NEAR

The BlackRock Short Maturity Bond ETF (NEAR) is an exchange-traded fund designed to provide exposure to short-term fixed-income securities issued by governments, corporations, and financial institutions. The ETF is managed by BlackRock through its iShares division and trades under the ticker NEAR on the Cboe BZX Exchange.

Classified as an actively managed ultrashort-duration fixed-income ETF, the fund seeks to generate return and relative capital preservation through a diversified portfolio of short-term U.S. dollar-denominated fixed-income instruments.

The ETF follows an active strategy and does not track a traditional passive benchmark index. Portfolio management considers factors related to duration, credit quality, liquidity, and monetary conditions within the U.S. fixed-income market.

Diversification and sector exposure

NEAR provides exposure primarily associated with:

• Investment-grade corporate bonds.
• Short-term U.S. Treasuries.
• Commercial paper.
• Asset-backed securities.
• U.S. money markets.
• Short-term corporate credit.
• Ultrashort-duration fixed-income instruments.

The ETF’s performance is particularly sensitive to financial-market liquidity conditions, short-term interest-rate expectations, and changes in Federal Reserve monetary policy.

Credit-spread fluctuations, developments in U.S. money markets, and shifts in inflation and interest-rate expectations may directly affect the fund’s behavior. Because the ETF maintains reduced duration exposure, it generally exhibits lower sensitivity to long-term interest-rate movements.

Structure and costs

NEAR shares trade on the secondary market on the Cboe BZX Exchange during regular trading hours. Share creation and redemption occur through authorized participants, a mechanism intended to help align the ETF’s market price with its net asset value (NAV).

The fund charges a management fee as outlined in its prospectus and does not apply a performance fee. NEAR may distribute income derived from interest payments generated by the fixed-income securities held within the portfolio.

Because the ETF follows an active management strategy, portfolio composition may change according to market conditions, interest-rate expectations, and credit analysis related to selected securities.

History and evolution of the ETF

The BlackRock Short Maturity Bond ETF was launched in 2013 during a period marked by increasing demand for short-duration fixed-income instruments following the low-interest-rate environment in the United States.

Since inception, the fund has reflected movements associated with the U.S. short-term credit market, including changes in Federal Reserve monetary policy, fluctuations in credit spreads, and shifts in financial-market liquidity conditions.

In recent years, NEAR has reflected U.S. monetary-tightening cycles, changes in short-term interest rates, and evolving liquidity conditions within the American fixed-income market.

Additional Information

BlackRock Short Maturity Bond ETF (United States) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF), with assets under management totaling $4.56 Billions.

Over the past 12 months, BlackRock Short Maturity Bond ETF recorded a return of 4.06%, with its price trading between $50.49 and $51.37 during the same period.

The ETF is traded under the ticker NEAR.