0001100663 2011-10-16 2012-10-15 0001100663 ist17:S000038931Member 2011-10-16 2012-10-15 0001100663 ist17:S000038931Member ist17:C000119716Member 2011-10-16 2012-10-15 pure iso4217:USD 2012-10-15 485BPOS false 2012-10-15 <div class="MetaData"> <div> iSHARES® CORE MSCI TOTAL INTERNATIONAL STOCK ETF Ticker: IXUSStock Exchange: NYSE Arca</div></div> Investment Objective The iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF (the “Fund”) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI ACWI ex USA Investable Market Index (the “Underlying Index”). Fees and Expenses The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the “Trust”) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” reflect the Fund’s pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies. The impact of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses is included in the total returns of the Fund. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not used to calculate the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”) and are not included in the calculation of the ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights section of the Fund’s prospectus (the “Prospectus”). BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive its management fees in an amount equal to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments in other iShares funds through October 31, 2013. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to October 31, 2013 only upon written agreement of the Trust and BFA. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows: You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows: Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not used to calculate the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”) and are not included in the calculation of the ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights section of the Fund’s prospectus (the “Prospectus”). <center>Annual Fund Operating Expenses (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investments) Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be: 16 56 October 31, 2013 Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Principal Investment Strategies Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry. Summary of Principal Risks As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund’s performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. Performance Information As of the date of the Fund’s Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information. As of the date of the Fund’s Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information. <div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesCoreMSCITotalInternationalStockETF column period compact * ~</div> <div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesCoreMSCITotalInternationalStockETF column period compact * ~</div> 0001100663 2012-10-15 2012-10-15 iSHARES TRUST As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. Asset Class Risk. Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Fund’s investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund’s NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. Custody Risk. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Equity Securities Risk. Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. Financial Sector Risk. Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. Geographic Risk. A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments in the affected region. Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions are likely to have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Industrials Sector Risk. The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. Issuer Risk. Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes to the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. Management Risk. As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA’s investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND’S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. Materials Sector Risk. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors. Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund’s performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. Non-U.S. Securities Risk. Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a non-U.S. issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to Asian Economic Risk and European Economic Risk. Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Privatization Risk. Some countries in which the Fund invests have privatized or have begun a process of privatizing certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized. Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The Fund invests in countries whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to U.S. Economic Risk. Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. The Fund’s investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities. Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund’s loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. Security Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns. Incidents involving a country’s or region’s security may cause uncertainty in these markets and may adversely affect their economies and the Fund’s investments. Structural Risk. The countries in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. Tracking Error Risk. Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of imperfect correlation between the Fund’s holdings of portfolio securities and those in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences on timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. Valuation Risk. The sales price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund’s shares. The Underlying Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index designed to measure the combined equity market performance of developed and emerging markets countries, excluding the United States. As of September 30, 2012, the Underlying Index consisted of companies in the following countries or regions: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom (together, the “ACWI ex US IMI countries”). As of September 30, 2012, the Underlying Index was comprised of 6,136 securities. Components primarily include financials, industrials and materials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. BFA uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of the Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of the collateral received). The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the “Index Provider”) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund’s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (“MSCI”). Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry. 0.0016 0 0 0.0002 0.0018 -0.0002 0.0016