UNITED STATESSECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 | |
FORM N-CSR
CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES
| Investment Company Act file number | 811-09729 | |||||
iShares Trust | ||||||
| (Exact name of registrant as specified in charter) | ||||||
c/o BlackRock Fund Advisors | ||||||
400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA | 94105 | |||||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip code) | |||||
The Corporation Trust Company 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 | ||||||
| (Name and address of agent for service) | ||||||
| Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: | (415) 670-2000 | |||||
| Date of fiscal year end: | October 31, 2023 | |||||
| Date of reporting period: | October 31, 2023 | |||||
Item 1. Reports to Stockholders.
(a) The Report to Shareholders is attached herewith.
OCTOBER
31,
2023
2023
Annual
Report
iShares
Trust
iShares
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
|
BYLD
|
NYSE
Arca
Dear
Shareholder,
The
combination
of
continued
economic
growth
and
cooling
inflation
provided
a
supportive
backdrop
for
investors
during
the
12-month
reporting
period
ended
October
31,
2023.
Significantly
tighter
monetary
policy
helped
to
rein
in
inflation,
as
the
annual
increase
in
the
Consumer
Price
Index
declined
to
its
long-term
average
of
approximately
3%
in
October
2023.
Meanwhile,
real
economic
growth
proved
more
resilient
than
many
investors
anticipated.
A
moderating
labor
market
also
helped
ease
inflationary
pressure,
although
wages
continued
to
grow
and
unemployment
rates
touched
the
lowest
levels
in
decades
before
rising
slightly.
This
robust
labor
market
powered
further
growth
in
consumer
spending,
backstopping
the
economy.
On
October
7,
2023,
Hamas
launched
a
horrific
attack
on
Israel.
The
ensuing
war
will
have
a
significant
humanitarian
impact
and
could
lead
to
heightened
economic
and
market
volatility.
We
see
geopolitics
as
a
structural
market
risk
going
forward.
See
our
geopolitical
risk
dashboard
at
blackrock.com
for
more
details.
Equity
returns
were
solid
during
the
period,
as
the
durability
of
consumer
spending
mitigated
investors’
concerns
about
the
economy’s
trajectory.
The
U.S.
economy
continued
to
show
strength,
and
growth
further
accelerated
in
the
third
quarter
of
2023.
However,
equity
returns
were
uneven,
as
the
performance
of
a
few
notable
technology
companies
supported
gains
among
large-capitalization
U.S.
stocks,
while
small-capitalization
U.S.
stocks
declined
overall.
Meanwhile,
international
developed
market
equities
advanced,
and
emerging
market
equities
posted
solid
gains.
The
10-year
U.S.
Treasury
yield
rose
during
the
reporting
period,
driving
its
price
down,
as
investors
reacted
to
elevated
inflation
and
attempted
to
anticipate
future
interest
rate
changes.
The
corporate
bond
market
benefited
from
improving
economic
sentiment,
although
high-yield
corporate
bond
prices
fared
significantly
better
than
investment-grade
bonds
as
demand
from
yield-seeking
investors
remained
strong.
The
U.S.
Federal
Reserve
(the
“Fed”),
attempting
to
manage
persistent
inflation,
raised
interest
rates
six
times
during
the
period,
but
slowed
and
then
paused
its
tightening
later
in
the
period.
The
Fed
also
wound
down
its
bond-buying
programs
and
incrementally
reduced
its
balance
sheet
by
not
replacing
securities
that
reach
maturity.
Supply
constraints
appear
to
have
become
an
embedded
feature
of
the
new
macroeconomic
environment,
making
it
difficult
for
developed
economies
to
increase
production
without
sparking
higher
inflation.
Geopolitical
fragmentation
and
an
aging
population
risk
further
exacerbating
these
constraints,
keeping
the
labor
market
tight
and
wage
growth
high.
Although
the
Fed
has
decelerated
the
pace
of
interest
rate
hikes
and
recently
opted
for
several
pauses,
we
believe
that
the
new
economic
regime
means
that
the
Fed
will
need
to
maintain
high
rates
for
an
extended
period
to
keep
inflation
under
control.
Furthermore,
ongoing
structural
changes
may
mean
that
the
Fed
will
be
hesitant
to
cut
interest
rates
in
the
event
of
faltering
economic
activity
lest
inflation
accelerate
again.
While
we
favor
an
overweight
position
in
developed
market
equities
in
the
long
term,
we
prefer
an
underweight
stance
in
the
near
term.
Expectations
for
corporate
earnings
remain
elevated,
which
seems
inconsistent
with
macroeconomic
constraints.
Nevertheless,
we
are
overweight
on
Japanese
stocks
in
the
near
term
as
shareholder-friendly
policies
generate
increased
investor
interest.
We
also
believe
that
stocks
with
an
AI
tilt
should
benefit
from
an
investment
cycle
that
is
set
to
support
revenues
and
margins.
In
credit,
there
are
selective
opportunities
in
the
near
term
despite
tightening
credit
and
financial
conditions.
For
fixed
income
investing
with
a
six-
to
twelve-month
horizon,
we
see
the
most
attractive
investments
in
short-term
U.S.
Treasuries,
U.S.
inflation-linked
bonds,
euro
area
government
bonds
and
gilts,
U.S.
mortgage-backed
securities,
and
hard-
currency
emerging
market
bonds.
Overall,
our
view
is
that
investors
need
to
think
globally,
position
themselves
to
be
prepared
for
a
decarbonizing
economy,
and
be
nimble
as
market
conditions
change.
We
encourage
you
to
talk
with
your
financial
advisor
and
visit
iShares.com
for
further
insight
about
investing
in
today’s
markets.
Sincerely,
Rob
Kapito
President,
BlackRock,
Inc.
The
Markets
in
Review
Rob
Kapito
President,
BlackRock,
Inc.
Past
performance
is
not
an
indication
of
future
results.
Index
performance
is
shown
for
illustrative
purposes
only.
You
cannot
invest
directly
in
an
index.
Total
Returns
as
of
October
31,
2023
6-Month
12-Month
U.S.
large
cap
equities
(S&P
500
®
Index)
1.39
%
10.14
%
U.S.
small
cap
equities
(Russell
2000
®
Index)
(5.29
)
(8.56
)
International
equities
(MSCI
Europe,
Australasia,
Far
East
Index)
(7.88
)
14.40
Emerging
market
equities
(MSCI
Emerging
Markets
Index)
(4.78
)
10.80
3-month
Treasury
bills
(ICE
BofA
3-Month
U.S.
Treasury
Bill
Index)
2.63
4.77
U.S.
Treasury
securities
(ICE
BofA
10-Year
U.S.
Treasury
Index)
(9.70
)
(3.25
)
U.S.
investment
grade
bonds
(Bloomberg
U.S.
Aggregate
Bond
Index)
(6.13
)
0.36
Tax-exempt
municipal
bonds
(Bloomberg
Municipal
Bond
Index)
(4.65
)
2.64
U.S.
high
yield
bonds
(Bloomberg
U.S.
Corporate
High
Yield
2%
Issuer
Capped
Index)
0.02
6.23
This
Page
is
not
Part
of
Your
Fund
Report
2
Table
of
Contents
Page
3
The
Markets
in
Review
...................................................................................................
2
Annual
Report:
Market
Overview
.......................................................................................................
4
Fund
Summary
........................................................................................................
5
About
Fund
Performance
..................................................................................................
7
Disclosure
of Expenses
...................................................................................................
7
Schedule
of
Investments
..................................................................................................
8
Financial
Statements:
Statement
of
Assets
and
Liabilities
..........................................................................................
10
Statement
of
Operations
................................................................................................
11
Statements
of
Changes
in
Net
Assets
........................................................................................
12
Financial
Highlights
.....................................................................................................
13
Notes
to
Financial
Statements
...............................................................................................
14
Report
of
Independent
Registered
Public
Accounting
Firm
..............................................................................
19
Important
Tax
Information
.................................................................................................
20
Board
Review
and
Approval
of
Investment
Advisory
Contract
............................................................................
21
Supplemental
Information
.................................................................................................
23
Trustee
and
Officer
Information
..............................................................................................
24
General
Information
.....................................................................................................
26
Glossary
of
Terms
Used
in
this
Report
..........................................................................................
27
Market
Overview
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
To
Shareholders
4
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
Domestic
Market
Overview
The
U.S.
fixed-income
market,
as
measured
by
the
Bloomberg
U.S.
Aggregate
Bond
Index,
posted
a
return
of
0.36%
for
the
12
months
ended
October
31,
2023
(the
“reporting
period”).
The
benefit
of
income
outweighed
the
effect
of
falling
prices,
leading
to
a
narrow
gain.
Several
factors
played
a
role
in
the
weak
showing
for
bonds.
When
the
reporting
period
began,
the
market
was
seeing
support
from
a
decline
in
inflation
from
the
peak
reached
in
the
months
following
the
outbreak
of
war
in
Ukraine.
The
easing
of
price
pressures
fueled
expectations
that
the
U.S.
Federal
Reserve
(Fed)
could
be
nearing
the
end
of
its
long
series
of
interest
rate
hikes,
leading
to
positive
market
performance
in
late
2022.
As
2023
progressed,
however,
the
combination
of
persistent
inflation
and
communications
from
Fed
officials
made
it
clear
that
although
rate
hikes
were
indeed
winding
down,
interest
rates
were
likely
to
remain
“higher
for
longer.”
Continued
strength
in
economic
growth,
together
with
elevated
housing
prices
and
robust
employment,
reinforced
the
notion
that
the
Fed
would
need
to
maintain
high
rates
to
prevent
a
reacceleration
of
inflation.
The
Fed
ultimately
raised
rates
six
times
over
the
course
of
the
12-month
period,
bringing
the
benchmark
fed
funds
rate
from
a
range
of
3.0-
3.25%
to
5.25%-5.50%.
More
important,
however,
was
the
fact
that
the
markets
continued
to
push
out
expectations
for
the
central
bank’s
first
rate
cut.
At
the
beginning
of
the
period,
the
futures
markets
were
indicating
the
initial
rate
reduction
would
occur
in
the
second
half
of
2023.
In
contrast,
the
expected
timing
had
shifted
to
late
2024
by
the
end
of
October.
In
this
environment,
U.S.
Treasury
yields
moved
higher
across
the
maturity
spectrum
(as
prices
fell).
The
two-year
note
climbed
4.48%
to
5.09%
over
the
course
of
the
12-month
period,
while
the
10-year
yield
rose
from
4.05%
to
4.93%.
Both
issues
finished
October
2023
near
their
highest
levels
since
2007.
The
government
bond
market,
in
addition
to
being
affected
by
rising
interest
rates,
was
further
pressured
by
worries
that
the
need
for
increased
Treasury
issuance
would
create
an
imbalance
of
supply
and
demand
in
the
market.
The
volatility
in
U.S.
Treasuries,
together
with
lower
mortgage
pre-payments
and
the
Fed’s
efforts
to
reduce
the
fixed-income
holdings
on
its
balance
sheet,
caused
mortgage-backed
securities
to
finish
with
a
negative
return.
Conversely,
the
other
major
segments
of
the
securitized
category—asset-backed
securities
and
commercial
mortgage-backed
securities—posted
gains.
Investment-grade
corporate
bonds
also
produced
positive
returns
and
outpaced
Treasuries.
The
asset
class
benefited
from
a
larger
contribution
from
income
and
a
decline
in
its
yield
spreads
versus
government
issues.
Bonds
with
maturities
of
ten
years
and
above,
which
are
most
sensitive
to
rate
movements,
trailed
the
broader
market.
On
the
other
hand,
issues
in
the
three-
to-
seven-
year
maturity
range
outperformed.
Higher-rated
investment-grade
bonds,
whose
performance
is
dictated
more
by
interest-rate
trends
than
credit
developments,
generally
lagged
lower-rated
securities.
Fund
Summary
as
of
October
31,
2023
5
Fund
Summary
iShares
®
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
Investment
Objective
The
iShares
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
(the
“Fund”)
seeks
to
track
the
investment
results
of
an
index
composed
of
underlying
fixed
income
funds
that
collectively
seek
to
deliver
current
income,
as
represented
by
the
Morningstar
®
U.S.
Bond
Market
Yield-Optimized
Index
SM
(the
“
Index
”
).
The
Fund
invests
in
a
representative
sample
of
securities
included
in
the
Index
that
collectively
has
an
investment
profile
similar
to
the
Index.
Due
to
the
use
of
representative
sampling,
the
Fund
may
or
may
not
hold
all
of
the
securities
that
are
included
in
the
Index.
Performance
GROWTH
OF
$10,000
INVESTMENT
(SINCE
INCEPTION
AT
NET
ASSET
VALUE)
The
inception
date
of
the
Fund
was
April
22,
2014.
The
first
day
of
secondary
market
trading
was
April
24,
2014.
Past
performance
is
not
an indication
of
future
results.
Performance
results
do
not
reflect
the
deduction
of
taxes
that
a
shareholder
would
pay
on
fund
distributions
or
on
the
redemption
or
sale
of
fund
shares.
See
“About
Fund
Performance” for
more
information.
Expense
Example
Average
Annual
Total
Returns
Cumulative
Total
Returns
1
Year
5
Years
Since
Inception
1
Year
5
Years
Since
Inception
Fund
NAV
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
3.19%
1.06%
1.57%
3.19%
5.40%
15.97%
Fund
Market
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
3.19
1.06
1.56
3.19
5.40
15.91
Index
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
2.93
0.88
1.41
2.93
4.49
14.23
Actual
Hypothetical
5%
Return
Beginning
Account
Value
(05/01/23)
Ending
Account
Value
(10/31/23)
Expenses
Paid
During
the
Period
(a)
Beginning
Account
Value
(05/01/23)
Ending
Account
Value
(10/31/23)
Expenses
Paid
During
the
Period
(a)
Annualized
Expense
Ratio
$
1,000.00
$
977.20
$
0.00
$
1,000.00
$
1,025.21
$
0.00
0.00%
(a)
Expenses
are
equal
to
the
annualized
expense
ratio,
multiplied
by
the
average
account
value
over
the
period,
multiplied
by
184/365
(to
reflect
the
one-half
year
period
shown).
Other
fees,
such
as
brokerage
commissions
and
other
fees
to
financial
intermediaries,
may
be
paid
which
are
not
reflected
in
the
tables
and
examples
above.
