements related to integration with Hong Kong and religious and nationalist disputes in Tibet and Xinjiang. There is also a greater risk in China than in many other countries of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation as a result of internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. China’s income inequality, rapidly aging population and significant environmental issues also are factors that may affect the Chinese economy.
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Government Control and Regulations. Despite the Chinese government’s implementation of economic and market reforms in recent decades, government control over certain sectors and enterprises and significant regulation of investment and industry are still pervasive. China has restrictions on investment in companies or industries deemed to be sensitive to particular national interests, trading of securities of Chinese issuers, foreign ownership of Chinese corporations and/or the repatriation of assets by foreign investors. Restrictions on foreign ownership of Chinese securities may have adverse effects on a Fund’s liquidity and performance and could lead to higher tracking error. Chinese government intervention in the market may have a negative impact on market sentiment, which may in turn affect the performance of the Chinese economy and a Fund’s investments. Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, lack of publicly available information, and political and social instability and may be subject to volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence. Chinese companies, such as those in the financial services, technology and potentially other sectors, are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure, which may negatively affect the value of a Fund’s investments.
Economic Risk. The Chinese economy is highly reliant on trade and may be adversely affected by, among other things, a deterioration in global demand and spending for Chinese exports or a contraction in spending on domestic goods by Chinese consumers. The institution of additional tariffs or other trade barriers (including as a result of heightened trade tensions between China and the U.S. or in response to actual or alleged Chinese cyber activity) or a downturn in any of the economies of China’s key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy and companies in which a Fund invests. The current political climate has intensified concerns about a potential trade war between China and the U.S. as each country has imposed tariffs on the other. These actions and their consequences (which are difficult to predict) could have a negative impact on a Fund’s performance. It is unclear whether further tariffs or other escalating actions may occur.
In addition, certain Chinese companies (which may change from time to time) are directly or indirectly subject to economic or trade restrictions imposed by the U.S. or other governments due to national security, human rights or other concerns of such government. For example, certain foreign technology companies are subject to export controls as those companies are believed to pose a risk to U.S. interests. The U.S. also bans imports of goods produced in certain regions of China or by certain Chinese companies due to concerns about forced labor. Such restrictions may have unanticipated and adverse effects on the Chinese economy and companies. Any action that targets Chinese financial markets or securities exchanges could interfere with orderly trading, delay settlement or cause market disruptions. A Fund’s Underlying Index may include companies that are subject to economic or trade restrictions (but not investment restrictions) imposed by the U.S. or other governments. So long as these restrictions do not include restrictions on investments, a Fund is generally expected to invest in such companies, consistent with its objective to track the performance of its Underlying Index. Other economic challenges for China include indebtedness, weak consumer demand, and an aging population. China continues to face pressure from its trading partners over its exporting of its excess industrial capacity and overall approach to economic management.
Expropriation Risk. The Chinese government maintains a major role in economic policymaking, and investing in China involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested.
Security Risk. China has strained international relations with Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, India, and other neighbors due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, defense concerns and other security concerns. China has a complex territorial dispute regarding the sovereignty of Taiwan and has pledged to take control of Taiwan, including by force if necessary. The Chinese military has conducted military drills around Taiwan in connection with China’s claim to Taiwan. Taiwan-based companies and individuals are significant investors in China. Continuing hostility between China and Taiwan may have an adverse impact on their economies and markets and on the value of a Fund’s investments in China, Taiwan or the region, may cause a suspension in a Fund’s ability to trade in certain securities or other assets, or may otherwise make such investments impracticable or impossible. Frictions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea pose a risk of escalation potentially leading to military conflict.
Additionally, China is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments. Actual and threatened responses to such activity and strained international relations, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, export controls, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Chinese government or Chinese companies, may impact China’s economy and Chinese issuers in which a Fund invests. It may be impossible or impracticable for a Fund to hold, transact in or value securities of sanctioned companies, and there may be a significant decrease in the valuation of such securities. Relations between China’s Han ethnic majority and other ethnic groups in China, including Tibetans and Uighurs, are also strained and have been marked, historically, by protests and violence. These situations may cause uncertainty in the Chinese markets and may adversely affect the Chinese economy. In addition, conflict on the Korean Peninsula could adversely affect the Chinese economy. Such risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of a Fund’s investments.
Chinese Equity Markets. There are several types of Chinese equity securities, including H-shares, A-shares, B-shares, Red-Chips and/or P-Chips. The issuance of B-shares and H-shares by Chinese companies and the ability to obtain a back-door listing through Red-Chips or P-Chips is still regarded by the Chinese authorities as an experiment in economic reform. Back-door listing is a means by which a mainland Chinese company issues Red-Chips or P-Chips to obtain quick access to international listing and international capital. These share mechanisms are subject to the political and economic policies in China. In the Chinese securities markets, a small number of issuers may represent a large portion of the entire market. The Chinese securities markets also may be subject to more frequent trading halts, low trading volume and price volatility.
Hong Kong Political Risk. Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997 as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) under the principle of one country, two systems. Although China is obligated by treaty to maintain the
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current capitalist economic and social system of Hong Kong through June 30, 2047, the continuation of economic and social freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong is dependent on the government of China. Hong Kong has experienced protests and unrest related to China’s control, and tensions have increased between China and Hong Kong. Due to the interconnected nature of the Hong Kong and Chinese economies, instability in Hong Kong may adversely affect the Hong Kong and Chinese markets. Other countries’ perceptions of the degree of convergence between China and Hong Kong, such as with respect to trade, and resulting actions also may impact both economies. In addition, the Hong Kong dollar trades at a fixed exchange rate in relation to (or is pegged to) the U.S. dollar, which has contributed to the growth and stability of the Hong Kong economy. However, it is uncertain how long the currency peg will continue or what effect the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system would have on Hong Kong’s economy. Such a change could result in a decline in a Fund’s NAV because the NAV is denominated in U.S. dollars.
Limited Information, Legal Remedies and VIE Structure Risk. Chinese companies, including Chinese companies that are listed on U.S. exchanges, are not subject to the same degree of regulatory requirements, accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in more developed countries. As a result, information about the Chinese securities in which the Fund invests may be less reliable or complete. Chinese companies with securities listed on U.S. exchanges may be delisted if they do not meet U.S. accounting standards and auditor oversight requirements, or for other reasons, which would significantly decrease the liquidity and value of the securities. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against Chinese companies, and shareholders may have limited legal remedies. The Funds do not select investments based on investor protection considerations.
Many Chinese companies listed on U.S. exchanges use variable interest entities or VIEs in their structure as a result of foreign ownership restrictions. In a VIE structure, a Chinese operating company establishes a shell company in another jurisdiction to issue stock to public shareholders. When a VIE structure is used by a Chinese company to list its stock in the U.S., instead of owning the equity securities of the Chinese company, the U.S.-listed shell company directly or indirectly enters into contracts with the Chinese operating company under Chinese law. These contracts provide the U.S.-listed shell company with only economic exposure to the Chinese company and do not represent equity ownership in the operating company.
While VIEs are a longstanding practice that is well known to Chinese officials and regulators, they have not been formally recognized under Chinese law. The Chinese government has provided guidance to and placed restrictions on Chinese-based companies raising capital offshore, including through VIEs. In 2023, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) released new rules that permit the use of VIE structures, provided they abide by Chinese laws and register with the CSRC. The rules, however, may cause Chinese companies to undergo greater scrutiny and add costs to VIE structures. Intervention, rulemaking or guidance by the Chinese government with respect to VIE structures or the non-enforcement of VIE-related contractual rights could significantly affect the operating company’s business in China, the enforceability of the U.S.-listed shell company’s contractual arrangements with the Chinese company and the value of the U.S.-listed stock. Further, the VIE contractual arrangement would likely be subject to Chinese law and jurisdiction, and remedies available to the U.S.-listed shell company are uncertain and could be ineffective. Any change in the operations of entities in a VIE structure, the status of VIE contractual arrangements or the legal or regulatory environment in China, generally or with respect to specific industries, could result in significant, and possibly permanent and/or total, losses to a Fund.
Risk of Investing in the China Bond Market. A Fund’s investment in the China Interbank Bond Market occurs through the Bond Connect trading channel, which allows eligible foreign investors to trade electronically between the mainland China and Hong Kong markets. Bonds traded through Bond Connect are settled and custodied through a link between CMU, as an offshore custody agent, and China Central Depository & Clearing (CCDC) and Shanghai Clearing House (SCH), as onshore custodians and clearing institutions in the PRC. All bonds traded by eligible foreign investors through Bond Connect are registered in the name of CMU, which holds such bonds as a nominee owner. A Fund is thus exposed to custody risks with respect to CMU. In addition, the relevant filings, registration with the People’s Bank of China, and account opening must be carried out by third parties, including CMU, CCDC, and SCH. A Fund is thus subject to the risks of default, errors and omissions by such third parties and may have limited remedies or no legal recourse at all to cure any defaults, errors and omissions.
