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December 1, 2023 |
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2023 Summary Prospectus |
• iShares U.S. Tech Independence Focused ETF | IETC | CBOE BZX
Before you invest, you
may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus (including
amendments and supplements) and other information about the Fund, including the
Fund’s statement of additional information and shareholder reports, online at https://www.blackrock.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or
by sending an e-mail request to iSharesETFs@blackrock.com, or from your financial professional. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated December 1, 2023, as amended and
supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into (legally made a part of) this Summary Prospectus. Information on the Fund’s net asset
value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads can be found at www.iShares.com.
The Securities and Exchange
Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
ISHARES U.S. TECH
INDEPENDENCE FOCUSED ETF
Ticker: IETCStock
Exchange: Cboe BZX
Investment Objective
The iShares U.S. Tech Independence Focused ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide access to U.S. companies with technology exposure, as classified using a proprietary classification system, while targeting increased exposure to U.S. companies with a greater proportion of technological
capabilities, revenues, and production in the U.S. and select global markets relative to the proprietary classification system.
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.
The investment advisory agreement between iShares U.S. ETF 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 |
| 0.18% |
None |
0.00% |
0.18% |
1
Operating expenses paid by BFA under the Investment Advisory Agreement exclude acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.
2
The amount rounded to 0.00%.
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 |
| $18 |
$58 |
$101 |
$230 |
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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 44% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to
achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in U.S. listed common stock of large-, mid- and small-capitalization technology companies, as defined by a proprietary classification system (“Evolved Technology Sector”), while targeting increased exposure to
U.S. companies with a greater proportion of technological capabilities, revenues, and production in the U.S. and select global markets relative to the proprietary classification system. The Evolved Technology Sector classification process, which uses data analysis tools consisting, in part, of machine learning, natural language processing
(“NLP”) and clustering algorithms to allocate companies to one or more sectors according to a proprietary classification system, is forward looking and evolves as companies evolve.
The eligible universe of securities that are
part of the classification process includes U.S. listed common stock of large-, mid- and
small-capitalization
companies. Based on data and information in the company’s
public filings
(e.g., regulatory filings, etc.), a company is classified in one or more of the twelve defined sectors (each an “Evolved Sector”). Currently these public filings consist of several years of a company’s 10-Ks and S-1s (if no 10-Ks are available). The Fund uses additional screens to include companies that are related to technology, technology infrastructure and technology security. The Fund's allocation rules additionally utilize proprietary data to target increased exposure to U.S. companies with a greater proportion of technological capabilities, revenues, and production in the U.S. and select global markets relative to the Evolved Technology Sector (“Technology Independence Score”). Select global markets alongside the U.S. are identified using a proprietary classification system which seeks to identify markets where the ability of U.S. companies to access supply chains, infrastructure, and other resources relevant to U.S. companies’ product and service delivery is expected to remain relatively more resilient to potential geopolitical headwinds. While the Fund is actively managed, the Fund generally allocates its investments to securities of its Evolved Sectors and the additional companies related to technology, technology infrastructure and technology security, on a market capitalization basis (based on the available free floating capitalization) while modifying allocations to companies based on their Technology Independence Score.
The Evolved Sector
classification system allows for a company to be classified into multiple sectors rather than being assigned solely to a single
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sector. For the Evolved Sectors, the market capitalization of a single company will be allocated proportionally based on the one or more Evolved Sectors in which the company is classified. This reflects the multi-dimensional nature of these companies. Evolved Sector constituents are expected to evolve dynamically over time to reflect changing business models. BFA may exercise discretion in managing the classification process in limited instances. For example, a company may be excluded (or its inclusion limited) from an Evolved Sector, in part or whole, most commonly in response to position limit restrictions, limited liquidity of a particular security or the fit of a particular company in the Fund. This is different from traditional classification systems that typically will assign a company only to one sector and tend to group companies together on the basis of backward looking metrics like revenue. The Fund will not provide the same returns as a fund that tracks the information technology sector as traditionally defined by other classification systems and as a result may not be appropriate for an investor seeking the same exposure as the information technology sector as defined by such classification systems.
As of
July 31, 2023, there were twelve Evolved Sectors: Consumer Staples, Discretionary Spending, Energy, Financials, Healthcare Staples, Industrials, Innovative Healthcare, Media and Entertainment, Real Estate, Technology, Telecommunications and Utilities. Sector classifications are reviewed on a quarterly basis and may evolve over time.
The Fund will hold common
stock of those companies that fall into the
Technology Evolved Sector, as well as additional companies that
are related to technology, technology infrastructure and technology security, while targeting increased exposure to companies with higher Technology Independence Scores relative to the Technology Evolved Sector. Companies in the Technology Evolved Sector have economic characteristics that have been historically correlated with companies traditionally defined as technology companies. The Fund may also invest in other securities, including but not limited to, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates. The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) and does not seek to replicate the
performance of a specified index and may have a higher degree of portfolio turnover than such index funds.
The Fund may
lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received).
Industry Concentration Policy. The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in an industry or group of industries that constitute the technology sector. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry. Industry concentration designations are based on output of the classification methodology referenced above.