See
“Disclosure
of
Expenses”
for
more
information.
The
fees
and
expenses
of
the
underlying
funds
in
which
the
Fund
invests
are
not
included
in
the
Fund's
annualized
expense
ratio.
Fund
Summary
as
of
October
31,
2023
(continued)
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
To
Shareholders
6
iShares
®
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
Portfolio
Management
Commentary
The
Index,
which
is
optimized
for
current
income
by
balancing
income
with
risk,
posted
a
positive
return
for
the
reporting
period.
The
Index’s
performance
reflected
the
exposure
to
its
underlying
securities.
Throughout
the
reporting
period,
the
Index
held
different
weightings
of
corporate
bonds,
mortgage-backed
securities,
U.S.
Treasuries,
and
emerging
market
bonds.
Given
continued
strength
in
economic
growth
and
inflation
that
remained
above
its
2%
target,
the
U.S.
Federal
Reserve
(the
Fed)
raised
its
benchmark
overnight
lending
rate
six
times
over
the
course
of
the
12-month
period,
bringing
the
fed
funds
target
from
a
range
of
3.0-3.25%
to
5.25%-5.50%.
In
addition,
the
Fed
indicated
that
rates
were
likely
to
stay
“higher
for
longer”.
The
U.S.
government’s
mounting
debt
load
and
need
for
greater
Treasury
issuance
also
weighed
on
bond
market
sentiment.
Against
this
backdrop,
Treasury
yields
finished
the
period
higher
across
the
maturity
spectrum.
To
illustrate,
the
two-year
Treasury
yield
rose
from
4.48%
to
5.07%
while
the
10-year
yield
rose
from
4.05%
to
4.93%.
While
longer-term
Treasuries
posted
negative
returns
given
their
greater
interest
rate
sensitivity,
returns
were
positive
for
shorter
maturities.
Investment
grade
corporate
bonds
experienced
positive
returns
in
aggregate.
In
addition,
corporate
issues
trade
at
a
spread
over
Treasuries
and
their
prices
were
broadly
supported
by
a
narrowing
in
credit
spreads
over
the
period.
The
Fund’s
exposure
to
short-duration
investment
grade
corporate
credit
increased
over
the
period,
which
positively
impacted
performance.
Below-investment
grade,
high
yield
corporate
issues
led
bond
market
performance,
posting
a
notable
positive
return.
The
category
outperformed
the
investment
grade
corporate
market
due
to
its
higher
yields
and
lower
interest-rate
sensitivity.
In
addition,
the
significant
weighting
of
energy
issuers
within
the
sector
proved
helpful
as
gas
and
oil
prices
increased
over
the
latter
half
of
the
period.
The
Fund’s
U.S.
Treasury
exposure
was
reduced
over
the
reporting
period
and
was
offset
by
an
increased
allocation
to
mortgage-backed
securities.
As
a
result,
the
increased
allocation
to
mortgage-backed
securities
weighed
on
performance
of
the
Fund.
Portfolio
Information
PORTFOLIO
COMPOSITION
Asset
Class
Percent
of
Total
Investments
(a)
Investment
Grade
Bonds
............................
39.8
%
Domestic
Fixed
Income
............................
20.5
Non-Investment
Grade
Bonds
........................
20.1
International
Fixed
Income
..........................
9.8
Mortgage-Backed
Securities
.........................
9.8
FIVE
LARGEST
HOLDINGS
Security
Percent
of
TotaI
Investments
(a)
iShares
1-5
Year
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond
ETF
.......
28.1
%
iShares
iBoxx
$
High
Yield
Corporate
Bond
ETF
.............
20.1
iShares
10+
Year
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond
ETF
.......
11.7
iShares
Floating
Rate
Bond
ETF
.......................
10.3
iShares
Agency
Bond
ETF
............................
10.2
(a)
Excludes
money
market
funds.
About
Fund
Performance
7
About
Fund
Performance
/
Disclosure
of
Expenses
Past
performance
is
not
an
indication
of
future
results.
Financial
markets
have
experienced
extreme
volatility
and
trading
in
many
instruments
has
been
disrupted.
These
circumstances
may
continue
for
an
extended
period
of
time
and
may
continue
to
affect
adversely
the
value
and
liquidity
of
the
Fund’s
investments.
As
a
result,
current
performance
may
be
lower
or
higher
than
the
performance
data
quoted.
Performance
data
current
to
the
most
recent
month-end
is
available
at
iShares.com
.
Performance
results
assume
reinvestment
of
all
dividends
and
capital
gain
distributions
and
do
not
reflect
the
deduction
of
taxes
that
a
shareholder
would
pay
on
fund
distributions
or
on
the
redemption
or
sale
of
fund
shares.
The
investment
return
and
principal
value
of
shares
will
vary
with
changes
in
market
conditions.
Shares
may
be
worth
more
or
less
than
their
original
cost
when
they
are
redeemed
or
sold
in
the
market.
Performance
for
certain
funds
may
reflect
a
waiver
of
a
portion
of
investment
advisory
fees.
Without
such
a
waiver,
performance
would
have
been
lower.
Net
asset
value
or
“NAV”
is
the
value
of
one
share
of
a
fund
as
calculated
in
accordance
with
the
standard
formula
for
valuing
mutual
fund
shares.
Beginning
August
10,
2020,
the
price
used
to
calculate
market
return
(“Market
Price”)
is
the
closing
price.
Prior
to
August
10,
2020,
Market Price
was
determined
using
the
midpoint
between
the
highest
bid
and
the
lowest
ask
on
the
primary
stock
exchange
on
which
shares
of
a
fund
are
listed
for
trading,
as
of
the
time
that
such
fund’s
NAV
is
calculated. Since
shares
of
a
fund
may
not
trade
in
the
secondary
market
until
after
the
fund’s
inception,
for
the
period
from
inception
to
the
first
day
of
secondary
market
trading
in
shares
of
the
fund,
the
NAV
of
the
fund
is
used
as
a
proxy
for
the
Market
Price
to
calculate
market
returns.
Market
and
NAV
returns
assume
that
dividends
and
capital
gain
distributions
have
been
reinvested
at
Market
Price
and
NAV,
respectively.
An
index
is
a
statistical
composite
that
tracks
a
specified
financial
market
or
sector.
Unlike
a
fund,
an
index
does
not
actually
hold
a
portfolio
of
securities
and
therefore
does
not
incur
the
expenses
incurred
by
a
fund.
These
expenses
negatively
impact
fund
performance.
Also,
market
returns
do
not
include
brokerage
commissions
that
may
be
payable
on
secondary
market
transactions.
If
brokerage
commissions
were
included,
market
returns
would
be
lower.
Disclosure
of Expenses
Shareholders
of the
Fund
may
incur
the
following
charges: (1)
transactional
expenses,
including
brokerage
commissions
on
purchases
and
sales
of
fund
shares
and
(2)
ongoing
expenses,
including
management
fees
and
other
fund
expenses.
The
expense
example
shown (which
is
based
on
a
hypothetical
investment
of
$1,000
invested
at
the
beginning
of
the
period
and
held
through
the
end
of
the
period)
is
intended
to
assist
shareholders
both
in
calculating
expenses
based
on
an
investment
in
the
Fund and
in
comparing
these
expenses
with
similar
costs
of
investing
in
other
funds.
The
expense
example
provides information
about
actual
account
values
and
actual
expenses.
Annualized
expense
ratios
reflect
contractual
and
voluntary
fee
waivers,
if
any.
In
order
to estimate
the
expenses
a
shareholder paid during
the period
covered
by
this
report,
shareholders
can divide their
account
value
by
$1,000 and
then
multiply
the
result
by
the
number
under
the
heading
entitled
“Expenses
Paid
During
the
Period.”
The
expense
example also
provides
information
about
hypothetical
account
values
and
hypothetical
expenses
based
on a
fund’s
actual
expense
ratio
and
an
assumed
rate
of
return
of
5%
per
year
before
expenses.
In
order
to
assist
shareholders
in
comparing
the ongoing expenses
of
investing
in the
Fund
and
other
funds, compare
the
5%
hypothetical
example
with
the
5%
hypothetical
examples
that
appear
in
the
shareholder
reports
of
the
other
funds.
The
expenses
shown
in
the
expense
example are
intended
to highlight shareholders’
ongoing
costs
only
and
do
not
reflect
any
transactional
expenses,
such
as
brokerage
commissions
and
other
fees
paid
on
purchases
and
sales
of
fund
shares.
Therefore,
the
hypothetical
example is
useful
in
comparing
ongoing expenses
only
and
will
not
help
shareholders determine
the
relative
total expenses
of
owning
different
funds. If
these
transactional expenses
were
included, shareholder
expenses would
have
been
higher.
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
to
Shareholders
Schedule
of
Investments
October
31,
2023
iShares
®
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
8
(Percentages
shown
are
based
on
Net
Assets)
Affiliates
Investments
in
issuers
considered
to
be
affiliate(s)
of
the
Fund
during
the year
ended
October
31,
2023
for
purposes
of
Section
2(a)(3)
of
the
Investment
Company
Act
of
1940,
as
amended,
were
as
follows:
Security
Shares
Value
Investment
Companies
Domestic
Fixed
Income
—
20.4%
(a)
iShares
Agency
Bond
ETF
..............
96,449
$
10,165,725
iShares
Floating
Rate
Bond
ETF
(b)
........
202,212
10,290,569
20,456,294
International
Fixed
Income
—
9.8%
iShares
J.P.
Morgan
USD
Emerging
Markets
Bond
ETF
(a)(b)
.....................
121,156
9,836,656
Investment
Grade
Bonds
—
39.8%
(a)
iShares
10+
Year
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond
ETF
(b)
......................
259,468
11,681,249
iShares
1-5
Year
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond
ETF
.......................
566,299
28,128,071
39,809,320
Mortgage-Backed
Securities
—
9.8%
iShares
MBS
ETF
(a)(b)
.................
113,025
9,790,225
Non-Investment
Grade
Bonds
—
20.0%
iShares
iBoxx
$
High
Yield
Corporate
Bond
ETF
(a)(b)
.........................
276,394
20,057,912
Total
Long-Term
Investments
—
99.8%
(Cost:
$110,635,303)
..............................
99,950,407
Security
Shares
Value
Short-Term
Securities
Money
Market
Funds
—
28.4%
(a)(c)
BlackRock
Cash
Funds:
Institutional,
SL
Agency
Shares,
5.54%
(d)
...................
28,219,895
$
28,231,183
BlackRock
Cash
Funds:
Treasury,
SL
Agency
Shares,
5.33%
....................
136,624
136,624
Total
Short-Term
Securities
—
28.4%
(Cost:
$28,365,335)
...............................
28,367,807
Total
Investments
—
128.2%
(Cost:
$139,000,638)
..............................
128,318,214
Liabilities
in
Excess
of
Other
Assets
—
(28.2)
%
............
(28,190,362)
Net
Assets
—
100.0%
...............................
$
100,127,852
(a)
Affiliate
of
the
Fund.
(b)
All
or
a
portion
of
this
security
is
on
loan.
(c)
Annualized
7-day
yield
as
of
period
end.
(d)
All
or
a
portion
of
this
security
was
purchased
with
the
cash
collateral
from
loaned
securities.
Affiliated
Issuer
Value
at
10/31/22
Purchases
at
Cost
Proceeds
from
Sale
Net
Realized
Gain
(Loss)
Change
in
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
Value
at
10/31/23
Shares
Held
at
10/31/23
Income
Capital
Gain
Distributions
from
Underlying
Funds
BlackRock
Cash
Funds:
Institutional,
SL
Agency
Shares
$
15,998,291
$
12,228,809
(a)
$
—
$
1,388
$
2,695
$
28,231,183
28,219,895
$
228,362
(b)
$
—
BlackRock
Cash
Funds:
Treasury,
SL
Agency
Shares
........
111,276
25,348
(a)
—
—
—
136,624
136,624
8,540
—
iShares
10+
Year
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond
ETF
..
—
14,205,873
(1,149,580)
(7,795)
(1,367,249)
11,681,249
259,468
206,056
—
iShares
1-3
Year
Treasury
Bond
ETF
(c)
................
20,886,174
6,043,648
(27,105,754)
(153,681)
329,613
—
—
230,554
—
iShares
1-5
Year
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond
ETF
..
23,558,612
14,233,197
(10,083,745)
(90,351)
510,358
28,128,071
566,299
816,112
4,580
iShares
5-10
Year
Investment
Grade
Corporate
Bond
ETF
(c)
1,893,283
3,767,390
(5,848,953)
(251,896)
440,176
—
—
78,080
—
iShares
Agency
Bond
ETF
.....
—
11,397,768
(1,031,225)
(2,931)
(197,887)
10,165,725
96,449
115,698
—
iShares
Floating
Rate
Bond
ETF
—
12,796,135
(2,594,626)
10,397
78,663
10,290,569
202,212
454,064
—
iShares
iBoxx
$
High
Yield
Corporate
Bond
ETF
......
15,567,968
10,007,356
(5,301,285)
(1,122)
(215,005)
20,057,912
276,394
1,066,984
—
iShares
J.P.
Morgan
USD
Emerging
Markets
Bond
ETF
.
7,341,803
4,941,491
(2,665,519)
47,664
171,217
9,836,656
121,156
455,380
—
iShares
MBS
ETF
..........
8,466,303
5,219,594
(3,588,724)
(126,109)
(180,839)
9,790,225
113,025
300,312
—
$
(574,436)
$
(428,258)
$
128,318,214
$
3,960,142
$
4,580
—
—
(a)
Represents
net
amount
purchased
(sold).
(b)
All
or
a
portion
represents
securities
lending
income
earned
from
the
reinvestment
of
cash
collateral
from
loaned
securities,
net
of
fees
and
collateral
investment
expenses,
and
other
payments
to
and
from
borrowers
of
securities.
(c)
As
of
period
end,
the
entity
is
no
longer
held.
Schedule
of
Investments
(continued)
October
31,
2023
iShares
®
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
Schedule
of
Investments
9
Fair
Value
Hierarchy
as
of Period
End
Various
inputs
are
used
in
determining
the
fair
value
of
financial
instruments.
For
a
description
of
the
input
levels
and
information
about
the
Fund’s
policy
regarding
valuation
of
financial
instruments,
refer
to
the
Notes
to
Financial
Statements.