The precise nature and rights of a Fund as the beneficial owner of bonds traded in the China Interbank Bond Market through CMU as nominee are relatively new and untested areas of PRC law. The definition of, and distinction between, legal ownership and beneficial ownership under PRC law differs from that in the U.S. and other developed market jurisdictions, and there have been few cases involving a nominee account structure in the PRC courts. As a result, the rights of beneficial owners are uncertain. The exact nature of a Fund’s remedies and methods of enforcement of its rights and interests under PRC law are also uncertain.
Market volatility and potential lack of liquidity due to low trading volume of certain bonds in the China Interbank Bond Market may result in the prices of certain bonds fluctuating significantly. A Fund that invests in the China Interbank Bond Market is therefore subject to liquidity and volatility risks. The bid-ask spreads of the prices of securities may be large, and a Fund may therefore incur significant costs and may suffer losses when selling such investments. Bonds traded in the China Interbank Bond Market may be difficult or impossible to sell on a timely basis or at all, which may impact a Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of such securities at their expected prices.
Investing in the China Interbank Bond Market through Bond Connect is also subject to regulatory risks. The relevant laws and regulations are subject to change, which may have retrospective effect. There can be no assurance that Bond Connect or its features or systems will not be materially altered, suspended, discontinued or abolished. Furthermore, the securities regulation regimes and legal systems of the PRC and Hong Kong differ significantly, and issues may arise based on these differences. If the relevant authorities were to suspend account opening or trading on the China Interbank Bond Market, a Fund’s ability to invest in that market would be adversely affected, limited, or curtailed altogether. In such event, the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective would be negatively affected and, after exhausting other
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trading alternatives, the Fund may suffer substantial losses. Further, if Bond Connect is not operating, a Fund may not be able to acquire or dispose of bonds in a timely manner, which could adversely affect its performance.
There is no assurance that Bond Connect trading platforms and operational systems will function as expected or will continue to be adapted to changes and developments in the market. If a relevant system does not function as expected, trading through Bond Connect may be disrupted, and a Fund’s ability to pursue its investment strategy may therefore be adversely affected. In addition, trading through Bond Connect involves the risk of delays inherent in order placing and settlement systems.
Bond Connect trades are settled in Chinese currency, the renminbi (RMB). This means that a Fund is exposed to currency risk, and it cannot be guaranteed that investors will have timely access to a reliable supply of RMB. The RMB consists of an onshore RMB (CNY) and an offshore RMB (CNH). The CNY is the official currency of the PRC and is the currency of denomination for all financial transactions between individuals, the state and corporations in the PRC. The CNH market is traded officially and regulated jointly by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the PBOC. Because CNY and CNH are traded in different and separate markets, they can be subject to different liquidity constraints and market forces, and their valuations can vary. Any RMB-denominated bonds included in a Fund’s Underlying Index use CNY as the base currency. As a result, to the extent that a Fund holds RMB-denominated instruments in CNH, it could be subject to tracking error and transaction costs associated with converting from CNH to CNY (and vice versa).
Under prevailing tax regulations, a 10% withholding tax is imposed on PRC-sourced dividends and interest from non-government bonds paid to a Fund unless the rate is reduced under an applicable tax treaty. Value added tax (VAT) is levied on certain income derived by a Fund, including interest income from non-government bonds and trading gains, unless specifically exempted by the PRC tax authorities. VAT exemptions currently apply to debt securities traded in the China Interbank Bond Market. On November 22, 2018, the PRC’s Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation jointly issued Circular 108 providing foreign institutional investors with a temporary exemption from withholding income tax and VAT with respect to interest income derived from non-government bonds in the domestic bond market for the period from November 7, 2018 to November 6, 2021. On November 26, 2021, the PRC's Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation jointly issued Circular 34 to extend the tax exemption period provided in Circular 108 to December 31, 2025. Circular 108 is silent on the PRC tax treatment with respect to non-government bond interest derived prior to November 7, 2018. There is a risk the PRC tax authorities may withdraw the temporary tax exemptions and seek to collect withholding income tax and VAT on interest income from non-government bonds to a Fund without prior notice. If the tax exemptions are withdrawn, any taxes arising from or to a Fund may be directly borne by, or indirectly passed on to, the Fund, which may substantially impact its NAV. As with any NAV adjustment, investors may be advantaged or disadvantaged depending on when the investors purchased or sold shares of the Fund. Any changes in PRC tax law, future clarifications thereof, and/or subsequent retroactive enforcement by the PRC tax authorities may result in a loss that could be material to a Fund. BFA will keep the provisioning policy for tax liability under review and may, in its discretion from time to time, make a provision for potential tax liabilities if in its opinion such provision is warranted or as further publicly clarified by the PRC.
Risk of Investing in Developed Countries. Investment in developed country issuers will subject a Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries generally tend to rely on services sectors (e.g., the financial services sector) as the primary means of economic growth. A prolonged slowdown in one or more services sectors is likely to have a negative impact on economies of certain developed countries, although economies of individual developed countries can be impacted by slowdowns in other sectors. In the past, certain developed countries have been targets of terrorism, and some geographic areas in which a Fund invests have experienced strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, defense concerns and other security concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in the financial markets in these countries or geographic areas and may adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which a Fund has exposure. Heavy regulation of certain markets, including labor and product markets, may have an adverse effect on certain issuers. Such regulations may negatively affect economic growth or cause prolonged periods of recession. Many developed countries are heavily indebted and face rising healthcare and retirement expenses. In addition, price fluctuations of certain commodities and regulations impacting the import of commodities may negatively affect developed country economies.
Risk of Investing in Ginnie Mae Securities. The Fund invests substantially in MBS for which Ginnie Mae guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest. Ginnie Mae’s guarantee is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Any actual or potential disruption to Ginnie Mae, or the financial condition or credit of the U.S. government, could cause the value of Ginnie Mae securities to decline.
MBS represent interests in pools of mortgages and, due to the nature of the loans they represent, are subject to prepayment and extension risk. Prepayment risk is the risk that, during periods of falling interest rates, an issuer of MBS or other fixed-income securities may be able to repay principal prior to the security’s maturity. This may cause the Fund to have to reinvest in securities with a lower yield or higher risk of default, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income or return potential.
MBS are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that when interest rates rise, certain MBS will be paid off substantially more slowly than originally anticipated and the value of those securities may fall sharply, resulting in a decline in income and potentially in the value of the investment.
Because of prepayment and extension risks, MBS react differently to changes in interest rates than other bonds. Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain MBS. These securities are also subject to the risk of default on the underlying mortgage loans, particularly during periods of economic downturn.
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The Fund seeks to obtain exposure to Ginnie Mae mortgage pass-through securities, which represent a significant portion of the Underlying Index, primarily through TBA transactions. Default or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA transaction would expose the Fund to possible losses because of adverse market action, expenses, or delays in connection with the purchase or sale of the pools of mortgage pass-through securities specified in the TBA transaction.
Risk of Investing in the U.S. Investing in U.S. issuers involves legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to the U.S. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations, inflation, an economic recession, financial system stress, or political turmoil, among other risks, may have an adverse effect on the U.S. economy and the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. The U.S. is also subject to the risk of natural disasters, such as droughts, earthquakes, fires and floods. U.S. security risks include acts of terrorism, internal unrest and a deterioration in relations between the U.S. and certain countries. Any of these may adversely affect the U.S. economy, financial markets or issuers.
Governmental agencies project that the U.S. will maintain elevated public debt levels for the foreseeable future. Although elevated debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, the costs of servicing such debt may constrain future economic growth. Circumstances could arise that could prevent the timely payment of interest or principal on U.S. government debt, such as reaching the legislative debt ceiling. Such non-payment would result in substantial negative consequences for the U.S. economy and the global financial system.
Securities Lending Risk. A Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that a Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. A Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for a Fund.
Sustainability Risk. Sustainability risk is an inclusive term to designate investment risk (probability or uncertainty of occurrence of material losses relative to the expected return of an investment) that relates to environmental, social or governance issues.
Sustainability risk around environmental issues includes, but is not limited to, climate risk, both physical and transition risk. Physical risk arises from the physical effects of climate change, acute or chronic. For example, frequent and severe climate-related events can impact products and services and supply chains. Transition risk – whether policy, technology, market or reputation risk – arises from the adjustment to a low-carbon economy in order to mitigate climate change. Risks related to social issues can include, but are not limited to, labor rights and community relations. Governance-related risks can include but are not limited to risks around board independence, ownership and control, and audit and tax management. These risks can impact an issuer’s operational effectiveness and resilience as well as its public perception and reputation, affecting its profitability and, in turn, its capital growth and ultimately impacting the value of holdings in a Fund.
These are only examples of sustainability risk factors, and sustainability risk factors do not solely determine the risk profile of the investment. The relevance, severity, materiality and time horizon of sustainability risk factors and other risks can differ significantly across Funds.