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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. Unlike many ETFs, the Fund is not an index-based ETF. 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 the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S.
economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Technology Sector Risk. Companies in the technology
sector, as traditionally defined, including information technology companies, may have limited
product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Technology companies typically face intense
competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or impairment of those rights. Companies in the technology sector may face increased government and regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory action.
Model Risk. BFA and the Fund cannot offer
assurances that the classification system used to determine the Evolved Sectors will achieve its intended
results
or maintain a
level of risk similar to that of a portfolio of companies traditionally defined as information technology
companies by any other classification system. In addition, since the classification system used to determine the Evolved Sectors differs from other classification systems, companies that may be categorized as being in a particular sector when using another classification system may not be completely or at all allocated to the corresponding Evolved Sector. Similarly, a company included in part or completely in a particular Evolved Sector may not be included in the corresponding sector defined by another classification system. In addition, the Fund cannot offer assurances that the Technology Independence Score and allocation rules will achieve their intended results or maintain a level of risk similar to that of a portfolio of companies traditionally defined as information technology companies by any other classification system.
Equity Securities Risk. Equity securities are subject
to changes in value, and their values may be more volatile than those of other asset classes. Holders of common stocks, which generally subject their holders to more
risks than preferred stocks and debt securities because common stockholders’ claims are subordinated
to those of holders of preferred stocks and debt securities upon the bankruptcy of the issuer.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified.” This means that, compared with other funds that are classified as “diversified,” the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its
assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers.
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As a result, the Fund's performance may
depend on the performance of a small number of 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, 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.
Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.
Assets Under Management (AUM) Risk. From time to time, an Authorized Participant (as defined in the Creations and Redemptions section of this prospectus (the “Prospectus”)), a third-party investor, the Fund’s adviser or an affiliate of the Fund’s adviser, or a fund may invest in the Fund and hold its investment for a specific period of time to allow the Fund to achieve size or scale. There can be no assurance that
any such entity would not redeem its investment or that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels, which could negatively impact the Fund.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and none of those Authorized Participants is obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that
may act as Authorized Participants on
an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.
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 and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector, market segment or asset class.
Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the
electronic systems of the Fund, the Fund's adviser, distributor, and other service providers (including the
benchmark provider), market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund
invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund’s business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or
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issuers of securities in which the Fund
invests.
Infectious Illness Risk. A widespread outbreak of an infectious illness, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may result in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare services, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, business closures, lower consumer demand, layoffs, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic, social and political impacts. Markets may experience temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. Such events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments and may impact the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV. Despite the development of vaccines, the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects cannot be predicted with certainty.
Information Technology Sector Risk. Information technology companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or impairment of those rights. Companies in the information technology sector are facing increased government and regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory action. Companies in the software industry may be adversely affected by, among other things, the decline or fluctuation of subscription renewal rates for their products and services and actual or perceived vulnerabilities in their products or services.
Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.
Large-Capitalization Companies Risk. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large-capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk, which is the risk that the investment process, techniques and risk analyses applied by BFA will not produce the desired results, and that securities selected by BFA may underperform the market or any relevant benchmark. In addition, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to BFA in connection with managing the Fund and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund to 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, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. Unlike some ETFs that track specific indexes, the Fund does not seek to replicate the
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performance of a specified index.
Index-based ETFs have generally traded at prices that closely correspond to NAV. However, ETFs that do not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index have a limited trading history and, therefore, there can be no assurance as to whether, and/or the extent to which, the Fund's shares will trade at premiums or discounts to NAV. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.
Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to
operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing
and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology
or systems failures. The Fund and BFA
seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.
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.
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Performance
Information
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the Fund’s average
annual returns for 1 year and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate
how the Fund will perform in the future. The Fund's total returns for the period prior to December 1, 2022 as reflected in the bar chart and the table are the returns of the Fund when it followed a different investment objective and different investment
strategies and investment process under the name “iShares Evolved U.S. Technology ETF.”
Calendar Year by Year Returns1
1
The Fund’s year-to-date return as of September 30, 2023 was 31.46%.
The best calendar quarter return during the periods
shown above was 31.53% in the 2nd quarter of 2020; the worst was -23.03% in the 2nd quarter of 2022.
Updated performance information, including the Fund’s current NAV, may be obtained by visiting our website at www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).
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Average
Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2022)
(for the periods ended December 31, 2022)
| |
One Year |
Since Inception |
| (Inception Date: 03/21/2018) |
|
|
| Return Before Taxes |
-32.71% |
11.90% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions1
|
-32.84% |
11.63% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund
Shares1 |
-19.25% |
9.44% |
| S&P Total Market Index (TMI)2 (Index returns do not reflect
deductions for fees, expenses, or taxes) |
-19.53% |
8.60% |
1
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 sale 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.
2
The S&P Total Market Index (TMI) is designed to track the broad equity market, including
large-, mid-, small-, and micro-cap stocks. The S&P 500® and the S&P Completion Index are subsets of the S&P TMI.
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Management
Investment Adviser. BlackRock
Fund Advisors.
Portfolio Managers. Travis
Cooke, Linus Franngard and Jeff Shen (the “Portfolio Managers”) are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Mr. Cooke and Dr. Shen have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since 2018. Mr. Franngard has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since 2022.
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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