The
following
table
summarizes
the
Fund’s
financial
instruments
categorized
in
the
fair
value
hierarchy.
The
breakdown
of
the
Fund's
financial
instruments
into
major
categories
is
disclosed
in
the
Schedule
of
Investments
above.
See
notes
to
financial
statements.
Level
1
Level
2
Level
3
Total
Assets
Investments
Long-Term
Investments
Investment
Companies
....................................
$
99,950,407
$
—
$
—
$
99,950,407
Short-Term
Securities
Money
Market
Funds
......................................
28,367,807
—
—
28,367,807
$
128,318,214
$
—
$
—
$
128,318,214
Statement
of
Assets
and
Liabilities
October
31,
2023
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
to
Shareholders
10
See
notes
to
financial
statements.
iShares
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
ASSETS
Investments,
at
value
—
affiliated
(a)
(b)
.........................................................................................
$
128,318,214
Receivables:
–
Securities
lending
income
—
affiliated
......................................................................................
35,655
Dividends
—
affiliated
.................................................................................................
813
Total
assets
.........................................................................................................
128,354,682
LIABILITIES
Collateral
on
securities
loaned
.............................................................................................
28,226,830
Total
liabilities
........................................................................................................
28,226,830
Commitments
and
contingent
liabilities
—
NET
ASSETS
........................................................................................................
$
100,127,852
NET
ASSETS
CONSIST
OF:
Paid-in
capital
........................................................................................................
$
119,689,664
Accumulated
loss
.....................................................................................................
(19,561,812)
NET
ASSETS
........................................................................................................
$
100,127,852
NET
ASSET
VALUE
Shares
outstanding
....................................................................................................
4,750,000
Net
asset
value
.......................................................................................................
$
21.08
Shares
authorized
.....................................................................................................
Unlimited
Par
value
...........................................................................................................
None
(a)
Investments,
at
cost
—
affiliated
...................................................................................
$
139,000,638
(b)
Securities
loaned,
at
value
—
affiliated
...............................................................................
$
27,622,425
Statement
of
Operations
Year
Ended
October
31,
2023
11
Financial
Statements
See
notes
to
financial
statements.
iShares
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
INVESTMENT
INCOME
–
Dividends
—
affiliated
.................................................................................................
$
3,731,780
Interest
—
unaffiliated
.................................................................................................
134
Securities
lending
income
—
affiliated
—
net
.................................................................................
228,362
Total
investment
income
.................................................................................................
3,960,276
EXPENSES
Investment
advisory
..................................................................................................
259,574
Total
expenses
.......................................................................................................
259,574
Less:
–
Investment
advisory
fees
waived
.........................................................................................
(259,574)
Total
expenses
after
fees
waived
...........................................................................................
—
Net
investment
income
..................................................................................................
3,960,276
REALIZED
AND
UNREALIZED
GAIN
(LOSS)
$
(998,116)
Net
realized
gain
(loss)
from:
Investments
—
affiliated
.............................................................................................
$
(1,004,315)
Capital
gain
distributions
from
underlying
funds
—
affiliated
......................................................................
4,580
In-kind
redemptions
—
affiliated
(a)
.......................................................................................
429,879
(569,856)
Net
change
in
unrealized
appreciation
(depreciation)
on:
Investments
—
affiliated
.............................................................................................
(428,258)
Net
realized
and
unrealized
loss
............................................................................................
(998,114)
NET
INCREASE
IN
NET
ASSETS
RESULTING
FROM
OPERATIONS
..................................................................
$
2,962,162
(a)
See
Note
2
of
the
Notes
to
Financial
Statements.
Statements
of
Changes
in
Net
Assets
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
to
Shareholders
12
See
notes
to
financial
statements.
iShares
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
Year
Ended
10/31/23
Year
Ended
10/31/22
INCREASE
(DECREASE)
IN
NET
ASSETS
OPERATIONS
Net
investment
income
..............................................................................
$
3,960,276
$
2,740,012
Net
realized
loss
..................................................................................
(569,856)
(7,463,368)
Net
change
in
unrealized
appreciation
(depreciation)
..........................................................
(428,258)
(8,172,881)
Net
increase
(decrease)
in
net
assets
resulting
from
operations
.....................................................
2,962,162
(12,896,237)
DISTRIBUTIONS
TO
SHAREHOLDERS
(a)
Decrease
in
net
assets
resulting
from
distributions
to
shareholders
...................................................
(3,950,079)
(2,712,371)
CAPITAL
SHARE
TRANSACTIONS
Net
increase
(decrease)
in
net
assets
derived
from
capital
share
transactions
...........................................
23,262,172
(55,462,161)
NET
ASSETS
Total
increase
(decrease)
in
net
assets
.....................................................................
22,274,255
(71,070,769)
Beginning
of
year
....................................................................................
77,853,597
148,924,366
End
of
year
........................................................................................
$
100,127,852
$
77,853,597
(a)
Distributions
for
annual
periods
determined
in
accordance
with
U.S.
federal
income
tax
regulations.
Financial
Highlights
(For
a
share
outstanding
throughout
each
period)
13
Financial
Highlights
iShares
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
Year
Ended
10/31/23
Year
Ended
10/31/22
Year
Ended
10/31/21
Year
Ended
10/31/20
Year
Ended
10/31/19
Net
asset
value,
beginning
of
year
...............................
$
21.33
$
25.03
$
25.63
$
25.60
$
23.77
Net
investment
income
(a)
......................................
0.93
0.64
0.63
0.80
0.92
Net
realized
and
unrealized
gain
(loss)
(b)
............................
(0.24
)
(3.70
)
(0.51
)
0.04
1.94
Net
increase
(decrease)
from
investment
operations
.....................
0.69
(3.06
)
0.12
0.84
2.86
Distributions
(c)
–
–
–
–
–
From
net
investment
income
...................................
(0.94
)
(0.64
)
(0.65
)
(0.81
)
(1.03
)
From
net
realized
gain
........................................
—
—
(0.07
)
—
—
Total
distributions
............................................
(0.94
)
(0.64
)
(0.72
)
(0.81
)
(1.03
)
Net
asset
value,
end
of
year
....................................
$
21.08
$
21.33
$
25.03
$
25.63
$
25.60
Total
Return
(d)
—
—
—
—
—
Based
on
net
asset
value
.......................................
3.19
%
(12.39
)%
0.47
%
3.33
%
12.31
%
Ratios
to
Average
Net
Assets
(e)
Total
expenses
..............................................
0.28
%
0.28
%
0.28
%
0.28
%
0.28
%
Total
expenses
after
fees
waived
..................................
0.00
%
0.00
%
(f)
0.00
%
(f)
0.00
%
(f)
0.00
%
Net
investment
income
.........................................
4.27
%
2.74
%
2.49
%
3.12
%
3.69
%
Supplemental
Data
Net
assets,
end
of
year
(000)
.....................................
$
100,128
$
77,854
$
148,924
$
190,935
$
147,173
Portfolio
turnover
rate
(g)
.........................................
39
%
74
%
57
%
118
%
58
%
(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)
Rounds
to
less
than
0.01%.
(g)
Portfolio
turnover
rate
excludes
in-kind
transactions.
See
notes
to
financial
statements.
Notes
to
Financial
Statements
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
To
Shareholders
14
1.
ORGANIZATION
iShares
Trust
(the
“Trust”)
is
registered
under
the
Investment
Company
Act
of
1940,
as
amended
(the
“1940
Act”),
as
an
open-end
management
investment
company.
The
Trust
is
organized
as
a
Delaware
statutory
trust
and
is
authorized
to
have
multiple
series
or
portfolios.
These
financial
statements
relate
only
to
the
following
fund
(the
“Fund”):
The
Fund
is
a
fund
of
funds
and
seeks
to
achieve
its
investment
objective
by
investing
primarily
in
other
iShares
funds
(each,
an
“underlying
fund”
and
collectively,
the
“underlying
funds”).
The
financial
statements,
including
the
accounting
policies,
and
schedule
of
investments
for
the
underlying
funds
are
available
on
iShares.com
and
should
be
read
in
conjunction
with
the
Fund’s financial
statements.
2.
Significant
Accounting
Policies
The
financial
statements
are
prepared
in
conformity
with
accounting
principles
generally
accepted
in
the
United
States
of
America
(“U.S.
GAAP”),
which
may
require
management
to
make
estimates
and
assumptions
that
affect
the
reported
amounts
of
assets
and
liabilities
in
the
financial
statements,
disclosure
of
contingent
assets
and
liabilities
at
the
date
of
the
financial
statements
and
the
reported
amounts
of
increases
and
decreases
in
net
assets
from
operations
during
the
reporting
period.
Actual
results
could
differ
from
those
estimates.
The
Fund
is
considered
an
investment
company
under
U.S.
GAAP
and
follows
the
accounting
and
reporting
guidance
applicable
to
investment
companies.
Below
is
a
summary
of
significant
accounting
policies:
Investment
Transactions
and
Income
Recognition
:
For
financial
reporting
purposes,
investment
transactions
are
recorded
on
the
dates
the
transactions
are
executed.
Realized
gains
and
losses
on
investment
transactions
are
determined
using
the
specific
identification
method. Dividend
income
and
capital
gain
distributions
from
the
underlying
funds,
if
any,
are
recorded
on
the
ex-dividend
date.
Interest
income
is
recognized
daily
on
an
accrual
basis.
In-kind
Redemptions:
For
financial
reporting
purposes,
in-kind
redemptions
are
treated
as
sales
of
securities
resulting
in
realized
capital
gains
or
losses
to
the
Fund.
Because
such
gains
or
losses
are
not
taxable
to
the
Fund
and
are
not
distributed
to
existing
Fund
shareholders,
the
gains
or
losses
are
reclassified
from
accumulated
net
realized
gain
(loss)
to
paid-in
capital
at
the
end
of
the
Fund’s
tax
year.
These
reclassifications
have
no
effect
on
net
assets
or
net
asset
value
(“NAV”)
per
share.
Distributions:
Dividends
and
distributions
paid
by
the
Fund
are
recorded
on
the
ex-dividend
dates.
Distributions
are
determined
on
a
tax
basis
and
may
differ
from
net
investment
income
and
net
realized
capital
gains
for
financial
reporting
purposes.
Dividends
and
distributions
are
paid
in
U.S.
dollars
and
cannot
be
automatically
reinvested
in
additional
shares
of
the
Fund.
Indemnifications:
In
the
normal
course
of
business,
the
Fund
enters
into
contracts
that
contain
a
variety
of
representations
that
provide
general
indemnification.
The
Fund’s
maximum
exposure
under
these
arrangements
is
unknown
because
it
involves
future
potential
claims
against
the
Fund,
which
cannot
be
predicted
with
any
certainty.
3.
Investment
Valuation
and
Fair
Value
Measurements
Investment
Valuation
Policies:
The
Fund’s
investments
are
valued
at
fair
value
(also
referred
to
as
“market
value”
within
the
financial
statements)
each
day
that
the
Fund’s
listing
exchange
is
open
and,
for
financial
reporting
purposes,
as
of
the
report
date.
U.S.
GAAP
defines
fair
value
as
the
price
a
fund
would
receive
to
sell
an
asset
or
pay
to
transfer
a
liability
in
an
orderly
transaction
between
market
participants
at
the
measurement
date.
The
Board
of
Trustees
of
the
Trust
(the
“Board”)
of
the
Fund
has
approved
the
designation
of
BlackRock
Fund
Advisors
(“BFA”),
the
Fund’s
investment
adviser,
as
the
valuation
designee
for
the
Fund.
The
Fund
determines
the
fair
values
of
its
financial
instruments
using
various
independent
dealers
or
pricing
services
under BFA’s
policies.
If
a
security’s
market
price
is
not
readily
available
or
does
not
otherwise
accurately
represent
the
fair
value
of
the
security,
the
security
will
be
valued
in
accordance
with BFA’s policies
and
procedures as
reflecting
fair
value.
BFA
has
formed
a
committee
(the
"Valuation
Committee")
to
develop pricing
policies
and
procedures
and
to
oversee
the
pricing
function
for
all
financial
instruments,
with
assistance
from
other
BlackRock
pricing
committees.
Fair
Value
Inputs
and
Methodologies:
The
following
methods
and
inputs
are
used
to
establish
the
fair
value
of
the
Fund’s
assets
and
liabilities:
Exchange-traded
funds
and
closed-end
funds
traded
on
a
recognized
securities
exchange
are
valued
at
that
day’s official
closing
price,
as
applicable,
on
the
exchange
where
the
fund
is
primarily
traded.
Funds
traded
on
a
recognized
exchange
for
which
there
were
no
sales
on
that
day
may
be
valued
at
the
last
traded
price.
Investments
in
open-end
U.S.
mutual
funds
(including
money
market
funds)
are
valued
at
that
day’s
published
NAV.
If
events
(e.g.,
market
volatility,
company
announcement
or
a
natural
disaster)
occur
that
are
expected
to
materially
affect
the
value
of
such
investment,
or
in
the
event
that
application
of
these
methods
of
valuation
results
in
a
price
for
an
investment
that
is
deemed
not
to
be
representative
of
the
market
value
of
such
investment,
or
if
a
price
is
not
available,
the
investment
will
be
valued
by
the Valuation
Committee,
in
accordance
with
BFA’s
policies
and
procedures as
reflecting
fair
value
(“Fair
Valued
Investments”).
The
fair
valuation
approaches
that
may
be
used
by
the Valuation
Committee
include
market
approach,
income
approach
and
cost
approach.
Valuation
techniques
such
as
discounted
cash
flow,
use
of
market
comparables
and
matrix
pricing
are
types
of
valuation
approaches
and
are
typically
used
in
determining
fair
value.
When
determining
the
price
for
Fair
Valued
Investments,
the Valuation
Committee
seeks
to
determine
the
price
that
the
Fund
might
reasonably
expect
to
receive
or
pay
from
the
current
sale
or
purchase
of
that
asset
or
liability
in
an
arm’s-length
transaction.
Fair
value
determinations
shall
be
based
upon
all
available
factors
that
the Valuation
Committee
deems
relevant
and
consistent
with
the
principles
of
fair
value
measurement.
Fair
value
pricing
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,
which
in
turn
could
result
in
a
difference
between
the
fund’s
performance
and
the
performance
of
the
fund’s
underlying
index.
iShares
ETF
Diversification
Classification
Yield
Optimized
Bond
..................................................................................................
