iShares Trust
The iShares Trust is a family of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) managed by BlackRock, one of the world's largest asset managers. These funds track stock and bond indexes and trade on exchanges throughout the day, like individual stocks. The brand began in 1996 as "WEBS" under Barclays Global Investors, was rebranded iShares in 2000, and came to BlackRock when it bought Barclays' investment arm in 2009. The "i" prefix was a nod to the internet-era naming trend of the time.
Tracks the MSCI Europe Financials Index, composed of developed market European equities in the financials sector including banks, insurers, and financial services firms.