Sustainability risk can manifest itself through different existing risk types including, but not limited to, market, liquidity, concentration, credit and asset-liability mismatch risk. For example, a Fund may invest in the securities of an issuer that could face potentially reduced revenues or increased expenditures from physical climate risk (e.g., decreased production capacity due to supply chain perturbations, lower sales due to demand shocks or higher operating or capital costs) or transition risk (e.g., decreased demand for carbon-intensive products and services or increased production costs due to changing input prices). As a result, sustainability risk factors may have a material impact on an investment, may increase volatility, may affect liquidity and may have an adverse impact on the value of shares of a Fund.
The impact of those risks may be higher for Funds with particular sectoral or geographic concentrations. For example, Funds with geographic concentration in locations susceptible to adverse weather conditions where the value of the investments in the Funds may be more susceptible to adverse physical climate events, or Funds with specific sectoral concentrations, such as investing in industries or issuers with high carbon intensity or high switching costs associated with the transition to low carbon alternatives, may be more impacted by climate transition risks.
All or a combination of these factors may have an unpredictable impact on a Fund’s investments. Under normal market conditions, such events could have a material impact on the value of shares of a Fund.
Assessments of sustainability risk are specific to the asset class and to a fund’s investment objective. Different asset classes require different data and tools to apply heightened scrutiny, assess materiality, and make meaningful differentiation among issuers and assets. To the extent consistent with a Fund’s investment objective, risks are considered and risk managed concurrently, by prioritizing in part based on materiality and on the Fund’s objective.
The impacts of sustainability risk are likely to develop over time, and new sustainability risks may be identified as further data and information regarding sustainability factors and impacts become available.
Technology Companies Risk. Technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources and personnel. These companies may face rapid product obsolescence as well as unexpected risks and costs related to new product introduction and technological developments, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Technology companies may be adversely affected by disruptions to supply chains and distribution networks as well as issues at third-party partners. They are heavily dependent on patent and other intellectual property rights, and the loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect their
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profitability. Technology companies may face increased government scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or legal action. These companies also may be adversely affected by, among other things, actual or perceived security vulnerabilities or other defects in their products and services, which may result in lawsuits, government enforcement actions and other remediation costs.
Tracking Error Risk. A Fund that tracks an index is subject to the risk of tracking error, which is the divergence of a Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur due to a number of factors, including differences between the securities and other assets held in a Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index; differences in the timing and methodologies used to value securities and other assets; transaction costs and other expenses incurred by a Fund that the Underlying Index does not incur; a Fund’s holding of uninvested cash; differences in the timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by a Fund or distributions paid to Fund shareholders; tax gains or losses; differences between the amount and/or timing of withholding taxes on dividends reflected in the Underlying Index from a Fund’s obligation, if any, for foreign withholding taxes; the requirements for a Fund to maintain pass-through tax treatment; portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders; the acceptance of custom baskets; changes to the Underlying Index, such as during a rebalancing or reconstitution; and impacts to a Fund of complying with certain regulatory requirements or limits. A Fund that tracks an index composed of a large number of securities or other assets may experience greater tracking error than a Fund that tracks a more narrow index. Tracking error risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions.
Utility Companies Risk. Utility infrastructure often requires significant capital expenditures, and utility companies may face high interest costs and difficulty in raising capital. Technological innovations may render existing equipment or products obsolete, and companies may experience difficulty in obtaining regulatory approval of new technologies. Utility operations may be disrupted by events that target or damage utility infrastructure, including natural disasters and cyber or other attacks. Utilities companies may be adversely affected by volatility in the price of certain energy resources.
Utility companies face risks from government regulation and oversight as well as from deregulation (if applicable). Regulators may monitor and control companies’ revenues and costs. There is no assurance that regulators will grant rate increases or that rate levels will be adequate to permit the payment of stock dividends or bond coupon payments. In addition, there may be regulatory restrictions on the ability of utility companies to enter new lines of business and geographic areas. Utility companies incur costs in complying with environmental and other regulations and may face significant challenges in obtaining regulatory approval for certain projects, such as nuclear power plants. Utility companies are at risk of liability for environmental harm and other types of damages. Energy conservation, climate change and other sustainability policies also may impact utility companies. Deregulation may subject companies to greater competition, may adversely affect their profitability and may lead them to engage in riskier ventures.
Valuation Risk. The price that a Fund could receive upon the sale (or other disposition) of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security or other asset, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. The price received by a Fund also may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index (if applicable). Because non-U.S. exchanges or markets may be open on days or during time periods when a Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or other assets in a Fund’s portfolio may change on days or during time periods when investors are not able to purchase or sell Fund shares.
In addition, for purposes of calculating a Fund’s NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies (if any) is translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates. For a Fund that tracks an Underlying Index, this may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Underlying Index. Authorized Participants that create or redeem Fund shares on days when a Fund is holding fair-valued securities or other assets may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities or other assets not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.
Portfolio Holdings Information
A description of the policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio securities and other assets (as applicable) is available in the applicable Statement of Additional Information (SAI). Each Fund discloses its portfolio holdings daily at www.iShares.com. Fact sheets providing information about each Fund’s top holdings are posted on www.iShares.com when available and may be requested by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737).
Management of the Funds
Investment Adviser
As investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Funds. BFA provides an investment program for the Funds and manages the investment of the Funds’ assets. In seeking to achieve the Funds’ respective investment objectives, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other investment specialists and may draw upon the trading, research and expertise of its affiliates. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA’s extensive resources.
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BFA is a consolidated subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (BlackRock) and is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. As of December 31, 2025, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets of approximately $14.0 trillion.
From time to time, an employee of BlackRock may express views regarding a particular security or other instrument, asset class, company, industry, or market sector. Such views are the views of only that individual as of the time expressed. They do not necessarily represent the views of BlackRock or any other person within the BlackRock organization. Such views may change at any time based upon market or other conditions, and BlackRock has no responsibility to update such views. You should not rely on any such views as investment advice or as an indication of trading intent on behalf of a Fund.
Fees and Expenses
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and the Trust (entered into on behalf of the Funds), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of each Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, and litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses (as determined by a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust). Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any.
A discussion regarding the basis for the approval by the Trust's Board of Trustees (the Board) of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA is available in the Funds' Form N-CSR filed with the SEC for the period ended October 31 and in the applicable financial statements and additional information documents posted at www.iShares.com.
For its investment advisory services to each Fund, for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2025, BFA was paid a management fee from each Fund, as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets, net of any applicable waivers, at the annual rate set forth in the table below. If BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees for a Fund, the contractual waiver may be terminated prior to its expiration date only upon written agreement of the Trust and BFA. In addition, BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses to reduce a Fund’s total annual fund operating expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.
Fund
Management Fee
iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
0.30%
iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF
0.06%
iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF
0.15%
iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF
0.25%
iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
0.08%
iShares CMBS ETF
0.25%
iShares Convertible Bond ETF
0.20%
iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
0.35%
iShares Fallen Angels USD Bond ETF
0.25%
iShares GNMA Bond ETF
0.09%1
1
BFA has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount equal to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any, attributable to investments by the Fund in other registered investment companies through February 28, 2029. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to February 28, 2029 only upon written agreement of the Trust and BFA.
Portfolio Managers
The Portfolio Managers for each Fund are responsible for various functions related to portfolio management, including, but not limited to, investing cash inflows, coordinating with members of their respective portfolio management teams to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing investment strategy and overseeing members of their respective teams who have more limited responsibilities.
Jonathan Graves, James Mauro and Marcus Tom are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds.
Jonathan Graves has been employed by BFA or its affiliates as a senior portfolio manager since 2003. He is a Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc.
James Mauro has been employed by BFA or its affiliates as a portfolio manager since 2011. He is a Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc.
Marcus Tom has been employed by BFA or its affiliates as a senior portfolio manager since 2000. He is a Director of BlackRock, Inc.
Each Fund’s SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership (if any) of shares of the Funds.
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Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent
The administrator, custodian and transfer agent for each Fund is indicated in the table below.
Fund
The Bank of
New York
Mellon
Citibank, N.A.
JPMorgan
Chase Bank,
N.A.
State Street
Bank and Trust
Company
iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF*
 