Diversified
Notes
to
Financial
Statements
(continued)
15
Notes
to
Financial
Statements
Fair
Value
Hierarchy:
Various
inputs
are
used
in
determining
the
fair
value
of
financial
instruments.
These
inputs
to
valuation
techniques
are
categorized
into
a
fair
value
hierarchy
consisting
of
three
broad
levels
for
financial
reporting
purposes
as
follows:
Level
1
–
Unadjusted
price
quotations
in
active
markets/exchanges
for
identical
assets
or
liabilities
that
the
Fund
has
the
ability
to
access;
Level
2
–
Other
observable
inputs
(including,
but
not
limited
to,
quoted
prices
for
similar
assets
or
liabilities
in
markets
that
are
active,
quoted
prices
for
identical
or
similar
assets
or
liabilities
in
markets
that
are
not
active,
inputs
other
than
quoted
prices
that
are
observable
for
the
assets
or
liabilities
(such
as
interest
rates,
yield
curves,
volatilities,
prepayment
speeds,
loss
severities,
credit
risks
and
default
rates)
or
other
market-corroborated
inputs);
and
Level
3
–
Unobservable
inputs
based
on
the
best
information
available
in
the
circumstances,
to
the
extent
observable
inputs
are
not
available,
(including
the Valuation
Committee’s
assumptions
used
in
determining
the
fair
value
of
financial
instruments).
The
hierarchy
gives
the
highest
priority
to
unadjusted
quoted
prices
in
active
markets
for
identical
assets
or
liabilities
(Level
1
measurements)
and
the
lowest
priority
to
unobservable
inputs
(Level
3
measurements).
Accordingly,
the
degree
of
judgment
exercised
in
determining
fair
value
is
greatest
for
instruments
categorized
in
Level
3.
The
inputs
used
to
measure
fair
value
may
fall
into
different
levels
of
the
fair
value
hierarchy.
In
such
cases,
for
disclosure
purposes,
the
fair
value
hierarchy
classification
is
determined
based
on
the
lowest
level
input
that
is
significant
to
the
fair
value
measurement
in
its
entirety.
Investments
classified
within
Level
3
have
significant
unobservable
inputs
used
by
the Valuation
Committee
in
determining
the
price
for
Fair
Valued
Investments.
Level
3
investments
include
equity
or
debt
issued
by
privately
held
companies
or
funds
that
may
not
have
a
secondary
market
and/or
may
have
a
limited
number
of
investors.
The
categorization
of
a
value
determined
for
financial
instruments
is
based
on
the
pricing
transparency
of
the
financial
instruments
and
is
not
necessarily
an
indication
of
the
risks
associated
with
investing
in
those
securities.
4.
Securities
and
Other
Investments
Securities
Lending:
The
Fund
may
lend
its
securities
to
approved
borrowers,
such
as
brokers,
dealers
and
other
financial
institutions.
The
borrower
pledges
and
maintains
with
the
Fund
collateral
consisting
of
cash,
an
irrevocable
letter
of
credit
issued
by
an
approved
bank,
or
securities
issued
or
guaranteed
by
the
U.S.
government.
The
initial
collateral
received
by
the
Fund
is
required
to
have
a
value
of
at
least
102%
of
the
current
market
value
of
the
loaned
securities
for
securities
traded
on
U.S.
exchanges
and
a
value
of
at
least
105%
for
all
other
securities.
The
collateral
is
maintained
thereafter
at
a
value
equal
to
at
least
100%
of
the
current
value
of
the
securities
on
loan.
The
market
value
of
the
loaned
securities
is
determined
at
the
close
of
each
business
day
of
the
Fund
and
any
additional
required
collateral
is
delivered
to
the
Fund
or
excess
collateral
is
returned
by
the
Fund,
on
the
next
business
day.
During
the
term
of
the
loan,
the
Fund
is
entitled
to
all
distributions
made
on
or
in
respect
of
the
loaned
securities
but
does
not
receive
interest
income
on
securities
received
as
collateral.
Loans
of
securities
are
terminable
at
any
time
and
the
borrower,
after
notice,
is
required
to
return
borrowed
securities
within
the
standard
time
period
for
settlement
of
securities
transactions.
As
of
period
end,
any
securities
on
loan
were
collateralized
by
cash
and/or
U.S.
Government
obligations.
Cash
collateral
invested
in
money
market
funds
managed
by
BFA, or
its
affiliates
is
disclosed
in
the
Schedule
of
Investments.
Any
non-cash
collateral
received
cannot
be
sold,
re-invested
or
pledged
by
the
Fund,
except
in
the
event
of
borrower
default.
The
securities
on
loan,
if
any,
are
also
disclosed
in
the
Fund’s
Schedule
of
Investments.
The
market
value
of
any
securities
on
loan
and
the
value
of
any
related
cash
collateral
are
disclosed
in
the
Statement
of
Assets
and
Liabilities.
Securities
lending
transactions
are
entered
into
by
the
Fund
under
Master
Securities
Lending
Agreements
(each,
an
“MSLA”)
which
provide
the
right,
in
the
event
of
default
(including
bankruptcy
or
insolvency)
for
the
non-defaulting
party
to
liquidate
the
collateral
and
calculate
a
net
exposure
to
the
defaulting
party
or
request
additional
collateral.
In
the
event
that
a
borrower
defaults,
the
Fund,
as
lender,
would
offset
the
market
value
of
the
collateral
received
against
the
market
value
of
the
securities
loaned.
When
the
value
of
the
collateral
is
greater
than
that
of
the
market
value
of
the
securities
loaned,
the
lender
is
left
with
a
net
amount
payable
to
the
defaulting
party.
However,
bankruptcy
or
insolvency
laws
of
a
particular
jurisdiction
may
impose
restrictions
on
or
prohibitions
against
such
a
right
of
offset
in
the
event
of
an
MSLA
counterparty’s
bankruptcy
or
insolvency.
Under
the
MSLA,
absent
an
event
of
default,
the
borrower
can
resell
or
re-pledge
the
loaned
securities,
and
the
Fund
can
reinvest
cash
collateral
received
in
connection
with
loaned
securities.
Upon
an
event
of
default,
the
parties’
obligations
to
return
the
securities
or
collateral
to
the
other
party
are
extinguished,
and
the
parties
can
resell
or
re-pledge
the
loaned
securities
or
the
collateral
received
in
connection
with
the
loaned
securities
in
order
to
satisfy
the
defaulting
party’s
net
payment
obligation
for
all
transactions
under
the
MSLA.
The
defaulting
party
remains
liable
for
any
deficiency.
As
of
period
end,
the
following
table
is
a
summary
of
the
securities
on
loan
by
counterparty
which
are
subject
to
offset
under
an
MSLA:
The
risks
of
securities
lending
include
the
risk
that
the
borrower
may
not
provide
additional
collateral
when
required
or
may
not
return
the
securities
when
due.
To
mitigate
these
risks,
the
Fund
benefits
from
a
borrower
default
indemnity
provided
by
BlackRock,
Inc.
(“BlackRock”).
BlackRock’s
indemnity
allows
for
full
replacement
of
the
securities
loaned
to
the
extent
the
collateral
received
does
not
cover
the
value
of
the
securities
loaned
in
the
event
of
borrower
default.
The
Fund
could
incur
a
loss
if
the
value
of
an
investment
purchased
with
cash
collateral
falls
below
the
market
value
of
the
loaned
securities
or
if
the
value
of
an
investment
purchased
with
cash
collateral
falls
below
the
value
of
the
original
cash
collateral
received.
Such
losses
are
borne
entirely
by
the
Fund.
Counterparty
Securities
Loaned
at
Value
Cash
Collateral
Received
(a)
Non-Cash
Collateral
Received,
at
Fair
Value
(a)
Net
Amount
Barclays
Capital,
Inc.
...................................
$
2,922,840
$
(2,922,840)
$
–
$
–
BNP
Paribas
SA
.......................................
69,232
(69,232)
–
–
Citigroup
Global
Markets,
Inc.
..............................
3,156,432
(3,156,432)
–
–
J.P.
Morgan
Securities
LLC
...............................
20,623,498
(20,623,498)
–
–
UBS
AG
............................................
850,423
(850,423)
–
–
$
27,622,425
$
(27,622,425)
$
–
$
–
(a)
Collateral
received,
if
any,
in
excess
of
the
market
value
of
securities
on
loan
is
not
presented
in
this
table.
The
total
cash
collateral
received
by
the
Fund
is
disclosed
in
the
Fund’s
Statement
of
Assets
and
Liabilities.
Notes
to
Financial
Statements
(continued)
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
To
Shareholders
16
5.
Investment
Advisory
Agreement
and
Other
Transactions
with
Affiliates
Investment
Advisory
Fees:
Pursuant
to
an
Investment
Advisory
Agreement
with
the
Trust
,
BFA
manages
the
investment
of
the
Fund’s
assets.
BFA
is
a
California
corporation
indirectly
owned
by
BlackRock. Under
the
Investment
Advisory
Agreement,
BFA
is
responsible
for
substantially
all
expenses
of
the
Fund,
except
(i)
interest
and
taxes;
(ii)
brokerage
commissions
and
other
expenses
connected
with
the
execution
of
portfolio
transactions;
(iii)
distribution
fees;
(iv)
the
advisory
fee
payable
to
BFA;
and
(v)
litigation
expenses
and
any
extraordinary
expenses
(in
each
case
as
determined
by
a
majority
of
the
independent
trustees
).
For
its
investment
advisory
services
to the
Fund,
BFA
is
entitled
to
an
annual
investment
advisory
fee,
accrued
daily
and
paid
monthly
by
the
Fund,
based
on
the
average
daily
net
assets
of the
Fund
as
follows:
Expense
Waivers:
A
fund
may
incur
its
pro
rata
share
of
fees
and
expenses
attributable
to
its
investments
in
other
investment
companies
(“acquired
fund
fees
and
expenses”).
The
total
of
the
investment
advisory
fee
and
acquired
fund
fees
and
expenses,
if
any,
is
a
fund’s
total
annual
operating
expenses.
Total
expenses
as
shown
in
the
Statement
of
Operations
does
not
include
acquired
fund
fees
and
expenses.
BFA
has
contractually
agreed
to
waive
its
investment
advisory
fees
for
the
Fund
through
February
28,
2026.
This
amount
is
included
in
investment
advisory
fees
waived
in
the
Statement
of
Operations.
For the
year
ended October
31,
2023,
the
amounts
waived
in
investment
advisory
fees
pursuant
to
this
arrangement
were
as
follows:
Distributor:
BlackRock
Investments,
LLC
(“BRIL”),
an
affiliate
of
BFA,
is
the
distributor
for
the
Fund.
Pursuant
to
the
distribution
agreement,
BFA
is
responsible
for
any
fees
or
expenses
for
distribution
services
provided
to
the
Fund.
ETF
Servicing
Fees:
The
Fund
has
entered
into
an
ETF
Services
Agreement
with
BRIL
to
perform
certain
order
processing,
Authorized
Participant
communications,
and
related
services
in
connection
with
the
issuance
and
redemption
of
Creation
Units
(“ETF
Services”).
BRIL
is
entitled
to
a
transaction
fee
from
Authorized
Participants
on
each
creation
or
redemption
order
for
the
ETF
Services
provided.
The
Fund
does
not
pay
BRIL
for
ETF
Services.
Securities
Lending:
The
U.S.
Securities
and
Exchange
Commission
(the
“SEC”)
has
issued
an
exemptive
order
which
permits
BlackRock
Institutional
Trust
Company,
N.A.
(“BTC”),
an
affiliate
of
BFA,
to
serve
as
securities
lending
agent
for
the
Fund,
subject
to
applicable
conditions.
As
securities
lending
agent,
BTC
bears
all
operational
costs
directly
related
to
securities
lending,
including
any
custodial
costs.
The
Fund
is
responsible
for
fees
in
connection
with
the
investment
of
cash
collateral
received
for
securities
on
loan
(the
“collateral
investment
fees”).
The
cash
collateral
is
invested
in
a
money
market
fund,
BlackRock
Cash
Funds:
Institutional
or
BlackRock
Cash
Funds:
Treasury,
managed
by
BFA,
or
its
affiliates.
However,
BTC
has
agreed
to
reduce
the
amount
of
securities
lending
income
it
receives
in
order
to
effectively
limit
the
collateral
investment
fees
the
Fund
bears
to
an
annual
rate
of
0.04%.
The
SL
Agency
Shares
of
such
money
market
fund
will
not
be
subject
to
a
sales
load,
distribution
fee
or
service
fee.
The
money
market
fund
in
which
the
cash
collateral
has
been
invested
may,
under
certain
circumstances,
impose
a
liquidity
fee
of
up
to
2%
of
the
value
redeemed
or
temporarily
restrict
redemptions
for
up
to
10
business
days
during
a
90
day
period,
in
the
event
that
the
money
market
fund’s
weekly
liquid
assets
fall
below
certain
thresholds.
Securities
lending
income
is
equal
to
the
total
of
income
earned
from
the
reinvestment
of
cash
collateral,
net
of
fees
and
other
payments
to
and
from
borrowers
of
securities,
and
less
the
collateral
investment
fees.
The
Fund
retains
a
portion
of
securities
lending
income
and
remits
the
remaining
portion
to
BTC
as
compensation
for
its
services
as
securities
lending
agent.
Pursuant
to
the
current
securities
lending
agreement,
the
Fund
retains
82%
of
securities
lending
income
(which
excludes
collateral
investment
fees)
and
the
amount
retained
can
never
be
less
than
70%
of
the
total
of
securities
lending
income
plus
the
collateral
investment
fees.
In
addition,
commencing
the
business
day
following
the
date
that
the
aggregate
securities
lending
income
plus
the
collateral
investment
fees
generated
across
all
1940
Act
iShares
exchange-traded
funds
(the
“iShares
ETF
Complex”)
in
that
calendar
year
exceeds
a
specified
threshold,
the
Fund,
pursuant
to
the
securities
lending
agreement,
will
retain
for
the
remainder
of
that
calendar
year
85%
of
securities
lending
income
(which
excludes
collateral
investment
fees),
and
the
amount
retained
can
never
be
less
than
70%
of
the
total
of
securities
lending
income
plus
the
collateral
investment
fees.
The
share
of
securities
lending
income
earned
by
the
Fund
is
shown
as
securities
lending
income
–
affiliated
–
net
in
its
Statement
of
Operations.
