Barclays Global Investors (BGI), a unit of Barclays Plc, has added three new iShares exchange traded funds (ETFs) as the popularity of the product increased among Australian dealer groups.
The iShares S&P Global Consumer Staples ETF gives exposure to 97 food and household companies including Australia's Woolworths, US-based Procter & Gamble and Swiss-based Nestle.
The iShares Global Healthcare ETF provides exposure to Australia's CSL and US drugmakers Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer.
The iShares S&P Global Telecommunications ETF grants exposure across 46 telecommunication stocks including Telstra and France Telecom.
Management expenses and fees per annum for all three products is 0.48 per cent.
ETFs are listed on the stock exchange and trade exactly like shares.
Since its 2007 inception in Australia, over 20 Australian dealer groups have added iShares to their approved product lists, according to iShares Australia co-head Tim Bradbury.
The new selection ... will provide an easy, cost-effective way to position client portfolios for global trends such as aging population increasing demand for healthcare, iShares Australia co-head Tim Bradbury said.
"There are very few companies in these sectors on the ASX - for instance our telco sector is highly concentrated with only three stocks and in healthcare investors only have a choice of some nine local companies," he said.
"This small range creates a lot of stock-specific risk and small-cap risk. The global funds we're introducing solve this 'lack of diversification' problem."
