The iShares family of exchange-traded funds, owned by asset manager BlackRock, spans a range of assets, including U.S. and international stocks and bonds, commodities and real estate. Specialized strategies include asset allocation, socially responsible and sustainable investing as well as dividend and income investing. The company manages hundreds of exchange-traded funds available in the U.S., and others sold overseas.
In addition to common indexing strategies, iShares products target particular strategies, such as currency hedging or volatility management. The firm also offers smart beta funds, which captures returns in excess of traditional benchmarks, but uses an automated investment methodology to retain characteristics of passive investing.