For
the year ended
October
31,
2023,
the
Fund
paid
BTC $56,651
for
securities
lending
agent
services.
Officers
and
Trustees:
Certain
officers
and/or
trustees
of
the
Trust
are
officers
and/or
trustees
of
BlackRock
or
its
affiliates.
The
Fund
may
invest
its
positive
cash
balances
in
certain
money
market
funds
managed
by
BFA
or
an
affiliate.
The
income
earned
on
these
temporary
cash
investments
is
shown
as
dividends
–
affiliated
in
the
Statement
of
Operations.
6.
Purchases
and
Sales
For
the year ended
October
31,
2023,
purchases
and
sales
of
investments,
excluding
short-term securities
and
in-kind
transactions,
were
as
follows:
iShares
ETF
Investment
Advisory
Fees
Yield
Optimized
Bond
...............................................................................................
0.28
%
iShares
ETF
Amounts
Waived
Yield
Optimized
Bond
..................................................................................................
$
259,574
iShares
ETF
Purchases
Sales
Yield
Optimized
Bond
...................................................................................
$
36,494,587
$
36,462,901
Notes
to
Financial
Statements
(continued)
17
Notes
to
Financial
Statements
For
the year ended
October
31,
2023,
in-kind
transactions
were
as
follows:
7.
Income
Tax
Information
The
Fund
is
treated
as
an
entity
separate
from
the Trust’s
other
funds
for
federal
income
tax
purposes.
It
is
the
Fund’s
policy
to
comply
with
the
requirements
of
the
Internal
Revenue
Code
of
1986,
as
amended,
applicable
to
regulated
investment
companies,
and
to
distribute
substantially
all
of
its
taxable
income
to
its
shareholders.
Therefore,
no
U.S.
federal
income
tax
provision
is
required.
Management
has
analyzed
tax
laws
and
regulations
and
their
application
to
the
Fund
as
of
October
31,
2023,
inclusive
of
the
open
tax
return
years,
and
does
not
believe
that
there
are
any
uncertain
tax
positions
that
require
recognition
of
a
tax
liability
in
the
Fund’s
financial
statements.
U.S.
GAAP
requires
that
certain
components
of
net
assets
be
adjusted
to
reflect
permanent
differences
between
financial
and
tax
reporting.
These
reclassifications
have
no
effect
on
net
assets
or
NAV
per
share.
As
of October
31,
2023,
permanent
differences
attributable
to
realized
gains
(losses)
from
in-kind
redemptions
were
reclassified
to
the
following
accounts:
The
tax
character
of
distributions
paid
was
as
follows:
As
of
October
31,
2023,
the
tax
components
of
accumulated
net
earnings
(losses)
were
as
follows:
As
of
October
31,
2023,
gross
unrealized
appreciation
and
depreciation
based
on
cost
of
investments
(including
short
positions
and
derivatives,
if
any)
for
U.S.
federal
income
tax
purposes
were
as
follows:
8.
Principal
Risks
In
the
normal
course
of
business,
the
Fund
invests
in
securities
or
other
instruments
and
may
enter
into
certain
transactions,
and
such
activities
subject
the
Fund
to
various
risks,
including,
among
others,
fluctuations
in
the
market
(market
risk)
or
failure
of
an
issuer
to
meet
all
of
its
obligations.
The
value
of
securities
or
other
instruments
may
also
be
affected
by
various
factors,
including,
without
limitation:
(i)
the
general
economy;
(ii)
the
overall
market
as
well
as
local,
regional
or
global
political
and/or
social
instability;
(iii)
regulation,
taxation
or
international
tax
treaties
between
various
countries;
or
(iv)
currency,
interest
rate
or
price
fluctuations.
Local,
regional
or
global
events
such
as
war,
acts
of
terrorism,
the
spread
of
infectious
illness
or
other
public
health
issues,
recessions,
or
other
events
could
have
a
significant
impact
on
the
Fund
and
its
investments.
The
Fund’s
prospectus
provides
details
of
the
risks
to
which
the
Fund
is
subject.
BFA
uses
a
“passive”
or
index
approach
to
try
to
achieve
the
Fund’s
investment
objective
following
the
securities
included
in
its
underlying
index
during
upturns
as
well
as
downturns.
BFA
does
not
take
steps
to
reduce
market
exposure
or
to
lessen
the
effects
of
a
declining
market.
Divergence
from
the
underlying
index
and
the
composition
of
the
portfolio
is
monitored
by
BFA.
The
Fund
may
be
exposed
to
additional
risks
when
reinvesting
cash
collateral
in
money
market
funds
that
do
not
seek
to
maintain
a
stable
NAV
per
share
of
$1.00,
which
may
be
subject
to
redemption
gates
or
liquidity
fees
under
certain
circumstances.
Infectious
Illness
Risk:
An
outbreak
of
an
infectious
illness,
such
as
the
COVID-19
pandemic,
may
adversely
impact
the
economies
of
many
nations
and
the
global
economy,
and
may
impact
individual
issuers
and
capital
markets
in
ways
that
cannot
be
foreseen.
An
infectious
illness
outbreak
may
result
in,
among
other
things,
closed
international
borders,
prolonged
quarantines,
supply
chain
disruptions,
market
volatility
or
disruptions
and
other
significant
economic,
social
and
political
impacts.
iShares
ETF
In-kind
Purchases
In-kind
Sales
Yield
Optimized
Bond
...................................................................................
$
46,117,865
$
22,906,509
iShares
ETF
Paid-In
Capital
Accumulated
Earnings
(Loss)
Yield
Optimized
Bond
........................................................................
$
320,852
$
(320,852)
—
iShares
ETF
Year
Ended
10/31/23
Year
Ended
10/31/22
Yield
Optimized
Bond
Ordinary
income
...........................................................................................
$
3,950,079
$
2,712,371
iShares
ETF
Undistributed
Ordinary
Income
Non-Expiring
Capital
Loss
Carryforwards
(a)
Net
Unrealized
Gains
(Losses)
(b)
Total
Yield
Optimized
Bond
....................................................
$
37,838
$(8,534,376)
$(11,065,274)
$(19,561,812)
(a)
Amounts
available
to
offset
future
realized
capital
gains.
(b)
The
difference
between
book-basis
and
tax-basis
net
unrealized
gains
(losses)
were
attributable
primarily
to
the
tax
deferral
of
losses
on
wash
sales.
iShares
ETF
Tax
Cost
Gross
Unrealized
Appreciation
Gross
Unrealized
Depreciation
Net
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
Yield
Optimized
Bond
..............................................
$
139,383,488
$
81,135
$
(11,146,409)
$
(11,065,274)
Notes
to
Financial
Statements
(continued)
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
To
Shareholders
18
Counterparty
Credit
Risk:
The
Fund
may
be
exposed
to
counterparty
credit
risk,
or
the
risk
that
an
entity
may
fail
to
or
be
unable
to
perform
on
its
commitments
related
to
unsettled
or
open
transactions,
including
making
timely
interest
and/or
principal
payments
or
otherwise
honoring
its
obligations.
The
Fund
manages
counterparty
credit
risk
by
entering
into
transactions
only
with
counterparties
that BFA
believes
have
the
financial
resources
to
honor
their
obligations
and
by
monitoring
the
financial
stability
of
those
counterparties.
Financial
assets,
which
potentially
expose
the
Fund
to
market,
issuer
and
counterparty
credit
risks,
consist
principally
of
financial
instruments
and
receivables
due
from
counterparties.
The
extent
of
the
Fund’s
exposure
to
market,
issuer
and
counterparty
credit
risks
with
respect
to
these
financial
assets
is
approximately
their
value
recorded
in
the
Statement
of
Assets
and
Liabilities,
less
any
collateral
held
by
the
Fund.
Geographic/Asset
Class
Risk:
A
diversified
portfolio,
where
this
is
appropriate
and
consistent
with
a
fund’s
objectives,
minimizes
the
risk
that
a
price
change
of
a
particular
investment
will
have
a
material
impact
on
the
NAV
of
a
fund.
The
investment
concentrations
within
the
Fund’s
portfolio
are
disclosed
in
its
Schedule
of
Investments
.
The
Fund
invests
a
significant
portion
of
its
assets
in
securities
of
issuers
located
in
the
United
States.
A
decrease
in
imports
or
exports,
changes
in
trade
regulations,
inflation
and/or
an
economic
recession
in
the
United
States
may
have
a
material
adverse
effect
on
the
U.S.
economy
and
the
securities
listed
on
U.S.
exchanges.
Proposed
and
adopted
policy
and
legislative
changes
in
the
United
States
may
also
have
a
significant
effect
on
U.S.
markets
generally,
as
well
as
on
the
value
of
certain
securities.
Governmental
agencies
project
that
the
United
States
will
continue
to
maintain
elevated
public
debt
levels
for
the
foreseeable
future
which
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.
If
U.S.
relations
with
certain
countries
deteriorate,
it
could
adversely
affect
issuers
that
rely
on
the
United
States
for
trade.
The
United
States
has
also
experienced
increased
internal
unrest
and
discord.
If
these
trends
were
to
continue,
they
may
have
an
adverse
impact
on
the
U.S.
economy
and
the
issuers
in
which
the
Fund
invests.
Significant
Shareholder
Redemption
Risk:
Certain
shareholders
may
own
or
manage
a
substantial
amount
of
fund
shares
and/or
hold
their
fund
investments
for
a
limited
period
of
time.
Large
redemptions
of
fund
shares
by
these
shareholders
may
force
a
fund
to
sell
portfolio
securities,
which
may
negatively
impact
the
fund’s
NAV,
increase
the
fund’s
brokerage
costs,
and/or
accelerate
the
realization
of
taxable
income/gains
and
cause
the
fund
to
make
additional
taxable
distributions
to
shareholders.
9.
Capital
Share
Transactions
Capital
shares
are
issued
and
redeemed
by
the
Fund
only
in
aggregations
of
a
specified
number
of
shares
or
multiples
thereof
(“Creation
Units”)
at
NAV.
Except
when
aggregated
in
Creation
Units,
shares
of
the
Fund
are
not
redeemable.
Transactions
in
capital
shares
were
as
follows:
The
consideration
for
the
purchase
of
Creation
Units
of
a
fund
in
the Trust
generally
consists
of
the
in-kind
deposit
of
a
designated
portfolio
of
securities
and
a
specified
amount
of
cash.
Certain
funds
in
the Trust
may
be
offered
in
Creation
Units
solely
or
partially
for
cash
in
U.S.
dollars.
Investors
purchasing
and
redeeming
Creation
Units
may
pay
a
purchase
transaction
fee
and
a
redemption
transaction
fee
directly
to
BRIL,
to
offset
transfer
and
other
transaction
costs
associated
with
the
issuance
and
redemption
of
Creation
Units,
including
Creation
Units
for
cash.
Investors
transacting
in
Creation
Units
for
cash
may
also
pay
an
additional
variable
charge
to
compensate
the
relevant
fund
for
certain
transaction
costs
(i.e.,
stamp
taxes,
taxes
on
currency
or
other
financial
transactions,
and
brokerage
costs)
and
market
impact
expenses
relating
to
investing
in
portfolio
securities.
Such
variable
charges,
if
any,
are
included
in
shares
sold
in
the
table
above.
From
time
to
time,
settlement
of
securities
related
to
in-kind
contributions
or
in-kind
redemptions
may
be
delayed.
In
such
cases,
securities
related
to
in-kind
transactions
are
reflected
as
a
receivable
or
a
payable
in
the
Statement
of
Assets
and
Liabilities.
10.
Subsequent
Events
Management
has
evaluated
the
impact
of
all
subsequent
events
on
the
Fund
through
the
date
the
financial
statements
were
available
to
be
issued
and
has
determined
that
there
were
no
subsequent
events
requiring
adjustment
or
additional
disclosure
in
the
financial
statements.
Year
Ended
10/31/23
Year
Ended
10/31/22
iShares
ETF
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Yield
Optimized
Bond
Shares
sold
2,150,000
$
46,194,952
100,000
$
2,185,215
Shares
redeemed
(1,050,000)
(22,932,780)
(2,400,000)
(57,647,376)
1,100,000
$
23,262,172
(2,300,000)
$
(55,462,161)
Report
of
Independent
Registered
Public
Accounting
Firm
19
Report
of
Independent
Registered
Public
Accounting
Firm
To
the
Board
of
Trustees
of
iShares
Trust
and
Shareholders
of
iShares
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
Opinion
on
the
Financial
Statements
We
have
audited
the
accompanying
statement
of
assets
and
liabilities,
including
the
schedule
of
investments,
of
iShares
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
(one
of
the
funds
constituting
iShares
Trust,
referred
to
hereafter
as
the
“Fund”)
as
of
October
31,
2023,
the
related
statement
of
operations
for
the
year
ended
October
31,
2023,
the
statement
of
changes
in
net
assets
for
each
of
the
two
years
in
the
period
ended
October
31,
2023,
including
the
related
notes,
and
the
financial
highlights
for
each
of
the
five
years
in
the
period
ended
October
31,
2023 (collectively
referred
to
as
the
“financial
statements”).
In
our
opinion,
the
financial
statements
present
fairly,
in
all
material
respects,
the
financial
position
of
the
Fund
as
of
October
31,
2023,
the
results
of
its
operations
for
the
year
then
ended,
the
changes
in
its
net
assets
for
each
of
the
two
years
in
the
period
ended
October
31,
2023
and the
financial
highlights
for
each
of
the
five
years
in
the
period
ended
October
31,
2023 in
conformity
with
accounting
principles
generally
accepted
in
the
United
States
of
America.
Basis
for
Opinion
These
financial
statements
are
the
responsibility
of
the
Fund’s
management.
Our
responsibility
is
to
express
an
opinion
on
the
Fund’s
financial
statements
based
on
our
audits.
We
are
a
public
accounting
firm
registered
with
the
Public
Company
Accounting
Oversight
Board
(United
States)
(PCAOB)
and
are
required
to
be
independent
with
respect
to
the
Fund
in
accordance
with
the
U.S.
federal
securities
laws
and
the
applicable
rules
and
regulations
of
the
Securities
and
Exchange
Commission
and
the
PCAOB.
We
conducted
our
audits
of
these
financial
statements
in
accordance
with
the
standards
of
the
PCAOB.
