Investment objective & strategy
As of Dec. 19, 2025 · prospectusObjective. The iShares MSCI Ireland ETF (the Fund ) seeks to track the investment results of a broad-based index composed of Irish equities.
Strategy. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the MSCI All Ireland Capped Index (the Underlying Index ), which is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index composed of securities within the Broad Ireland Equity Universe, as defined by MSCI, Inc. (the Index Provider or MSCI ), subject to certain eligibility ( e.g. , liquidity) and investability criteria as defined by MSCI. The Underlying Index targets a minimum of 25 securities and 20 issuers. The Underlying Index consists of equity securities of companies that are: (i) are classified in Ireland according to the MSCI Global Investable Market Indexes Methodology and (ii) not classified in Ireland but are either headquartered or listed in Ireland and have a significant linkage to Ireland, … The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the MSCI All Ireland Capped Index (the Underlying Index ), which is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index composed of securities within the Broad Ireland Equity Universe, as defined by MSCI, Inc. (the Index Provider or MSCI ), subject to certain eligibility ( e.g. , liquidity) and investability criteria as defined by MSCI. The Underlying Index targets a minimum of 25 securities and 20 issuers. The Underlying Index consists of equity securities of companies that are: (i) are classified in Ireland according to the MSCI Global Investable Market Indexes Methodology and (ii) not classified in Ireland but are either headquartered or listed in Ireland and have a significant linkage to Ireland, as determined by MSCI based on the companys shareholder base, revenues, assets, management, employee base, history and country of incorporation. If the criteria outlined in (i) and (ii) do not result in the target number of securities and issuers, the Underlying Index will also include securities of companies with economic exposure of greater than 10% to Ireland, as determined by MSCI based on the geographic distribution of a companys revenues. Securities are included in the Underlying Index at their free float-adjusted market capitalization weight, except for securities that are included only on the basis of economic exposure to the country. The maximum weight for such constituents is generally limited to 1% each, although higher weights may result due to the group capping methodology described below. The Underlying Index uses a capping methodology that limits the weight of any single group entity (constituents that MSCI determines have a control relationship) to a maximum of 25% of the Underlying Index weight, and the sum of all group entities with a weight above 5% to an aggregate of 50% of the Underlying Index weight. A group entity is a group of companies that operate as an affiliated corporate group but may separately issue listed securities. To determine group entities, MSCI analyzes financial accounts of listed companies holding stakes of 20% or more in other listed companies to determine whether these stakes are controlling in nature. In certain cases, even in the absence of consolidated accounts, MSCI may also consider two companies as belonging to the same group entity where there is reasonable evidence of control based on other information. All group entities are reviewed on an annual basis. At each quarterly rebalance, the weight of any single group entity is capped at 22.5%, and all group entities with a weight greater than 4.5% are capped such that, in the aggregate, these group entities do not have a weight greater than 45% of the Underlying Index. However, this capping methodology does not apply to constituents that are not part of the MSCI ACWI Investable Market Index (which includes large-, mid- and small-capitalization securities) and that either (a) have a 3-month annual traded value ratio ( ATVR ) of less than or equal to 20% or (b) have a market capitalization lower than the size-segment cutoff of the MSCI Ireland Investable Market Index. ATVR is a measure of a securitys liquidity. The weight of any such constituent in the Underlying Index is capped at its weight in the MSCI All Ireland Index. The Underlying Index includes large-, mid- and small-capitalization companies and may change over time. As of August 31, 2025, a significant portion of the Underlying Index is represented by securities of companies in the consumer goods and services, financials 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 Funds 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 capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability 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 generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its Underlying Index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of its Underlying Index ( i.e ., depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index) and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not 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 MSCI, which is ? independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in 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) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Top holdings
As of Feb. 28, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair Holdings PLC ORD EUR0.006 | RYAOF | $12.95M | 18.35% |
| AIB GROUP PLC | — | $10.32M | 14.61% |
| BANK OF IRELAND GROUP PLC | — | $7.92M | 11.22% |
| KINGSPAN GROUP | — | $3.69M | 5.23% |
| GLANBIA PLC COMMON STOCK | GLB | $3.55M | 5.03% |
| CAIRN HOMES | — | $3.49M | 4.95% |
| GRAFTON GRP(1 ORD/1 C/17 A) | GFTU | $3.22M | 4.56% |
| DCC PLC | — | $2.91M | 4.12% |
| Glenveagh Properties plc (London) | GLV | $2.90M | 4.11% |
| Kerry Group Public Limited Company | KYGA | $2.87M | 4.06% |
Portfolio moves
Nov 30, 2025 → Feb 28, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| Brown Advisory International Value Select ETF · BAIV | 9% | 0.60% |
| Columbia Acorn European Fund · CAEAX, CAEZX | 7% | 1.06% |
| Cambiar International Equity Fund · CAMIX, CAMYX | 6% | 0.90% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| BlackRock Fund Advisors | Adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of December 19, 2025, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of February 28, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. Computed by compounding the twelve monthly total returns the fund reported in its SEC N-PORT filings for 2025 (the latest prospectus does not yet chart this year).
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