 
 
iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF*
 
 
 
iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF*
 
 
 
iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF*
 
 
 
iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF*
 
 
 
iShares CMBS ETF*
 
 
 
iShares Convertible Bond ETF *
 
 
 
iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF*
 
 
 
iShares Fallen Angels USD Bond ETF*
 
 
 
iShares GNMA Bond ETF*
 
 
 
*
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. serves as custodian for the Fund in connection with certain securities lending activities.
Conflicts of Interest
The investment activities of BFA and its affiliates (including BlackRock and its subsidiaries (collectively, the Affiliates)), and their respective directors, officers or employees, in managing their own accounts and other accounts, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage a Fund and its shareholders.
BFA and its Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and in the ordinary course of business may engage in activities in which their interests or the interests of other clients may conflict with those of a Fund. BFA and its Affiliates act, or may act, as an investor, research provider, investment manager, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, trader, lender, index provider, agent and/or principal. BFA and its Affiliates may have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities, derivatives and other assets in which a Fund may directly or indirectly invest.
BFA and its Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and other funds that have investment objectives similar to those of a Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same or similar types of securities, currencies and other assets as are held by a Fund. This may include transactions in securities issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies, including investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act). The trading activities of BFA and its Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by a Fund. These activities may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in assets that are senior or junior to, or that have interests different from or adverse to, the assets held by a Fund.
A Fund may invest in securities issued by, or engage in other transactions with, entities with which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. A Fund may also invest in issuances (such as debt offerings or structured notes) for which an Affiliate is compensated for providing advisory, cash management or other services. A Fund also may invest in securities of, or engage in other transactions with, entities for which an Affiliate provides or may provide research coverage or other analysis.
An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and receive compensation from, distributors, consultants or others who recommend a Fund or who engage in transactions with or for a Fund.
Neither BlackRock nor any Affiliate is under any obligation to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with a Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with a Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. The results of a Fund’s investment activities, therefore, may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by an Affiliate. It is possible that a Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.
In addition, a Fund may enter into transactions in which BFA or an Affiliate or their directors, officers, employees or clients have an adverse interest. A Fund may be adversely impacted by the effects of transactions undertaken by BFA or an Affiliate or their directors, officers, employees or clients.
From time to time, BlackRock or its advisory clients (including other funds and accounts) may, subject to compliance with applicable law, purchase and hold shares of a Fund. The price, availability, liquidity, and (in some cases) expense ratio of a Fund may be impacted by purchases and sales of the Fund by BlackRock or its advisory clients.
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A Fund’s activities may be limited because of regulatory restrictions applicable to BFA or an Affiliate or their policies designed to comply with such restrictions.
Under a securities lending program approved by the Board, the Funds have retained BTC, an Affiliate of BFA, to serve as their securities lending agent to the extent that they participate in the securities lending program. For these services, the securities lending agent will receive a fee from the participating Fund based on the returns earned on the Fund’s lending activities, including investment of the cash received as collateral for the loaned securities. In addition, one or more Affiliates may be among the entities to which a Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.
Under an ETF Services Agreement, certain Funds have retained BlackRock Investments, LLC (the Distributor or BRIL), an Affiliate of BFA, to perform certain order processing, Authorized Participant communications, and related services in connection with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units (ETF Services). BRIL has engaged Citibank, N.A. (Citibank) as a subcontractor to provide certain ETF Services. BRIL retains a portion of the standard transaction fee received from Authorized Participants on each creation or redemption order from the Authorized Participant for the ETF Services provided. BlackRock collaborated with, and received payment from, Citibank on the design and development of the ETF Services platform. Citibank has, and from time to time may develop, additional relationships with BlackRock or funds managed by BFA and its Affiliates.
BlackRock and its Affiliates may benefit from a Fund using a BlackRock index by creating increasing acceptance in the marketplace for such indexes. BlackRock and its Affiliates are not obligated to license an index to a Fund, and no Fund is under an obligation to use a BlackRock index. The terms of a Fund’s index licensing agreement with BlackRock or its Affiliates may not be as favorable as the terms offered to other licensees.
The activities of BFA and its Affiliates and their respective directors, officers or employees may give rise to other conflicts of interest that could disadvantage a Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. Please see the SAI for further information.
Shareholder Information
Additional shareholder information, including how to buy and sell shares of the Funds, is available free of charge by calling toll-free 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or visiting www.iShares.com.
Buying and Selling Shares
Transactions in shares of the Funds occur in the primary market and the secondary market. Primary market transactions, known as creations and redemptions, occur only between the Funds and Authorized Participants (i.e., financial institutions that are authorized to participate in such transactions), as described in the Creations and Redemptions section below.
Fund shares are listed on U.S. national securities exchanges, where they can be bought and sold throughout the trading day at market prices, like shares of other publicly traded companies. A Fund’s shares may also be available in other secondary markets, such as on non-U.S. exchanges and through funds or structured investment vehicles similar to depositary receipts. The Funds do not impose any minimum investment for Fund shares purchased on an exchange or otherwise in the secondary market.
Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange or other secondary market generally involves two types of costs that are common in securities transactions. First, when buying or selling Fund shares through a broker, you may incur a brokerage commission and other charges. The commission is frequently a fixed amount; it may be a significant proportional cost if you are seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. Second, you may incur the cost of the spread, which is any difference between the bid price and the ask price for the shares. The spread varies over time based on a Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity. Generally, the spread is smaller if a Fund has high trading volume and market liquidity, and larger if a Fund has lower trading volume and market liquidity. The latter is often the case for newly launched or smaller funds. A Fund’s spread may also be impacted by the liquidity (or lack thereof) of the underlying securities or other assets held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds, or by instances of significant volatility of the underlying assets.
The U.S. national securities exchanges that list Fund shares are open for trading Monday through Friday and are closed on weekends and the following holidays (or the days on which they are observed): New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Investments in Investment Companies
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act generally restricts investments by investment companies, including foreign and unregistered investment companies, in the securities of other investment companies. For example, a registered investment company (the Acquired Fund), such as the Funds, may not knowingly sell or otherwise dispose of any security issued by the Acquired Fund to any investment company (the Acquiring Fund) or any company or companies controlled by the Acquiring Fund if, immediately after such sale or disposition: (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of the Acquired Fund is owned by the Acquiring Fund and any company or companies controlled by the Acquiring Fund, or (ii) more than 10% of the total outstanding voting stock of the Acquired Fund is owned by the Acquiring Fund and other investment companies and companies controlled by them.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, registered investment companies are permitted to invest in a Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act. To make such an investment in an Acquired Fund, a registered investment company must, among other things, enter into an agreement with the Trust. If an Acquired Fund invests significantly in other registered investment companies in reliance on Rule 12d1-4, an Acquiring Fund will not be permitted to rely on Rule 12d1-4 and invest in the Fund beyond the Section 12(d)(1) limits. Any investment company interested in purchasing shares of a Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1) should contact BFA.
Foreign investment companies are permitted to invest in a Fund only up to the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to any applicable SEC no-action relief.
Book Entry
Shares of the Funds are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (DTC), which serves as the securities depository for shares of the Funds, or its nominee is the record owner of, and holds legal title to, all outstanding shares of the Funds.
Investors owning Fund shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of Fund shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of Fund shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities held in book-entry or street name form.
Share Prices
The trading prices of a Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and are affected by various factors, such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and the securities or other assets held by a Fund as well as other market and economic conditions.
Determination of Net Asset Value
The NAV of a Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, on each day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open for trading. The NAV generally is determined as of the close of the NYSE’s regular trading hours, normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, based on prices at the time of closing.
Any Fund assets or liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers.
The NAV of a Fund is calculated by dividing the value of the Fund’s net assets (i.e., the value of its total assets, including the value of any underlying fund shares in which the Fund invests, less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding shares of the Fund, generally rounded to the nearest cent. The value of a Fund’s assets and liabilities is determined pursuant to BFA’s valuation policies and procedures. BFA has been designated by the Board as the valuation designee for each Fund pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act.
Equity securities and other equity instruments (except ETF options, equity index options or those that are customized) for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value, which is generally determined using the last reported official closing price or, if a reported closing price is not available, the last traded price on the exchange or market on which the security or instrument is primarily traded at the time of valuation. Shares of underlying open-end funds (including money market funds) that are not traded on an exchange are valued at net asset value. Shares of underlying ETFs and closed-end funds that trade on exchanges are valued at their most recent market closing price.
Fixed-income securities and certain derivative instruments are valued using last available bid prices or current market quotations provided by dealers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Funds’ approved independent third-party pricing services, each in accordance with BFA’s valuation policies and procedures. Pricing services may use matrix pricing or valuation models that utilize certain inputs and assumptions to derive values. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but a Fund may hold or transact in such securities in smaller odd lot sizes. Odd lots of securities in certain asset classes may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots, and the value ultimately realized when the securities are sold could differ from the prices used by a Fund. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used with respect to debt obligations with 60 days or less remaining to maturity unless BFA determines in good faith that such method does not represent fair value.
Generally, trading in certain instruments (e.g., non-U.S. securities, money market instruments, etc.) is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of the NYSE’s regular trading hours. The values of such instruments used in computing a Fund’s NAV are determined as of such times.
For certain foreign assets, a third-party vendor supplies evaluated, systematic fair value pricing based upon the movement of a proprietary multi-factor model after the relevant foreign markets have closed. This systematic fair value pricing methodology is designed to correlate the prices of foreign assets in one or more non-U.S. markets following the close of the local markets to the prices that might have prevailed as of a Fund’s pricing time.
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Customized exchange-traded equity options, ETF options, equity index options and other derivatives may be valued using a mathematical model that may incorporate a number of market data factors.
When market quotations are not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, BFA will fair value a Fund’s investments in accordance with its policies and procedures. Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. It is the amount that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of an asset or the cost to extinguish a liability in an arm’s-length transaction.
BFA may conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if:
An asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of trading or other reasons;
A market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value;
An asset or liability is thinly traded;
There is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation; or
The trading market on which an instrument is listed is suspended or closed and no appropriate alternative trading market is available.