Those
standards
require
that
we
plan
and
perform
the
audit
to
obtain
reasonable
assurance
about
whether
the
financial
statements
are
free
of
material
misstatement,
whether
due
to
error
or
fraud.
Our
audits
included
performing
procedures
to
assess
the
risks
of
material
misstatement
of
the
financial
statements,
whether
due
to
error
or
fraud,
and
performing
procedures
that
respond
to
those
risks.
Such
procedures
included
examining,
on
a
test
basis,
evidence
regarding
the
amounts
and
disclosures
in
the
financial
statements.
Our
audits
also
included
evaluating
the
accounting
principles
used
and
significant
estimates
made
by
management,
as
well
as
evaluating
the
overall
presentation
of
the
financial
statements.
Our
procedures
included
confirmation
of
securities
owned
as
of October
31,
2023
by
correspondence
with
the
custodian
and
transfer
agent. We
believe
that
our
audits
provide
a
reasonable
basis
for
our
opinion.
/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
December
21,
2023
We
have
served
as
the
auditor
of
one
or
more
BlackRock
investment
companies
since
2000.
Important
Tax
Information
(unaudited)
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
to
Shareholders
20
The
Fund
intends
to
pass
through
to
its
shareholders
the
following
amount,
or
maximum
amount
allowable
by
law,
of
foreign
source
income
earned
for
the
fiscal
year
ended
October
31,
2023:
The
Fund
hereby
designates
the
following
amount,
or
maximum
amount
allowable
by
law,
of
distributions
from
direct
federal
obligation
interest
for
the
fiscal
year
ended October
31,
2023:
The
law
varies
in
each
state
as
to
whether
and
what
percent
of
ordinary
income
dividends
attributable
to
federal
obligations
is
exempt
from
state
income
tax.
Shareholders
are
advised
to
check
with
their
tax
advisers
to
determine
if
any
portion
of
the
dividends
received
is
exempt
from
state
income
tax.
The
Fund
hereby
designates
the
following
amount,
or
maximum
amount
allowable
by
law,
as
interest
income
eligible
to
be
treated
as
a
Section
163(j)
interest
dividend
for
the
fiscal
year
ended
October
31,
2023:
The
Fund
hereby
designates
the
following
amount,
or
maximum
amount
allowable
by
law,
as
interest-related
dividends
eligible
for
exemption
from
U.S.
withholding
tax
for
nonresident
aliens
and
foreign
corporations
for
the
fiscal
year
ended October
31,
2023:
iShares
ETF
Foreign
Source
Income
Earned
Yield
Optimized
Bond
................................................................................................
$
655,325
iShares
ETF
Federal
Obligation
Interest
Yield
Optimized
Bond
................................................................................................
$
275,125
iShares
ETF
Interest
Dividends
Yield
Optimized
Bond
................................................................................................
$
2,586,691
iShares
ETF
Interest-Related
Dividends
Yield
Optimized
Bond
................................................................................................
$
1,630,613
Board
Review
and
Approval
of
Investment
Advisory
Contract
21
Board
Review
and
Approval
of
Investment
Advisory
Contract
iShares
Yield
Optimized
Bond
ETF
(the
“Fund”)
Under
Section
15(c)
of
the
Investment
Company
Act
of
1940
(the
“1940
Act”),
the
Trust's
Board
of
Trustees
(the
“Board”),
including
a
majority
of
Board
Members
who
are
not
“interested
persons”
of
the
Trust
(as
that
term
is
defined
in
the
1940
Act)
(the
“Independent
Board
Members”),
is
required
annually
to
consider
the
approval
of
the
Investment
Advisory
Agreement
between
the
Trust
and
BFA
(the
“Advisory
Agreement”)
on
behalf
of
the
Fund.
The
Board’s
consideration
entails
a
year-long
process
whereby
the
Board
and
its
committees
(composed
solely
of
Independent
Board
Members)
assess
BlackRock’s
services
to
the
Fund,
including
investment
management;
fund
accounting;
administrative
and
shareholder
services;
oversight
of
the
Fund’s
service
providers;
risk
management
and
oversight;
legal
and
compliance
services;
and
ability
to
meet
applicable
legal
and
regulatory
requirements.
The
Independent
Board
Members
requested,
and
BFA
provided,
such
information
as
the
Independent
Board
Members,
with
advice
from
independent
counsel,
deemed
reasonably
necessary
to
evaluate
the
Advisory
Agreement.
At
meetings
on
May
2,
2023
and
May
15,
2023,
a
committee
composed
of
all
of
the
Independent
Board
Members
(the
“15(c)
Committee”),
with
independent
counsel,
met
with
management
and
reviewed
and
discussed
information
provided
in
response
to
initial
requests
of
the
15(c)
Committee
and/or
its
independent
counsel,
and
requested
certain
additional
information,
which
management
agreed
to
provide.
At
a
meeting
held
on
June
7-8,
2023,
the
Board,
including
the
Independent
Board
Members,
reviewed
the
additional
information
provided
by
management
in
response
to
these
requests.
After
extensive
discussions
and
deliberations,
the
Board,
including
all
of
the
Independent
Board
Members,
approved
the
continuance
of
the
Advisory
Agreement
for
the
Fund,
based
on
a
review
of
qualitative
and
quantitative
information
provided
by
BFA
and
their
cumulative
experience
as
Board
Members.
The
Board
noted
its
satisfaction
with
the
extent
and
quality
of
information
provided
and
its
frequent
interactions
with
management,
as
well
as
the
detailed
responses
and
other
information
provided
by
BFA.
The
Independent
Board
Members
were
advised
by
their
independent
counsel
throughout
the
process,
including
about
the
legal
standards
applicable
to
their
review.
In
approving
the
continuance
of
the
Advisory
Agreement
for
the
Fund,
the
Board,
including
the
Independent
Board
Members,
considered
various
factors,
including:
(i)
the
expenses
and
performance
of
the
Fund;
(ii)
the
nature,
extent
and
quality
of
the
services
provided
by
BFA;
(iii)
the
costs
of
services
provided
to
the
Fund
and
profits
realized
by
BFA
and
its
affiliates;
(iv)
potential
economies
of
scale
and
the
sharing
of
related
benefits;
(v)
the
fees
and
services
provided
for
other
comparable
funds/accounts
managed
by
BFA
and
its
affiliates;
and
(vi)
other
benefits
to
BFA
and/or
its
affiliates.
The
material
factors,
none
of
which
was
controlling,
and
conclusions
that
formed
the
basis
for
the
Board,
including
the
Independent
Board
Members,
to
approve
the
continuance
of
the
Advisory
Agreement
are
discussed
below.
Expenses
and
Performance
of
the
Fund:
The
Board
reviewed
statistical
information
prepared
by
Broadridge
Financial
Solutions,
Inc.
(“Broadridge”),
an
independent
provider
of
investment
company
data,
regarding
the
expense
ratio
components,
including
gross
and
net
total
expenses,
fees
and
expenses
of
other
fund(s)
in
which
the
Fund
invests
(if
applicable),
and
waivers/reimbursements
(if
applicable)
of
the
Fund
in
comparison
with
the
same
information
for
other
ETFs,
objectively
selected
by
Broadridge
as
comprising
the
Fund’s
applicable
expense
peer
group
pursuant
to
Broadridge’s
proprietary
ETF
methodology
(the
“Peer
Group”).
The
Board
was
provided
with
a
detailed
description
of
the
proprietary
ETF
methodology
used
by
Broadridge
to
determine
the
Fund’s
Peer
Group.
The
Board
noted
that,
due
to
the
limitations
in
providing
comparable
funds
in
the
Peer
Group,
the
statistical
information
provided
in
Broadridge’s
report
may
or
may
not
provide
meaningful
direct
comparisons
to
the
Fund
in
all
instances.
The
Board
also
noted
that
the
investment
advisory
fee
rate
and
overall
expenses
(net
of
any
waivers
and
reimbursements)
for
the
Fund
were
lower
than
the
median
of
the
investment
advisory
fee
rates
and
overall
expenses
(net
of
any
waivers
and
reimbursements)
of
the
funds
in
its
Peer
Group,
excluding
iShares
funds.
In
addition,
to
the
extent
that
any
of
the
comparison
funds
included
in
the
Peer
Group,
excluding
iShares
funds,
track
the
same
index
as
the
Fund,
Broadridge
also
provided,
and
the
Board
reviewed,
a
comparison
of
the
Fund’s
performance
for
the
one-year,
three-year,
five-year,
ten-year,
and
since
inception
periods,
as
applicable,
and
for
the
quarter
ended
December
31,
2022,
to
that
of
such
relevant
comparison
fund(s)
for
the
same
periods.
The
Board
noted
that
the
Fund
seeks
to
track
its
specified
underlying
index
and
that,
during
the
year,
the
Board
received
periodic
reports
on
the
Fund’s
short-
and
longer-term
performance
in
comparison
with
its
underlying
index.
Such
periodic
comparative
performance
information,
including
additional
detailed
information
as
requested
by
the
Board,
was
also
considered.
The
Board
noted
that
the
Fund
generally
performed
in
line
with
its
underlying
index
over
the
relevant
periods.
Based
on
this
review,
the
other
factors
considered
at
the
meeting,
and
their
general
knowledge
of
ETF
pricing,
the
Board
concluded
that
the
investment
advisory
fee
rate
and
expense
level
and
the
historical
performance
of
the
Fund
supported
the
Board’s
approval
of
the
continuance
of
the
Advisory
Agreement
for
the
coming
year.
Nature,
Extent
and
Quality
of
Services
Provided:
Based
on
management’s
representations,
including
information
about
ongoing
enhancements
and
initiatives
with
respect
to
the
iShares
business,
including
with
respect
to
capital
markets
support
and
analysis,
technology,
portfolio
management,
product
design
and
quality,
compliance
and
risk
management,
global
public
policy
and
other
services,
the
Board
expected
that
there
would
be
no
diminution
in
the
scope
of
services
required
of
or
provided
by
BFA
under
the
Advisory
Agreement
for
the
coming
year
as
compared
with
the
scope
of
services
provided
by
BFA
during
prior
years.
In
reviewing
the
scope
of
these
services,
the
Board
considered
BFA’s
investment
philosophy
and
experience,
noting
that
BFA
and
its
affiliates
have
committed
significant
resources
over
time,
including
during
the
past
year,
to
support
the
iShares
funds
and
their
shareholders
and
have
made
significant
investments
into
the
iShares
business.
The
Board
also
considered
BFA’s
compliance
program
and
its
compliance
record
with
respect
to
the
Fund,
including
related
programs
implemented
pursuant
to
regulatory
requirements.
In
that
regard,
the
Board
noted
that
BFA
reports
to
the
Board
about
portfolio
management
and
compliance
matters
on
a
periodic
basis
in
connection
with
regularly
scheduled
meetings
of
the
Board,
and
on
other
occasions
as
necessary
and
appropriate,
and
has
provided
information
and
made
relevant
officers
and
other
employees
of
BFA
(and
its
affiliates)
available
as
needed
to
provide
further
assistance
with
these
matters.
The
Board
also
reviewed
the
background
and
experience
of
the
persons
responsible
for
the
day-to-day
management
of
the
Fund,
as
well
as
the
resources
available
to
them
in
managing
the
Fund.
In
addition
to
the
above
considerations,
the
Board
reviewed
and
considered
detailed
presentations
regarding
BFA’s
investment
performance,
investment
and
risk
management
processes
and
strategies
provided
at
the
May
2,
2023
meeting
and
throughout
the
year,
and
matters
related
to
BFA’s
portfolio
compliance
program
and
other
compliance
programs
and
services.
Based
on
review
of
this
information,
and
the
performance
information
discussed
above,
the
Board
concluded
that
the
nature,
extent
and
quality
of
services
provided
to
the
Fund
under
the
Advisory
Agreement
supported
the
Board’s
approval
of
the
continuance
of
the
Advisory
Agreement
for
the
coming
year.
Costs
of
Services
Provided
to
the
Fund
and
Profits
Realized
by
BFA
and
its
Affiliates:
The
Board
reviewed
information
about
the
estimated
profitability
to
BlackRock
in
managing
the
Fund,
based
on
the
fees
payable
to
BFA
and
its
affiliates
(including
fees
under
the
Advisory
Agreement),
and
other
sources
of
revenue
and
expense
to
BFA
and
its
affiliates
from
the
Fund’s
operations
for
the
last
calendar
year.
The
Board
reviewed
BlackRock’s
methodology
for
calculating
estimated
profitability
of
the
iShares
funds,
noting
that
the
15(c)
Committee
and
the
Board
had
focused
on
the
methodology
and
profitability
presentation.
The
Board
recognized
that
profitability
may
be
affected
by
numerous
factors,
including,
among
other
things,
fee
waivers
by
BFA,
the
types
of
funds
managed,
expense
allocations
and
business
mix.
The
Board
thus
recognized
that
Board
Review
and
Approval
of
Investment
Advisory
Contract
(continued)
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
to
Shareholders
22
calculating
and
comparing
profitability
at
individual
fund
levels
is
challenging.
The
Board
discussed
with
management
the
sources
of
direct
and
ancillary
revenue,
including
the
revenues
to
BTC,
a
BlackRock
affiliate,
from
securities
lending
by
the
Fund.
The
Board
also
discussed
BFA’s
estimated
profit
margin
as
reflected
in
the
Fund’s
profitability
analysis
and
reviewed
information
regarding
potential
economies
of
scale
(as
discussed
below).
Based
on
this
review,
the
Board
concluded
that
the
information
considered
with
respect
to
the
profits
realized
by
BFA
and
its
affiliates
under
the
Advisory
Agreement
and
from
other
relationships
between
the
Fund
and
BFA
and/or
its
affiliates,
if
any,
as
well
as
the
other
factors
considered
at
the
meeting,
supported
the
Board’s
approval
of
the
continuance
of
the
Advisory
Agreement
for
the
coming
year.
Economies
of
Scale:
The
Board
reviewed
information
and
considered
the
extent
to
which
economies
of
scale
might
be
realized
as
the
assets
of
the
Fund
increase,
noting
that
the
issue
of
potential
economies
of
scale
had
been
focused
on
by
the
15(c)
Committee
and
the
Board
during
their
meetings
and
addressed
by
management.
The
15(c)
Committee
and
the
Board
received
information
regarding
BlackRock’s
historical
estimated
profitability
(as
discussed
above),
including
BFA’s
and
its
affiliates’
estimated
costs
in
providing
services.
