iShares Files For 3 New Emerging Markets ETFs

BlackRock's BLK iShares, already the world's largest ETF issuer, is looking to add to its heft with the possible addition of three new funds highlighted in recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). And once again, the funds iShares is planning will compete directly with currently existing products. iShares has filed plans for the iShares MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Select Index Fund, which will track the MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Select Index. As of mid-October, constituent countries in the index were Argentina, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, Estonia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mauritius, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. Energy, financial services, materials and telecom names account for the bulk of the index's sector allocations. If it comes to market, the new iShares offering would compete with the Guggenheim Frontier Markets ETF FRN and the PowerShares MENA Frontier Countries ETF PMNA. iShares has also filed plans for the iShares MSCI Vietnam Investable Market Index Fund. The underlying index is comprised primarily of financials, industrials and materials stocks listed on the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchanges. The ETF would be a direct competitor to the Market Vectors Vietnam ETF VNM. iShares also filed plans for the iShares Emerging Markets Dividend Index Fund. That ETF would track the Dow Jones Emerging Markets Select Dividend Index, which is home to stocks from Brazil, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey. Financials, materials and telecom names account for the bulk of that index's sector weights. Tickers and expense ratios were not disclosed in the filings.