A significant event is deemed to occur if BFA determines, in its reasonable business judgment prior to or at the time of pricing a Fund’s assets or liabilities, that the event is likely to cause a material change to the last exchange closing price or closing market price of one or more of the Fund’s assets or liabilities.
Valuing a Fund’s investments using fair value pricing may result in prices that differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period for which the particular fair values were used. For an index Fund, the use of both fair value prices and current market valuations in a particular NAV calculation could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Fund’s NAV and the prices used by the Fund’s underlying index. This could, in turn, result in a difference between the Fund’s performance and the performance of its underlying index.
Dividends and Distributions
General Policies. A Fund generally declares and pays dividends from net investment income, if any, at least once a year. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis for a Fund. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (RIC) or to avoid the imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on Fund shares are distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of the shares. Dividend payments and other distributions are made through DTC participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the Funds.
Dividend Reinvestment Service. No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Program available to beneficial owners of Fund shares for the reinvestment of distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If the program is used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole Fund shares purchased in the secondary market.
Note on Tax Information. The following sections summarize some of the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in a Fund. This information is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of Fund shares. Distributions that are attributable to interest from U.S. federal government obligations may be exempt from certain state and local tax. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares under all applicable tax laws.
Taxes
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares of a Fund will be taxed, including possible tax consequences when a Fund makes distributions or when you sell Fund shares. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of a Fund. There is no guarantee that shares of a Fund will receive certain regulatory or accounting treatment.
Taxes on Fund Distributions
Shareholders in a Fund will receive information after the end of each calendar year setting forth the amount of dividends and long-term capital gains distributed to them by the Fund during the prior year, if any. Likewise, the amount of tax-exempt income, if any, that a Fund distributes will be reported. Such income must be reported on the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax return.
In general, distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax for the year when they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.
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Capital Gains. Distributions from a Fund’s net investment income (other than qualified dividend income or from net tax-exempt income, if any), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of a Fund’s net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions by a Fund of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses (capital gain dividends) are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the Fund’s shares. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at preferential rates for non-corporate shareholders. However, different preferential rates may apply depending on the type of capital gains, such as Fund distributions of certain amounts received from real estate investment trusts (REITs), if any.
Return of Capital. If a Fund’s distributions exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder’s cost basis and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a shareholder’s cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gains, if the shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets. Distributions in excess of a Fund’s minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital.
Qualified Dividend Income. Distributions by a Fund that qualify as qualified dividend income, if any, are taxable to you at long-term capital gain rates. Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by a Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from stock issued by taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period requirements and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the U.S., which includes an exchange of information program, or if the stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
Dividends received by a Fund from a RIC, if any, generally are qualified dividend income only to the extent that such dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC. Additionally, it is expected that dividends received by a Fund from a REIT, if any, and distributed to a shareholder generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income. However, a Fund may report dividends eligible for a 20% qualified business income deduction for non-corporate U.S. shareholders to the extent that the Fund’s income is derived from ordinary REIT dividends, reduced by allocable Fund expenses.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the relevant Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date that is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
Fund distributions, to the extent attributable to dividends from U.S. corporations, will be eligible for the dividends received deduction for Fund shareholders that are corporations, subject to certain hedging and holding requirements.
Substitute dividends received by a Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out, if any, will not be qualified dividend income.
Medicare Tax. A 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on net investment income, including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
Alternative Minimum Tax. The AMT is a separate U.S. federal tax system that operates in parallel to the regular federal income tax system but eliminates many deductions and exclusions. The AMT has different tax rates and treats as taxable certain types of income that are nontaxable for regular income tax purposes, such as the interest on certain private activity municipal bonds. If a taxpayer’s overall AMT liability is higher than regular income tax liability, then the taxpayer owes the regular income tax liability plus the difference between the AMT liability and the regular income tax liability.
Original Issue Discount and Inflation-Related Adjustments
Accruals of original issue discount on bonds that a Fund acquires at a discount and adjustments for inflation to the principal amount of an inflation-protected U.S. Treasury bond held by a Fund may be included for tax purposes in the Fund’s gross income, even though no cash attributable to such gross income has at that point been received by the Fund. In such event, the Fund may be required to make annual distributions to shareholders that exceed the cash it has otherwise received. In order to pay such distributions, the Fund may be required to raise cash by selling portfolio investments. The sale of such investments could result in capital gains to the Fund and additional capital gains distributions to Fund shareholders. In addition, any deflation-related adjustments during the taxable year to an inflation-indexed bond held by a Fund may cause amounts distributed in the taxable year as income to be characterized as a return of capital.
Market Discount Bonds
Any market discount recognized on a bond, including a tax-exempt interest bond, is taxable as ordinary income. A market discount bond is a bond acquired in the secondary market at a price below redemption value or adjusted issue price if issued with original issue discount. To the extent that a Fund does not include the market discount in income as it accrues, gains on the Fund’s disposition of such an obligation will be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gains to the extent of the accrued market discount.
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Derivatives and Other Complex Instruments
A Fund may invest in derivatives and other complex instruments, and such investments may be subject to special and complicated rules. These rules could affect whether gains and losses recognized by a Fund are treated as ordinary income or capital gains, accelerate the recognition of income to a Fund or defer a Fund’s ability to recognize losses. In addition, these rules may affect the amount, timing or character of income distributed to you by a Fund. You should consult your personal tax advisor regarding the application of these rules.
Non-U.S. Income Taxes
Dividends, interest and capital gains (if any) earned by a Fund with respect to securities issued by non-U.S. issuers may give rise to withholding, capital gains and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If, at the close of a year, more than 50% of a Fund’s total assets consist of non-U.S. stocks or securities (generally, for this purpose, depositary receipts, no matter where traded, of non-U.S. companies are treated as non-U.S.), generally the Fund may pass through to you certain non-U.S. income taxes, including withholding taxes, paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax. No deduction for such taxes will be permitted to individuals in computing their alternative minimum tax liability. If a Fund does not pass through non-U.S. taxes, the Fund will be entitled to claim a deduction for certain foreign taxes that it incurs.
Under certain circumstances, if a Fund receives a refund of foreign taxes paid with respect to a prior year, the value of Fund shares could be affected or any foreign tax credits or deductions passed through to shareholders with respect to the Fund’s foreign taxes for the current year could be reduced.
If, at the close of the year, more than 50% of a Fund’s total assets consist of stocks or securities issued by non-U.S. issuers, including depositary receipts (no matter where traded) of non-U.S. companies, or, at the close of each quarter, more than 50% of a Fund’s total assets consist of shares of an Underlying Fund, the Fund may pass-through to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund or, if its assets meet these requirements, the Underlying Fund.
For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of a Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, limiting the availability of such credits for U.S. persons.
Non-U.S. Shareholders
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the U.S. or if you are a non-U.S. entity (other than a pass-through entity to the extent owned by U.S. persons), a Fund’s ordinary income dividends, if any, generally will be subject to a 30% U.S. federal withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies. However, withholding tax generally will not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder upon the sale or other disposition of Fund shares or with respect to certain distributions paid to a non-U.S. shareholder and reported by a Fund as capital gain dividends, interest-related dividends or short-term capital gain dividends.
Separately, a 30% withholding tax may be imposed on Fund distributions (if any) paid to certain foreign entities, unless such entities comply, or are deemed compliant, with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts.
Backup Withholding
If you are a resident or a citizen of the U.S. and you have not provided a taxpayer identification number or social security number and made other required certifications, by law, backup withholding at a 24% rate will apply to Fund distributions and proceeds (if any).
Securities Lending
If your shares of a Fund are loaned out pursuant to a securities lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to treat Fund dividends that are paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income, and you may lose the ability to use non-U.S. tax credits passed through by the Fund.
Fund of Funds
If a Fund invests in an Underlying Fund, short-term capital gains earned by the Underlying Fund, if any, will be ordinary income when distributed to the Fund and will not be offset by the Fund’s capital losses. To the extent such Fund is expected to invest in an Underlying Fund, the Fund’s realized losses on sales of shares of the Underlying Fund may be indefinitely or permanently deferred as wash sales. Capital loss carryforwards of the Underlying Fund, if any, will not offset net capital gains of the Fund.
Taxes on the Sale of Exchange-Listed Fund Shares
Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares that have been held for one year or less is generally treated as a short-term capital gain or loss. However, any capital loss on a sale of Fund shares held for six months or less is treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such shares. Any such capital gains, including from
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sales of Fund shares or from capital gain dividends, are included in net investment income for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned above.
Creations and Redemptions
Prior to being traded in the secondary market, Fund shares are created at NAV by Authorized Participants (i.e., market makers, large investors and other financial institutions) in block-size Creation Units or multiples thereof. Fund shares are created or redeemed only in Creation Units, and only Authorized Participants may create or redeem Creation Units with the Funds.
Each Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC and has entered into a written agreement with the Funds’ Distributor, an affiliate of BFA. The agreement allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. Authorized Participants may create or redeem Creation Units for their own accounts or for customers, including, without limitation, affiliates of the Funds. Creation transactions are subject to acceptance by the Distributor and the relevant Fund.
Generally, there are three transaction methods for creating and redeeming Fund shares: in-kind securities (in-kind), partial cash and all cash.
In-Kind. In a creation transaction, an Authorized Participant deposits into a Fund a creation basket, which is a portfolio of securities or other assets designated by the Fund, as well as a cash amount. The Authorized Participant receives a specified number of Creation Units in return. In a redemption transaction, an Authorized Participant deposits Creation Units with a Fund and receives from the Fund a redemption basket, which is a portfolio of securities or other assets designated by the Fund, as well as a cash amount.
Partial Cash. In a creation transaction, an Authorized Participant deposits into a Fund a creation basket and a cash amount, including cash that replaces a security or other asset in the creation basket, in exchange for Creation Units. In a redemption transaction, an Authorized Participant deposits Creation Units with a Fund and receives from the Fund a redemption basket and a cash amount, including cash that replaces a security or other asset in the redemption basket.
All Cash. In a creation transaction, an Authorized Participant deposits into a Fund an amount of cash specified by the Fund in exchange for Creation Units. In a redemption transaction, an Authorized Participant deposits Creation Units with a Fund and receives from the Fund a specified amount of cash.
The creation and redemption baskets for a Fund may differ in composition, and certain iShares ETFs accept custom baskets. More information about custom baskets is provided in the Funds’ SAI.
Each Fund generally engages in creation and redemption transactions according to the method indicated in the table below. In certain circumstances, however, a Fund may use another transaction method (e.g., an in-kind Fund may transact partially or fully in cash).
Fund
In-Kind
Partial
All Cash
iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
 