The
estimated
cost
information
distinguished,
among
other
things,
between
fixed
and
variable
costs,
and
showed
how
the
level
and
nature
of
fixed
and
variable
costs
may
impact
the
existence
or
size
of
scale
benefits,
with
the
Board
recognizing
that
potential
economies
of
scale
are
difficult
to
measure.
The
15(c)
Committee
and
the
Board
reviewed
information
provided
by
BFA
regarding
the
sharing
of
scale
benefits
with
the
iShares
funds
through
various
means,
including,
as
applicable,
through
relatively
low
fee
rates
established
at
inception,
breakpoints,
waivers,
or
other
fee
reductions,
as
well
as
through
additional
investment
in
the
iShares
business
and
the
provision
of
improved
or
additional
infrastructure
and
services
to
the
iShares
funds
and
their
shareholders.
The
Board
noted
that
the
Advisory
Agreement
for
the
Fund
did
not
provide
for
breakpoints
in
the
Fund’s
investment
advisory
fee
rate
as
the
assets
of
the
Fund
increase.
However,
the
Board
noted
that
it
would
continue
to
assess
the
appropriateness
of
adding
breakpoints
in
the
future.
The
Board
concluded
that
this
review
of
potential
economies
of
scale
and
the
sharing
of
related
benefits,
as
well
as
the
other
factors
considered
at
the
meeting,
supported
the
Board’s
approval
of
the
continuance
of
the
Advisory
Agreement
for
the
coming
year.
Fees
and
Services
Provided
for
Other
Comparable
Funds/Accounts
Managed
by
BFA
and
its
Affiliates:
The
Board
received
and
considered
information
regarding
the
investment
advisory/management
fee
rates
for
other
funds/accounts
in
the
U.S.
for
which
BFA
(or
its
affiliates)
provides
investment
advisory/management
services,
including
open-end
funds
registered
under
the
1940
Act
(including
sub-advised
funds),
collective
trust
funds
and
institutional
separate
accounts
(collectively,
the
“Other
Accounts”).
The
Board
acknowledged
BFA’s
representation
that
the
iShares
funds
are
fundamentally
different
investment
vehicles
from
the
Other
Accounts.
The
Board
received
detailed
information
regarding
how
the
Other
Accounts
generally
differ
from
the
Fund,
including
in
terms
of
the
types
of
services
and
generally
more
extensive
services
provided
to
the
Fund,
as
well
as
other
significant
differences.
In
that
regard,
the
Board
considered
that
the
pricing
of
services
to
institutional
clients
is
typically
based
on
a
number
of
factors
beyond
the
nature
and
extent
of
the
specific
services
to
be
provided
and
often
depends
on
the
overall
relationship
between
the
client
and
its
affiliates
and
the
adviser
and
its
affiliates.
In
addition,
the
Board
considered
the
relative
complexity
and
inherent
risks
and
challenges
of
managing
and
providing
other
services
to
the
Fund,
as
a
publicly
traded
investment
vehicle,
as
compared
to
the
Other
Accounts,
particularly
those
that
are
institutional
clients,
in
light
of
differing
regulatory
requirements
and
client-imposed
mandates.
The
Board
noted
that
BFA
and
its
affiliates
do
not
manage
Other
Accounts
with
substantially
the
same
investment
objective
and
strategy
as
the
Fund
and
that
track
the
same
index
as
the
Fund.
The
Board
also
acknowledged
management’s
assertion
that,
for
certain
iShares
funds,
and
for
client
segmentation
purposes,
BlackRock
has
launched
an
iShares
fund
that
may
provide
a
similar
investment
exposure
at
a
lower
investment
advisory
fee
rate.
The
Board
considered
the
“all-inclusive”
nature
of
the
Fund’s
advisory
fee
structure,
and
the
Fund’s
expenses
borne
by
BFA
under
this
arrangement
and
noted
that
the
investment
advisory
fee
rate
under
the
Advisory
Agreement
for
the
Fund
was
generally
higher
than
the
investment
advisory/management
fee
rates
for
certain
of
the
Other
Accounts
(particularly
institutional
clients)
and
concluded
that
the
differences
appeared
to
be
consistent
with
the
factors
discussed.
Other
Benefits
to
BFA
and/or
its
Affiliates:
The
Board
reviewed
other
benefits
or
ancillary
revenue
received
by
BFA
and/or
its
affiliates
in
connection
with
the
services
provided
to
the
Fund
by
BFA,
both
direct
and
indirect,
including,
but
not
limited
to,
payment
of
revenue
to
BTC,
the
Fund’s
securities
lending
agent,
for
loaning
portfolio
securities,
as
applicable
(which
was
included
in
the
profit
margins
reviewed
by
the
Board
pursuant
to
BFA’s
estimated
profitability
methodology),
payment
of
advisory
fees
or
other
fees
to
BFA
(or
its
affiliates)
in
connection
with
any
investments
by
the
Fund
in
other
funds
for
which
BFA
(or
its
affiliates)
provides
investment
advisory
services
or
other
services,
and
BlackRock’s
profile
in
the
investment
community.
The
Board
further
considered
other
direct
benefits
that
might
accrue
to
BFA,
including
the
potential
for
reduction
in
the
Fund’s
expenses
that
are
borne
by
BFA
under
the
“all-inclusive”
management
fee
arrangement,
due
in
part
to
the
size
and
scope
of
BFA’s
investment
operations
servicing
the
Fund
(and
other
funds
in
the
iShares
complex)
as
well
as
in
response
to
a
changing
market
environment.
The
Board
also
reviewed
and
considered
information
provided
by
BFA
concerning
authorized
participant
primary
market
order
processing
services
that
are
provided
by
BlackRock
Investments,
LLC
(“BRIL”),
an
affiliate
of
BFA,
and
paid
for
by
authorized
participants
under
the
ETF
Servicing
Platform.
The
Board
also
noted
the
revenue
received
by
BFA
and/or
its
affiliates
pursuant
to
an
agreement
that
permits
a
service
provider
to
use
certain
portions
of
BlackRock’s
technology
platform
to
service
accounts
managed
by
BFA
and/or
its
affiliates,
including
the
iShares
funds.
The
Board
noted
that
BFA
generally
does
not
use
soft
dollars
or
consider
the
value
of
research
or
other
services
that
may
be
provided
to
BFA
(including
its
affiliates)
in
selecting
brokers
for
portfolio
transactions
for
the
Fund.
The
Board
concluded
that
any
such
ancillary
benefits
would
not
be
disadvantageous
to
the
Fund
and
thus
would
not
alter
the
Board’s
conclusion
with
respect
to
the
appropriateness
of
approving
the
continuance
of
the
Advisory
Agreement
for
the
coming
year.
Conclusion:
Based
on
a
review
of
the
factors
described
above,
as
well
as
such
other
factors
as
deemed
appropriate
by
the
Board,
the
Board,
including
all
of
the
Independent
Board
Members,
determined
that
the
Fund’s
investment
advisory
fee
rate
under
the
Advisory
Agreement
does
not
constitute
a
fee
that
is
so
disproportionately
large
as
to
bear
no
reasonable
relationship
to
the
services
rendered
and
that
could
not
have
been
the
product
of
arm’s-length
bargaining,
and
concluded
to
approve
the
continuance
of
the
Advisory
Agreement
for
the
coming
year.
Supplemental
Information
(unaudited)
23
Supplemental
Information
Tailored
Shareholder
Reports
for
Open-End
Mutual
Funds
and
ETFs
Effective
January
24,
2023,
the
SEC
adopted
rule
and
form
amendments
to
require
open-end
mutual
funds
and
ETFs
to
transmit
concise
and
visually
engaging
streamlined
annual
and
semiannual
reports
to
shareholders
that
highlight
key
information.
Other
information,
including
financial
statements,
will
no
longer
appear
in
a
streamlined
shareholder
report
but
must
be
available
online,
delivered
free
of
charge
upon
request,
and
filed
on
a
semiannual
basis
on
Form
N-CSR.
The
rule
and
form
amendments
have
a
compliance
date
of
July
24,
2024.
At
this
time,
management
is
evaluating
the
impact
of
these
amendments
on
the
shareholder
reports
for
the
Fund.
Premium/Discount
Information
Information
on
the
Fund’s
net
asset
value,
market
price,
premiums
and
discounts,
and
bid-ask
spreads
can
be
found
at
iShares.com
.
Trustee
and
Officer
Information
(unaudited)
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
to
Shareholders
24
The
Board
of
Trustees
has
responsibility
for
the
overall
management
and
operations
of
the
Fund,
including
general
supervision
of
the
duties
performed
by
BFA
and
other
service
providers.
Each
Trustee
serves
until
he
or
she
resigns,
is
removed,
dies,
retires
or
becomes
incapacitated.
Each
officer
shall
hold
office
until
his
or
her
successor
is
elected
and
qualifies
or
until
his
or
her
death,
resignation
or
removal.
Trustees
who
are
not
“interested
persons”
(as
defined
in
the
1940
Act)
of
the
Trust
are
referred
to
as
independent
trustees
(“Independent
Trustees”).
The
registered
investment
companies
advised
by
BFA
or
its
affiliates
(the
“BlackRock-advised
Funds”)
are
organized
into
one
complex
of
open-end
equity,
multi-asset,
index
and
money
market
funds
and
ETFs
(the
“BlackRock
Multi-Asset
Complex”),
one
complex
of
closed-end
funds
and
open-end
non-index
fixed-income
funds
(including
ETFs)
(the
“BlackRock
Fixed-Income
Complex”)
and
one
complex
of
ETFs
(“Exchange-Traded
Fund
Complex”)
(each,
a
“BlackRock
Fund
Complex”). The
Fund
is
included
in
the
Exchange-Traded
Fund
Complex.
Each
Trustee
also
serves
as
a
Director
of
iShares,
Inc.
and
a
Trustee
of
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
and,
as
a
result,
oversees
all
of
the
funds
within
the
Exchange-Traded
Fund
Complex,
which
consists
of
404
funds
as
of
October
31,
2023.
With
the
exception
of
Robert
S.
Kapito,
Salim
Ramji
and
Aaron
Wasserman,
the
address
of
each
Trustee
and
officer
is
c/o
BlackRock,
Inc.,
400
Howard
Street,
San
Francisco,
CA
94105.
The
address
of
Mr.
Kapito,
Mr.
Ramji
and
Mr.
Wasserman
is
c/o
BlackRock,
Inc.,
50
Hudson
Yards,
New
York,
NY
10001.
The
Board
has
designated
John
E.
Kerrigan
as
its
Independent
Board
Chair.
Additional
information
about
the
Fund’s
Trustees
and
officers
may
be
found
in
the
Fund’s
combined
Statement
of
Additional
Information,
which
is
available
without
charge,
upon
request,
by
calling
toll-free
1-800-iShares
(1-800-474-2737).
Interested
Trustees
(a)
Robert
S.
Kapito
is
deemed
to
be
an
“interested
person”
(as
defined
in
the
1940
Act)
of
the
Trust
due
to
his
affiliations
with
BlackRock,
Inc.
and
its
affiliates.
(b)
Salim
Ramji
is
deemed
to
be
an
“interested
person”
(as
defined
in
the
1940
Act)
of
the
Trust
due
to
his
affiliations
with
BlackRock,
Inc.
and
its
affiliates.
Independent
Trustees
Name
(Year
of
Birth)
Position(s)
Principal
Occupation(s)
During
Past
5
Years
Other
Directorships
Held
by
Trustee
Robert
S.
Kapito
(a)
(1957)
Trustee
(since
2009).
President,
BlackRock,
Inc.
(since
2006);
Vice
Chairman
of
BlackRock,
Inc.
and
Head
of
BlackRock’s
Portfolio
Management
Group
(since
its
formation
in
1998)
and
BlackRock,
Inc.’s
predecessor
entities
(since
1988);
Trustee,
University
of
Pennsylvania
(since
2009);
President
of
Board
of
Directors,
Hope
&
Heroes
Children’s
Cancer
Fund
(since
2002).
Director
of
BlackRock,
Inc.
(since
2006);
Director
of
iShares,
Inc.
(since
2009);
Trustee
of
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
(since
2011).
Salim
Ramji
(b)
(1970)
Trustee
(since
2019).
Senior
Managing
Director,
BlackRock,
Inc.
(since
2014);
Global
Head
of
BlackRock’s
ETF
and
Index
Investments
Business
(since
2019);
Head
of
BlackRock’s
U.S.
Wealth
Advisory
Business
(2015-2019);
Global
Head
of
Corporate
Strategy,
BlackRock,
Inc.
(2014-2015);
Senior
Partner,
McKinsey
&
Company
(2010-2014).
Director
of
iShares,
Inc.
(since
2019);
Trustee
of
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
(since
2019).
Name
(Year
of
Birth)
Position(s)
Principal
Occupation(s)
During
Past
5
Years
Other
Directorships
Held
by
Trustee
John
E.
Kerrigan
(1955)
Trustee
(since
2005);
Independent
Board
Chair
(since
2022).
Chief
Investment
Officer,
Santa
Clara
University
(since
2002).
Director
of
iShares,
Inc.
(since
2005);
Trustee
of
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
(since
2011);
Independent
Board
Chair
of
iShares,
Inc.
and
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
(since
2022).
Jane
D.
Carlin
(1956)
Trustee
(since
2015);
Risk
Committee
Chair
(since
2016).
Consultant
(since
2012);
Member
of
the
Audit
Committee
(2012-2018),
Chair
of
the
Nominating
and
Governance
Committee
(2017-2018)
and
Director
of
PHH
Corporation
(mortgage
solutions)
(2012-2018);
Managing
Director
and
Global
Head
of
Financial
Holding
Company
Governance
&
Assurance
and
the
Global
Head
of
Operational
Risk
Management
of
Morgan
Stanley
(2006-2012).
Director
of
iShares,
Inc.
(since
2015);
Trustee
of
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
(since
2015);
Member
of
the
Audit
Committee
(since
2016),
Chair
of
the
Audit
Committee
(since
2020)
and
Director
of
The
Hanover
Insurance
Group,
Inc.
(since
2016).
Richard
L.
Fagnani
(1954)
Trustee
(since
2017);
Audit
Committee
Chair
(since
2019).
Partner,
KPMG
LLP
(2002-2016);
Director
of
One
Generation
Away
(since
2021).
