BlackRock Asset Management Canada Ltd. announced on Thursday that starting in July 2010, 11 iShares exchange traded funds will change from paying distributions on a quarterly basis to a monthly basis.

“Income generation is a high priority for Canadian investors, and we believe these changes will greatly simplify investing for Canadians who need regular income from their portfolios,” said Oliver McMahon, director of product management for iShares ETFs at BlackRock.

The ETFs that will be changing to a monthly distribution frequency are:

Fixed income ETFs:
• iShares DEX All Corporate Bond Index Fund (“XCB”)
• iShares DEX Short Term Bond Index Fund (“XSB”)
• iShares DEX Universe Bond Index Fund (“XBB”)
• iShares DEX All Government Bond Index Fund (“XGB”)
• iShares DEX Long Term Bond Index Fund (“XLB”)
• iShares U.S. IG Corporate Bond Index Fund (CAD-Hedged) (“XIG”)
• iShares U.S. High Yield Bond Index Fund (CAD-Hedged) (“XHY”)


Equity ETFs:
• iShares Dow Jones Canada Select Dividend Index Fund (“XDV”)
• iShares S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index Fund (“XRE”)
• iShares S&P/TSX Capped Financials Index Fund (“XFN”)
• iShares S&P/TSX Income Trust Index Fund (“XTR”)

“Given that these enhancements affect both fixed income and select equity products, investors can practice diversification and take advantage of income-generating opportunities according to their risk profile and investment philosophy,” McMahon said.

There are no other changes to any of the funds’ investment objectives or strategies. In addition, previously announced distribution dates for June, September, and December 2010 will remain unchanged, with additional dates for July, August, October and November added for the 11 funds changing to monthly distributions.