 
iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF
 
 
iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF
 
 
iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF
 
 
iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
 
 
iShares CMBS ETF
 
 
iShares Convertible Bond ETF
 
 
iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
 
 
iShares Fallen Angels USD Bond ETF
 
 
iShares GNMA Bond ETF
 
 
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of a Fund’s NAV after a creation or redemption order is tendered in an acceptable form under the Authorized Participant agreement. In the event of a system failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, creation and redemption orders may not be executed according to a Fund’s instructions or may not be executed at all.
Additional information about the creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for the receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the Funds’ SAI.
The Funds do not impose restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Fund shares directly with a Fund. The Board determined not to adopt policies and procedures designed to prevent or monitor for frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares because each Fund generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions that are in-kind and/or for cash, with a deadline for placing cash-related transactions no later than the close of the primary markets for the Fund’s portfolio securities. However, the Funds have taken certain measures (e.g., imposing transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units and reserving the right to reject
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purchases of Creation Units under certain circumstances) to minimize the potential consequences of frequent cash purchases and redemptions by Authorized Participants, such as increased tracking error, disruption of portfolio management, dilution to the Funds, and/or increased transaction costs. Further, the vast majority of trading in Fund shares occurs on the secondary market, which does not involve the Funds directly, and such trading is unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent cash purchases or redemptions of Fund shares.
To the extent a Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a qualified institutional buyer, as such term is defined in Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
Because Fund shares may be created and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of a Fund a distribution, as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may be occurring. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
Broker-dealers should also note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary transactions), and thus dealing with shares that are part of an unsold allotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Householding
Householding is an option available to certain Fund investors. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
Abu Dhabi Global Market Disclosures
The following applies with respect to iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF:
This Prospectus may not be distributed in or from the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) except to such persons meeting the Professional Client criteria set out in Rule 2.4.1 of the conduct of business rules (COBs) in the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (FSRA) handbook. This Prospectus and any related document are strictly not directed to any person who would be considered a Retail Client in the ADGM under the COBs.
No Fund is subject to any form of regulation or approval by the FSRA. The FSRA accepts no responsibility for reviewing or verifying the Prospectus or any other documents in connection with any Fund. Accordingly, the FSRA has not approved this Prospectus or any other associated documents nor taken any steps to verify the information set out in this Prospectus and has no responsibility for it.
The shares of a Fund may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale with respect to Professional Clients in the ADGM. Prospective investors should conduct their own due diligence on a Fund.
If you do not understand the contents of this Prospectus, you should consult your personal financial advisor.
Distribution
The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the Funds on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Funds. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities or other assets (as applicable) that are purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001.
BFA or its affiliates make payments to broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, intermediaries) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, data provision services, or their making shares of the Funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Funds. Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Funds. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments or other financial incentives the intermediary is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments or other financial incentives that are offered or made to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the applicable SAI. Please
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contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments that their firm may receive from BFA or its affiliates.
Financial Highlights
The financial highlights table for each Fund is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for the past five fiscal years or, if shorter, the period since the Fund’s inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total return information represents the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. This information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with each Fund’s financial statements, is included in each Fund’s Form N-CSR (available upon request).
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For a share outstanding throughout each period:
 
iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
 
Year Ended
10/31/25
Year Ended
10/31/24
Year Ended
10/31/23
Year Ended
10/31/22
Year Ended
10/31/21
Net asset value, beginning of year
$42.97
$40.44
$40.83
$45.51
$43.75
Net investment income(a)
3.05
2.92
2.64
2.10
2.09
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)(b)
0.05
2.49
(0.36
)
(4.58
)
1.90
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations
3.10
5.41
2.28
(2.48
)
3.99
Distributions from net investment income(c)
(3.03
)
(2.88
)
(2.67
)
(2.20
)
(2.23
)
Net asset value, end of year
$43.04
$42.97
$40.44
$40.83
$45.51
Total Return(d)
Based on net asset value
7.50
%
13.78
%
5.69
%
(5.55
)%
9.25
%
Ratios to Average Net Assets(e)
Total expenses
0.30
%
0.31
%(f)
0.30
%
0.30
%
0.30
%
Total expenses after reimbursement of litigation fees
0.29
%(g)
0.31
%(f)
0.30
%
0.30
%
0.30
%
Net investment income
7.15
%
6.92
%
6.42
%
4.90
%
4.59
%
Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of year (000)
$7,884,016
$6,003,506
$4,594,343
$6,977,147
$5,433,846
Portfolio turnover rate(h)
29
%
36
%
26
%
23
%
39
%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding.
(b) The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in
relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund’s underlying securities.
(c) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.
(d) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
(e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.
(f) Includes non-recurring expense of litigation fees. Without this cost, total expenses would have been 0.30%.
(g) Includes non-recurring reimbursement of litigation fees.
(h) Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, if any.
For a share outstanding throughout each period:
 
iShares 0-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF
 
Year Ended
10/31/25
Year Ended
10/31/24
Year Ended
10/31/23
Year Ended
10/31/22
Year Ended
10/31/21
Net asset value, beginning of year
$49.91
$47.89
$47.24
$51.36
$52.01
Net investment income(a)
2.08
1.78
1.37
0.86
0.80
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)(b)
0.85
2.01
0.66
(4.09
)
(0.57
)
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations
2.93
3.79
2.03
(3.23
)
0.23
Distributions(c)
From net investment income
(2.05
)
(1.77
)
(1.38
)
(0.82
)
(0.87
)
From net realized gain
(0.07
)
(0.01
)
Total distributions
(2.05
)
(1.77
)
(1.38
)
(0.89
)
(0.88
)
Net asset value, end of year
$50.79
$49.91
$47.89
$47.24
$51.36
Total Return(d)
Based on net asset value
5.99
%
8.03
%
4.32
%
(6.35
)%
0.44
%
Ratios to Average Net Assets(e)
Total expenses
0.06
%
0.06
%
0.06
%
0.06
%
0.06
%
Net investment income
4.14
%
3.62
%
2.85
%
1.74
%
1.54
%
Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of year (000)
$2,333,821
$2,116,251
$2,236,466
$2,992,806
$2,521,896
Portfolio turnover rate(f)
24
%
24
%
23
%
20
%
23
%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding.
(b) The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in
relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund’s underlying securities.
(c) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.
(d) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
(e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.
(f) Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, if any.
31


For a share outstanding throughout each period:
 
iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF
 
Year Ended
10/31/25
Year Ended
10/31/24
Year Ended
10/31/23
Year Ended
10/31/22
Year Ended
10/31/21
Net asset value, beginning of year
$47.67
$44.10
$44.74
$56.49
$57.46
Net investment income(a)
2.09
1.93
1.60
1.20
1.10
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)(b)
0.78
3.51
(0.69
)
(11.75
)
(0.91
)
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations
2.87
5.44
0.91
(10.55
)
0.19
Distributions(c)
From net investment income
(2.06
)
(1.87
)
(1.55
)
(1.20
)
(1.13
)
From net realized gain
(0.03
)
Total distributions
(2.06
)
(1.87
)
(1.55
)
(1.20
)
(1.16
)
Net asset value, end of year
$48.48
$47.67
$44.10
$44.74
$56.49
Total Return(d)
Based on net asset value
6.21
%
12.45
%
1.92
%
(18.93
)%
0.34
%
Ratios to Average Net Assets(e)
Total expenses
0.15
%
0.15
%
0.15
%
0.15
%
0.15
%
Net investment income
4.39
%
4.07
%
3.43
%
2.35
%
1.93
%
Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of year (000)
$1,733,140
$1,651,639
$921,738
$773,919
$1,186,345
Portfolio turnover rate(f)
15
%
16
%
16
%
14
%
17
%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding.
(b) The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in
relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund’s underlying securities.
(c) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.
(d) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
(e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.
(f) Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, if any.
For a share outstanding throughout each period:
 
iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF
 
Year Ended
10/31/25
Year Ended
10/31/24
Year Ended
10/31/23
Year Ended
10/31/22
Year Ended
10/31/21
Net asset value, beginning of year
$46.51
$43.23
$43.97
$52.01
$49.76
Net investment income(a)
2.85
2.90
2.78
2.28
1.89
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)(b)
0.76
3.21
(0.69
)
(8.04
)
2.25
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations
3.61
6.11
2.09
(5.76
)
4.14
Distributions(c)
From net investment income
(2.96
)
(2.83
)
(2.83
)
(2.12
)
(1.89
)
From net realized gain
(0.16
)
Total distributions
(2.96
)
(2.83
)
(2.83
)
(2.28
)
(1.89
)
Net asset value, end of year
$47.16
$46.51
$43.23
$43.97
$52.01
Total Return(d)
Based on net asset value
8.06
%
14.44
%
4.75
%
(11.30
)%
8.39
%
Ratios to Average Net Assets(e)
Total expenses
0.25
%
0.25
%
0.25
%
0.25
%
0.25
%
Total expenses after fees waived
0.25
%
0.25
%
0.15
%
0.15
%
0.15
%
Net investment income
6.14
%
6.32
%
6.25
%
4.92
%
3.64
%
Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of year (000)
$407,929
$367,445
$263,727
$329,801
$93,611
Portfolio turnover rate(f)
27
%
37
%
22
%
21
%
32
%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding.
(b) The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in
relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund’s underlying securities.
(c) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.
(d) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
(e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.
(f) Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, if any.
32