Director
of
iShares,
Inc.
(since
2017);
Trustee
of
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
(since
2017).
Cecilia
H.
Herbert
(1949)
Trustee
(since
2005);
Nominating
and
Governance
and
Equity
Plus
Committee
Chairs
(since
2022).
Chair
of
the
Finance
Committee
(since
2019)
and
Trustee
and
Member
of
the
Finance,
Audit
and
Quality
Committees
of
Stanford
Health
Care
(since
2016);
Trustee
of
WNET,
New
York’s
public
media
company
(since
2011)
and
Member
of
the
Audit
Committee
(since
2018),
Investment
Committee
(since
2011)
and
Personnel
Committee
(since
2022);
Member
of
the
Wyoming
State
Investment
Funds
Committee
(since
2022);
Director
of
the
Jackson
Hole
Center
for
the
Arts
(since
2021);
Trustee
of
Forward
Funds
(14
portfolios)
(2009-2018);
Trustee
of
Salient
MF
Trust
(4
portfolios)
(2015-2018).
Director
of
iShares,
Inc.
(since
2005);
Trustee
of
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
(since
2011).
Drew
E.
Lawton
(1959)
Trustee
(since
2017);
15(c)
Committee
Chair
(since
2017).
Senior
Managing
Director
of
New
York
Life
Insurance
Company
(2010-2015).
Director
of
iShares,
Inc.
(since
2017);
Trustee
of
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
(since
2017);
Director
of
Jackson
Financial
Inc.
(since
2021).
Trustee
and
Officer
Information
(unaudited)
(continued)
25
Trustee
and
Officer
Information
Officers
Name
(Year
of
Birth)
Position(s)
Principal
Occupation(s)
During
Past
5
Years
Other
Directorships
Held
by
Trustee
John
E.
Martinez
(1961)
Trustee
(since
2003);
Securities
Lending
Committee
Chair
(since
2019).
Director
of
Real
Estate
Equity
Exchange,
Inc.
(since
2005);
Director
of
Cloudera
Foundation
(2017-2020);
and
Director
of
Reading
Partners
(2012-2016).
Director
of
iShares,
Inc.
(since
2003);
Trustee
of
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
(since
2011).
Madhav
V.
Rajan
(1964)
Trustee
(since
2011);
Fixed-
Income
Plus
Committee
Chair
(since
2019).
Dean,
and
George
Pratt
Shultz
Professor
of
Accounting,
University
of
Chicago
Booth
School
of
Business
(since
2017);
Advisory
Board
Member
(since
2016)
and
Director
(since
2020)
of
C.M.
Capital
Corporation;
Chair
of
the
Board
for
the
Center
for
Research
in
Security
Prices,
LLC
(since
2020);
Robert
K.
Jaedicke
Professor
of
Accounting,
Stanford
University
Graduate
School
of
Business
(2001-2017);
Professor
of
Law
(by
courtesy),
Stanford
Law
School
(2005-2017);
Senior
Associate
Dean
for
Academic
Affairs
and
Head
of
MBA
Program,
Stanford
University
Graduate
School
of
Business
(2010-2016).
Director
of
iShares,
Inc.
(since
2011);
Trustee
of
iShares
U.S.
ETF
Trust
(since
2011).
Name
(Year
of
Birth)
Position(s)
Principal
Occupation(s)
During
Past
5
Years
Dominik
Rohé
(1973)
President
(since
2023).
Managing
Director,
BlackRock,
Inc.
(since
2005);
Head
of
Americas
ETF
and
Index
Investments
(since
2023);
Head
of
Latin
America
(2019-
2023).
Trent
Walker
(1974)
Treasurer
and
Chief
Financial
Officer
(since
2020).
Managing
Director,
BlackRock,
Inc.
(since
September
2019);
Chief
Financial
Officer
of
iShares
Delaware
Trust
Sponsor
LLC,
BlackRock
Funds,
BlackRock
Funds
II,
BlackRock
Funds
IV,
BlackRock
Funds
V
and
BlackRock
Funds
VI
(since
2021);
Executive
Vice
President
of
PIMCO
(2016-2019);
Senior
Vice
President
of
PIMCO
(2008-2015);
Treasurer
(2013-2019)
and
Assistant
Treasurer
(2007-2017)
of
PIMCO
Funds,
PIMCO
Variable
Insurance
Trust,
PIMCO
ETF
Trust,
PIMCO
Equity
Series,
PIMCO
Equity
Series
VIT,
PIMCO
Managed
Accounts
Trust,
2
PIMCO-sponsored
interval
funds
and
21
PIMCO-sponsored
closed-end
funds.
Aaron
Wasserman
(1974)
Chief
Compliance
Officer
(since
2023).
Managing
Director
of
BlackRock,
Inc.
(since
2018);
Chief
Compliance
Officer
of
the
BlackRock
Multi-Asset
Complex,
the
BlackRock
Fixed-
Income
Complex
and
the
Exchange-Traded
Fund
Complex
(since
2023);
Deputy
Chief
Compliance
Officer
for
the
BlackRock
Multi-Asset
Complex,
the
BlackRock
Fixed-Income
Complex
and
the
Exchange-Traded
Fund
Complex
(2014-2023).
Marisa
Rolland
(1980)
Secretary
(since
2022).
Managing
Director,
BlackRock,
Inc.
(since
2023);
Director,
BlackRock,
Inc.
(2018-2022);
Vice
President,
BlackRock,
Inc.
(2010-2017).
Rachel
Aguirre
(1982)
Executive
Vice
President
(since
2022).
Managing
Director,
BlackRock,
Inc.
(since
2018);
Director,
BlackRock,
Inc.
(2009-2018);
Head
of
U.S.
iShares
Product
(since
2022);
Head
of
EII
U.S.
Product
Engineering
(since
2021);
Co-Head
of
EII’s
Americas
Portfolio
Engineering
(2020-
2021);
Head
of
Developed
Markets
Portfolio
Engineering
(2016-2019).
Jennifer
Hsui
(1976)
Executive
Vice
President
(since
2022).
Managing
Director,
BlackRock,
Inc.
(since
2009);
Co-Head
of
Index
Equity
(since
2022).
James
Mauro
(1970)
replaced
Armando
Senra
as
President.
Effective
July
1,
2023,
Aaron
Wasserman
replaced
Charles
Park
as
Chief
Compliance
Officer.
Independent
Trustees
(continued)
General
Information
2023
iShares
Annual
Report
to
Shareholders
26
Electronic
Delivery
Shareholders
can
sign
up
for
e-mail
notifications
announcing
that
the
shareholder
report
or
prospectus
has
been
posted
on
the
iShares
website
at
iShares.com
.
Once
you
have
enrolled,
you
will
no
longer
receive
prospectuses
and
shareholder
reports
in
the
mail.
To
enroll
in
electronic
delivery:
•
Go
to
icsdelivery.com
.
•
If
your
brokerage
firm
is
not
listed,
electronic
delivery
may
not
be
available.
Please
contact
your
broker-dealer
or
financial
advisor.
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
and
Rule
30e-3
notices
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.
Availability
of
Quarterly
Schedule
of
Investments
The
Fund
files
its
complete
schedule
of
portfolio
holdings
with
the
SEC
for
the
first
and
third
quarters
of
each
fiscal
year
as
an
exhibit
to
its
reports
on
Form
N-PORT.
The
Fund’s
Form
N-PORT
are
available
on
the
SEC’s
website
at
sec.gov
.
Additionally,
the
Fund
makes
its
portfolio
holdings
for
the
first
and
third
quarters
of
each
fiscal
year
available
at
iShares.com/fundreports
.
Availability
of
Proxy
Voting
Policies
and
Proxy
Voting
Records
A
description
of
the
policies
and
procedures
that
the
iShares
Funds
use
to
determine
how
to
vote
proxies
relating
to
portfolio
securities
and
information
about
how
the
iShares
Funds
voted
proxies
relating
to
portfolio
securities
during
the
most
recent
twelve-month
period
ending
June
30
is
available
without
charge,
upon
request
(1)
by
calling
toll-free
1-800-474-2737;
(2)
on
the
iShares
website
at
iShares.com
;
and
(3)
on
the
SEC
website
at
sec.gov
.
A
description
of
the
Trust’s policies
and
procedures
with
respect
to
the
disclosure
of
the
Fund’s
portfolio
securities
is
available
in
the
Fund
Prospectus.
The
Fund
discloses
its
portfolio
holdings
daily
and
provides
information
regarding
its
top
holdings
in
Fund
fact
sheets
at
iShares.com
.
Glossary
of
Terms
Used
in
this
Report
27
Glossary
of
Terms
Used
in
this
Report
Portfolio
Abbreviation
ETF
Exchange-Traded
Fund
MBS
Mortgage-Backed
Securities
iS-AR-1009-1023
Want
to
know
more?
iShares.com
|
1-800-474-2737
This
report
is
intended
for
the
Fund’s
shareholders.
It
may
not
be
distributed
to
prospective
investors
unless
it
is
preceded
or
accompanied
by
the
current
prospectus.
Investing
involves
risk,
including
possible
loss
of
principal.
The
iShares
Funds
are
distributed
by
BlackRock
Investments,
LLC
(together
with
its
affiliates,
“BlackRock”).
The
iShares
Funds
are
not
sponsored,
endorsed,
issued,
sold
or
promoted
by Morningstar,
Inc.,
nor
does
this
company
make
any
representation
regarding
the
advisability
of
investing
in
the
iShares
Funds.
BlackRock
is
not
affiliated
with
the
company
listed
above.
©2023
BlackRock,
Inc.
All
rights
reserved.
iSHARES
and
BLACKROCK
are
registered
trademarks
of
BlackRock,
Inc.
or
its
subsidiaries.
All
other
marks
are
the
property
of
their
respective
owners.
(b) Not Applicable
Item 2. Code of Ethics.
The registrant
has adopted a code of ethics, as of the end of the period covered by this report, applicable to the registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. During the period covered by this report, the registrant has not amended the code of ethics and there have been no waivers granted under the code of ethics.The registrant undertakes to provide a copy of the code of ethics to any person upon request, without charge, by calling 1-800-474-2737.
Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.
The registrant’s Board of Trustees has determined that the registrant has more than one audit committee financial expert, as that term is defined under Item 3(b) and 3(c), serving on its audit committee. The audit committee financial experts serving on the registrant’s audit committee are Richard L. Fagnani and Madhav V. Rajan, all of whom are independent, as that term is defined under Item 3(a)(2).
Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The principal accountant fees disclosed in items 4(a), 4(b), 4(c), 4(d) and 4(g) are for the one series of the registrant for which the fiscal year-end is October 31, 2023 (the “Funds”), and whose annual financial statements are reported in Item 1.
(a)
Audit Fees
– The aggregate fees billed for each of the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for the audit of the Funds’ annual financial statements or services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for those fiscal years were $8050 for the fiscal year ended
October 31, 2022
and $8450 for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023.(b)
Audit-Related Fees
– There were no fees billed for the fiscal years end
ed October 31, 2022
and October 31, 2023 for assurance and related services by the principal accountant that were reasonably related to the performance of the audit of the Fund’s financial statements and are not reported under (a) of this Item.(c)
Tax Fees
– The aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning for the Funds were $9700 for the fiscal year ended
October 31, 2022
and $9700 for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023. These services related to the review of the Funds’ tax returns and excise tax calculations.(d)
All Other Fees
– There were no other fees billed in each of the fiscal years end
ed October 31, 2022 and October 31, 2023
for products and services provided by the principal accountant, other than the services reported in (a) through (c) of this Item.(e)
(1) The registrant’s audit committee charter, as amended, provides that the audit committee is responsible for the approval, prior to appointment, of the engagement of the principal accountant to annually audit and provide their opinion on the registrant’s financial statements. The audit committee must also approve, prior to appointment, the engagement of the principal accountant to provide non-audit services to the registrant or to any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the registrant’s investment adviser (“Adviser Affiliate”) that provides ongoing services to the registrant, if the engagement relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of the registrant.
(2) There were no services described in (b) through (d) above that were approved by the audit committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.
(f)
Not Applicable
(g)
The aggregate non-audit fees billed by the registrant’s principal accountant for services rendered to the Funds, and rendered to the registrant’s investment adviser, and any Adviser Affiliate that provides ongoing services to the registrant for the last two fiscal years were $9700 for the fiscal year ended
October 31, 2022
and $9700 for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023.(h)
The registrant’s audit committee has considered whether the provision of non-audit services rendered to the registrant’s investment adviser and any Adviser Affiliate that provides ongoing services to the registrant that were not pre-approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X, if any, is compatible with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence, and has determined that the provision of these services, if any, does not compromise the principal accountant’s independence.
(i)
Not Applicable
(j)
Not Applicable
Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.
(a)
The registrant is a listed issuer as defined in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act of 1934 and has a separately-designated standing audit committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act of 1934. The registrant’s audit committee members are Richard L. Fagnani, Cecilia H. Herbert and Madhav V. Rajan.
(b) Not applicable.
Item 6. Investments.
(a) Schedules of investments are included as part of the reports to shareholders filed under Item 1 of this Form.
(b) Not applicable.
Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable to the registrant.
Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable to the registrant.
Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.
Not applicable to the registrant.
Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
There were no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s Board of Trustees.
Item 11. Controls and Procedures.
(a) The President (the registrant’s Principal Executive Officer) and Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (the registrant’s Principal Financial Officer) have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) are effective as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report, based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Exchange Act of 1934.
(b) There were no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) that occurred during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
Item 12. Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable to the registrant.
Item 13. Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation.
Not applicable
Item 14. Exhibits.
(a) (3) Any written solicitation to purchase securities under Rule 23c-1 – Not Applicable.
(a) (4) Change in Registrant’s independent public accountant – Not Applicable.
SIGNATURES
| Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. | |||||||||
| iShares Trust | |||||||||
| By: /s/ Dominik Rohe | |||||||||
Dominik Rohe, President (Principal Executive Officer) | |||||||||
| Date: | December 21, 2023 | ||||||||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. | |||||||||
| By: /s/ Dominik Rohe | |||||||||
Dominik Rohe, President (Principal Executive Officer) | |||||||||
| Date: | December 21, 2023 | ||||||||
By: /s/ Trent Walker | |||||||||
Trent Walker, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) | |||||||||
| Date: | December 21, 2023 | ||||||||