For a share outstanding throughout each period:
 
iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
 
Year Ended
10/31/25
Year Ended
10/31/24
Year Ended
10/31/23
Year Ended
10/31/22
Year Ended
10/31/21
Net asset value, beginning of year
$37.17
$34.11
$34.49
$41.21
$39.34
Net investment income(a)
2.56
2.54
2.32
2.03
2.02
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)(b)
0.38
2.99
(0.34
)
(6.68
)
1.97
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations
2.94
5.53
1.98
(4.65
)
3.99
Distributions from net investment income(c)
(2.55
)
(2.47
)
(2.36
)
(2.07
)
(2.12
)
Net asset value, end of year
$37.56
$37.17
$34.11
$34.49
$41.21
Total Return(d)
Based on net asset value
8.25
%
16.68
%
5.80
%
(11.59
)%
10.31
%
Ratios to Average Net Assets(e)
Total expenses
0.08
%
0.09
%(f)
0.22
%
0.22
%
0.22
%
Total expenses after fees waived
0.08
%
0.09
%(f)
0.15
%
0.15
%
0.15
%
Net investment income
6.90
%
6.96
%
6.65
%
5.42
%
4.91
%
Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of year (000)
$26,250,734
$20,604,751
$9,016,134
$8,114,659
$8,308,643
Portfolio turnover rate(g)
18
%
21
%
13
%
12
%
24
%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding.
(b) The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in
relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund’s underlying securities.
(c) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.
(d) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
(e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.
(f) Interest expense was  not annualized in the calculation of the expense ratio. If this expense was annualized, the total expense would have been 0.08%.
(g) Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, if any.
For a share outstanding throughout each period:
 
iShares CMBS ETF
 
Year Ended
10/31/25
Year Ended
10/31/24
Year Ended
10/31/23
Year Ended
10/31/22
Year Ended
10/31/21
Net asset value, beginning of year
$47.50
$44.45
$45.06
$53.62
$54.88
Net investment income(a)
1.68
1.54
1.32
1.19
1.23
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)(b)
1.56
3.03
(0.59
)
(8.45
)
(1.06
)
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations
3.24
4.57
0.73
(7.26
)
0.17
Distributions(c)
From net investment income
(1.67
)
(1.52
)
(1.34
)
(1.18
)
(1.22
)
From net realized gain
(0.12
)
(0.21
)
Total distributions
(1.67
)
(1.52
)
(1.34
)
(1.30
)
(1.43
)
Net asset value, end of year
$49.07
$47.50
$44.45
$45.06
$53.62
Total Return(d)
Based on net asset value
6.95
%
10.38
%
1.58
%
(13.75
)%
0.29
%
Ratios to Average Net Assets(e)
Total expenses
0.25
%
0.25
%
0.25
%
0.25
%
0.25
%
Net investment income
3.50
%
3.29
%
2.88
%
2.39
%
2.26
%
Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of year (000)
$510,336
$456,013
$382,308
$585,829
$820,386
Portfolio turnover rate(f)
37
%
33
%
19
%
21
%
13
%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding.
(b) The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in
relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund’s underlying securities.
(c) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.
(d) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
(e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.
(f) Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, if any.
33


For a share outstanding throughout each period:
 
iShares Convertible Bond ETF
 
Year Ended
10/31/25
Year Ended
10/31/24
Year Ended
10/31/23
Year Ended
10/31/22
Year Ended
10/31/21
Net asset value, beginning of year
$83.86
$71.10
$70.75
$102.26
$80.71
Net investment income(a)
1.68
1.75
1.17
1.13
0.75
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)(b)
19.51
12.94
0.51
(25.49
)
24.52
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations
21.19
14.69
1.68
(24.36
)
25.27
Distributions(c)
From net investment income
(1.82
)
(1.93
)
(1.33
)
(1.30
)
(0.97
)
From net realized gain
(5.85
)
(2.75
)
Total distributions
(1.82
)
(1.93
)
(1.33
)
(7.15
)
(3.72
)
Net asset value, end of year
$103.23
$83.86
$71.10
$70.75
$102.26
Total Return(d)
Based on net asset value
25.67
%
20.91
%
2.35
%
(25.08
)%
31.91
%
Ratios to Average Net Assets(e)
Total expenses
0.20
%
0.20
%
0.20
%
0.20
%
0.20
%
Net investment income
1.88
%
2.22
%
1.61
%
1.45
%
0.75
%
Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of year (000)
$3,463,378
$2,255,835
$1,325,931
$1,835,845
$1,907,198
Portfolio turnover rate(f)
30
%
25
%
22
%
17
%
46
%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding.
(b) The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in
relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund’s underlying securities.
(c) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.
(d) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
(e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.
(f) Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, if any.
For a share outstanding throughout each period:
 
iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
 
Year Ended
10/31/25
Year Ended
10/31/24
Year Ended
10/31/23
Year Ended
10/31/22
Year Ended
10/31/21
Net asset value, beginning of year
$46.58
$42.32
$43.32
$51.90
$51.03
Net investment income(a)
2.92
2.92
2.57
2.13
1.97
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)(b)
0.71
4.27
(0.95
)
(8.21
)
1.18
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations
3.63
7.19
1.62
(6.08
)
3.15
Distributions(c)
From net investment income
(2.96
)
(2.93
)
(2.62
)
(2.21
)
(2.07
)
From net realized gain
(0.29
)
(0.21
)
Total distributions
(2.96
)
(2.93
)
(2.62
)
(2.50
)
(2.28
)
Net asset value, end of year
$47.25
$46.58
$42.32
$43.32
$51.90
Total Return(d)
Based on net asset value
8.06
%
17.45
%
3.70
%
(12.03
)%
6.25
%
Ratios to Average Net Assets(e)
Total expenses
0.35
%
0.35
%
0.35
%
0.35
%
0.35
%
Net investment income
6.26
%
6.44
%
5.89
%
4.53
%
3.78
%
Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of year (000)
$188,989
$158,377
$110,044
$129,965
$124,566
Portfolio turnover rate(f)
47
%
30
%
28
%
23
%
43
%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding.
(b) The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in
relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund’s underlying securities.
(c) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.
(d) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
(e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.
(f) Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, if any.
34


For a share outstanding throughout each period:
 
iShares Fallen Angels USD Bond ETF
 
Year Ended
10/31/25
Year Ended
10/31/24
Year Ended
10/31/23
Year Ended
10/31/22
Year Ended
10/31/21
Net asset value, beginning of year
$26.96
$24.50
$24.21
$30.04
$27.29
Net investment income(a)
1.68
1.63
1.32
1.10
1.06
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)(b)
0.60
2.45
0.37
(5.79
)
2.83
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations
2.28
4.08
1.69
(4.69
)
3.89
Distributions from net investment income(c)
(1.69
)
(1.62
)
(1.40
)
(1.14
)
(1.14
)
Net asset value, end of year
$27.55
$26.96
$24.50
$24.21
$30.04
Total Return(d)
Based on net asset value
8.83
%
17.00
%
7.06
%
(15.88
)%
14.45
%
Ratios to Average Net Assets(e)
Total expenses
0.25
%
0.25
%
0.25
%
0.25
%
0.25
%
Net investment income
6.23
%
6.17
%
5.31
%
4.02
%
3.57
%
Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of year (000)
$1,778,264
$1,807,553
$1,258,033
$1,677,473
$4,676,501
Portfolio turnover rate(f)
26
%
22
%
26
%
26
%
21
%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding.
(b) The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in
relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund’s underlying securities.
(c) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.
(d) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
(e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.
(f) Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, if any.
For a share outstanding throughout each period:
 
iShares GNMA Bond ETF
 
Year Ended
10/31/25
Year Ended
10/31/24
Year Ended
10/31/23
Year Ended
10/31/22
Year Ended
10/31/21
Net asset value, beginning of year
$43.45
$40.84
$42.62
$49.88
$50.93
Net investment income(a)
1.85
1.72
1.44
0.66
0.04
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)(b)
1.09
2.63
(1.82
)
(7.31
)
(0.61
)
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations
2.94
4.35
(0.38
)
(6.65
)
(0.57
)
Distributions(c)
From net investment income
(1.83
)
(1.74
)
(1.40
)
(0.61
)
(0.06
)
Return of capital
(0.42
)
Total distributions
(1.83
)
(1.74
)
(1.40
)
(0.61
)
(0.48
)
Net asset value, end of year
$44.56
$43.45
$40.84
$42.62
$49.88
Total Return(d)
Based on net asset value
6.96
%
10.75
%
(1.05
)%
(13.42
)%
(1.14
)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets(e)
Total expenses
0.10
%
0.10
%
0.10
%
0.10
%
0.15
%
Total expenses after fees waived
0.09
%
0.09
%
0.09
%
0.09
%
0.13
%
Net investment income
4.25
%
3.96
%
3.30
%
1.41
%
0.08
%
Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of year (000)
$376,558
$312,855
$316,490
$330,278
$483,847
Portfolio turnover rate(f)(g)
269
%
283
%
327
%
313
%
498
%
(a) Based on average shares outstanding.
(b) The amounts reported for a share outstanding may not accord with the change in aggregate gains and losses in securities for the fiscal period due to the timing of capital share transactions in
relation to the fluctuating market values of the Fund’s underlying securities.
(c) Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.
(d) Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions.
(e) Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.
(f) Portfolio turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions, if any.
(g) Includes mortgage dollar roll transactions (MDRs).
35


Index Providers and Disclaimers
The Index Providers are not affiliated with the Trust, BFA, the Distributor or any of their respective affiliates. BFA or its affiliates have entered into a license agreement with the Index Providers to use the respective Underlying Indexes. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in each Underlying Index for use by the applicable Fund at no charge.
The past performance of an Underlying Index is not a guide to future performance. BFA and its affiliates do not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of an Underlying Index or any data included therein, and BFA and its affiliates shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA and its affiliates make no warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of a Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by a Fund from the use of an Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA or its affiliates have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
Bloomberg
The following applies with respect to each Underlying Index provided by Bloomberg:
The Underlying Index is maintained by Bloomberg. Bloomberg® and the Underlying Index are service marks of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (BISL), the administrator of the index (collectively, Bloomberg), and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by BFA.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Bloomberg. Bloomberg does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of or counterparties to the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly. The only relationship of Bloomberg to BFA is the licensing of certain trademarks, trade names and service marks and of the Underlying Index, which is determined, composed and calculated by BISL without regard to BFA or the Fund. Bloomberg has no obligation to take the needs of BFA or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. Bloomberg is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued. Bloomberg shall not have any obligation or liability, including, without limitation, to the Fund’s customers, in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
BLOOMBERG DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE UNDERLYING INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO AND SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. BLOOMBERG DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY BFA, OWNERS OF THE FUND OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE UNDERLYING INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. BLOOMBERG DOES NOT MAKE ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE UNDERLYING INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, BLOOMBERG, ITS LICENSORS, AND ITS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS, AND VENDORS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER FOR ANY INJURY OR DAMAGES—WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHERWISE—ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE FUND OR UNDERLYING INDEX OR ANY DATA OR VALUES RELATING THERETO—WHETHER ARISING FROM THEIR NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF.
Bloomberg and MSCI
The following applies with respect to each Underlying Index provided by Bloomberg and MSCI:
The Underlying Index is maintained by Bloomberg. To use the Underlying Index, BFA or its affiliates have entered into a license agreement with MSCI Solutions, which may license each applicable Underlying Index pursuant to its agreement with Bloomberg Index Services Limited or an affiliate. MSCI Solutions is not affiliated with the Trust, BFA, the Distributor or any of their respective affiliates.
THIS FUND IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, SOLD OR PROMOTED BY MSCI SOLUTIONS, BLOOMBERG INDEX SERVICES LIMITED (BLOOMBERG), OR ANY OF THEIR AFFILIATES, ANY OF THEIR INFORMATION PROVIDERS OR ANY OTHER THIRD PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, COMPILING, COMPUTING OR CREATING ANY BLOOMBERG MSCI ESG INDEX (EACH, AN INDEX) (COLLECTIVELY, THE INDEX PARTIES). THE INDEXES ARE THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF MSCI SOLUTIONS AND BLOOMBERG (AND THEIR LICENSORS). BLOOMBERG, MSCI SOLUTIONS, AND THE INDEX NAMES, ARE RESPECTIVE TRADE AND/OR SERVICE MARK(S) OF BLOOMBERG, MSCI SOLUTIONS OR THEIR AFFILIATES AND HAVE BEEN LICENSED FOR USE FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES BY BFA OR ITS AFFILIATES. NONE OF THE INDEX PARTIES MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE ISSUER OR OWNERS OF THIS FUND OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY REGARDING THE ADVISABILITY OF INVESTING IN FUNDS GENERALLY OR IN THIS FUND PARTICULARLY OR THE ABILITY OF ANY INDEX TO TRACK CORRESPONDING STOCK MARKET PERFORMANCE. MSCI SOLUTIONS, BLOOMBERG, OR THEIR AFFILIATES ARE THE LICENSORS OF CERTAIN TRADEMARKS, SERVICE MARKS AND TRADE NAMES AND OF THE INDEXES WHICH ARE DETERMINED, COMPOSED AND CALCULATED BY BLOOMBERG AND/OR MSCI SOLUTIONS WITHOUT REGARD TO THIS FUND OR THE ISSUER OR OWNERS OF THIS FUND OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY. NONE OF THE INDEX PARTIES HAS ANY OBLIGATION TO TAKE THE NEEDS OF THE ISSUER OR OWNERS OF THIS FUND OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY INTO CONSIDERATION IN DETERMINING, COMPOSING OR CALCULATING THE INDEXES. NONE OF THE INDEX PARTIES IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OR HAS PARTICIPATED IN THE DETERMINATION OF THE TIMING OF, PRICES AT, OR QUANTITIES OF THIS FUND’S SHARES TO BE ISSUED OR IN
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THE DETERMINATION OR CALCULATION OF THE EQUATION BY OR THE CONSIDERATION INTO WHICH THIS FUND’S SHARES ARE REDEEMABLE. FURTHER, NONE OF THE INDEX PARTIES HAS ANY OBLIGATION OR LIABILITY TO THE ISSUER OR OWNERS OF THIS FUND OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY IN CONNECTION WITH THE ADMINISTRATION, MARKETING OR OFFERING OF THIS FUND’S SHARES.
ALTHOUGH THE INDEX PARTIES SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE INDEXES FROM SOURCES CONSIDERED RELIABLE, NONE OF THE INDEX PARTIES WARRANTS OR GUARANTEES THE ORIGINALITY, ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF ANY INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NONE OF THE INDEX PARTIES MAKES ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ISSUER OF THE FUND, OWNERS OF THE FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY, FROM THE USE OF ANY INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NONE OF THE INDEX PARTIES SHALL HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR INTERRUPTIONS OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH ANY INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. FURTHER, NONE OF THE INDEX PARTIES MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, AND THE INDEX PARTIES HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO EACH INDEX AND ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY OF THE INDEX PARTIES HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, CONSEQUENTIAL OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS) EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
ICE Data Indices
The following applies with respect to each Underlying Index provided by IDI:
ICE Data Indices, LLC (IDI) is used with permission. NYSE is a registered trademark of NYSE Group, Inc., an affiliate of IDI, and is used by IDI with permission and under a license. FactSet is a registered trademark of FactSet Research Systems, Inc. These trademarks (as applicable) have been licensed, along with the Underlying Index, in connection with the Fund. Neither BFA, the Trust nor the Fund, as applicable, is sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by IDI, its affiliates or its third party suppliers (IDI and its Suppliers). IDI and its Suppliers make no representations or warranties regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally, in the Fund particularly, the Trust or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general market performance. IDI’s only relationship to BFA is the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names and the Underlying Index or components thereof. The Underlying Index is determined, composed and calculated by IDI without regard to BFA or the Fund or its holders. IDI has no obligation to take the needs of BFA or the holders of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. IDI is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is to be priced, sold, purchased, or redeemed. Except for certain custom index calculation services, all information provided by IDI is general in nature and not tailored to the needs of BFA or any other person, entity or group of persons. IDI has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the Fund. IDI is not an investment adviser. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by IDI to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.
IDI AND ITS SUPPLIERS DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES AND REPRESENTATIONS, EXPRESS AND/OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE, INCLUDING THE UNDERLYING INDEX, INDEX DATA AND ANY INFORMATION INCLUDED IN, RELATED TO, OR DERIVED THEREFROM (INDEX DATA). IDI AND ITS SUPPLIERS SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS OR COMPLETENESS OF THE UNDERLYING INDEX AND THE INDEX DATA, WHICH ARE PROVIDED ON AN AS IS BASIS, AND YOUR USE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.
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Markit
Markit owns, compiles and publishes the iBoxx bond and iTraxx credit derivative indices, which are used around the world by financial market participants as benchmarks and as the basis for traded products. Markit is a leading provider of independent data, portfolio valuations and over-the-counter derivatives trade processing to the financial markets. Markit® and iBoxx® are the registered trademarks of Markit Group Limited and Markit Indices Limited, respectively.
The following applies with respect to each Underlying Index provided by Markit:
iBoxx is a registered trademark of Markit Indices Limited and is licensed for use by BFA or its affiliates. BFA or its affiliates have not been passed on by these entities or their affiliates as to their legality or suitability. Markit does not approve, sponsor, endorse or recommend BFA or the Fund. Markit makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund. The Underlying Index is derived from a source considered reliable, but Markit and its employees, suppliers, subcontractors and agents (together Markit Associates) do not guarantee the veracity, completeness or accuracy of the Underlying Index or other information furnished in connection with the Underlying Index. No representation, warranty or condition, express or implied, statutory or otherwise, as to condition, satisfactory quality, performance, or fitness for purpose are given or assumed by Markit or any of the Markit Associates in respect of 1) the Underlying Index (including its composition), Fund, or any data included in it, 2) the use by any person or entity of the Fund of that data, 3) the results obtained from the use of the Underlying Index, 4) the creditworthiness of any entity, or the likelihood of the occurrence of a credit event or similar event (however defined) with respect to an obligation, in the Underlying Index, at any particular time on any particular date or otherwise, or 5) the ability of the Underlying Index to track relevant markets' performances or otherwise relating to the Underlying Index or any transaction or product with respect thereto. All such representations, warranties and conditions are excluded except to the extent that such exclusion is prohibited by law. The Markit Associates shall not have any liability to any party for any error or omission, or any act or failure to act in connection with the determination, adjustment, calculation or maintenance of the Underlying Index, nor shall they have any obligation to take the needs of any party into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index.
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Want to know more?
iShares.com  | 1-800-474-2737 (1-800-iShares)
Information on each Fund’s net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads can be found at www.iShares.com. Copies of each Fund’s Prospectus, SAI, shareholder reports and other information, as applicable and when available, can be found at www.iShares.com. For more information about a Fund, you may request a copy of the Fund’s SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Fund and is incorporated by reference into the Fund’s Prospectus. This means that the SAI, for legal purposes, is a part of the Fund’s Prospectus.
Additional information about each Fund's investments is, or will be, available in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR. In a Fund's Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund’s annual and semi-annual financial statements.
If you have any questions about the Trust or shares of a Fund or you wish to obtain a Fund’s SAI, Semi-Annual or Annual Report free of charge, please:
Call:
1-800-iShares or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free)
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time)
Email:
Write:
c/o BlackRock Investments, LLC
1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540
Reports and other information about each Fund are available on the EDGAR database on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: [email protected].
No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about a Fund and its shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.
©2026 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. iSHARES® and BLACKROCK® are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09729
IS-P- 1031H-0226