TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 03/19/10 -- (TSX: XBB)(TSX: XCB)(TSX: XCG)(TSX: XCS)(TSX: XCV)(TSX: XDV)(TSX: XEG)(TSX: XEN)(TSX: XFN)(TSX: XGB)(TSX: XGD)(TSX: XHY)(TSX: XIC)(TSX: XIG)(TSX: XIT)(TSX: XIU)(TSX: XLB)(TSX: XMA)(TSX: XMD)(TSX: XRE)(TSX: XSB)(TSX: XTR)

BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) announced today the first quarter 2010 cash distributions for the iShares funds listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Unitholders of record on March 30, 2010 will receive cash distributions payable on March 31, 2010. Details of the "per unit" distribution amounts are as follows:

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                                                                     Cash
                                                                    Distri-
iShares Fund                                                Ticker  bution
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iShares CDN DEX Universe Bond Index Fund                      XBB   0.30026
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iShares CDN DEX All Corporate Bond Index Fund                 XCB   0.22278
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iShares CDN Dow Jones Canada Select Growth Index Fund         XCG   0.07383
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iShares CDN S&P/TSX Small Cap Index Fund                      XCS   0.05886
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iShares CDN Dow Jones Canada Select Value Index Fund          XCV   0.17507
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iShares CDN Dow Jones Canada Select Dividend Index Fund       XDV   0.18965
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iShares CDN S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index Fund                  XEG   0.10398
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iShares CDN Jantzi Social Index Fund                          XEN   0.11258
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iShares CDN S&P/TSX Capped Financials Index Fund              XFN   0.21057
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iShares CDN DEX All Government Bond Index Fund                XGB   0.19337
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iShares CDN S&P/TSX Global Gold Index Fund                    XGD   0.00513
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iShares U.S. High Yield Bond Index Fund (CAD-Hedged)          XHY   0.29398
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iShares CDN S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index Fund               XIC   0.11741
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iShares U.S. IG Corporate Bond Index Fund (CAD-Hedged)        XIG   0.16381
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iShares CDN S&P/TSX Capped Information Technology Index Fund  XIT      -
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iShares CDN S&P/TSX 60 Index Fund                             XIU   0.12171
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iShares CDN DEX Long Term Bond Index Fund                     XLB   0.22473
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iShares CDN S&P/TSX Capped Materials Index Fund               XMA      -
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iShares CDN S&P/TSX Completion Index Fund                     XMD   0.11071
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iShares CDN S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index Fund                    XRE   0.10982
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iShares CDN DEX Short Term Bond Index Fund                    XSB   0.25746
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iShares CDN S&P/TSX Income Trust Index Fund                   XTR   0.12880
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Further information on iShares Funds can be found at www.iShares.ca.

About BlackRock, Inc. ("BlackRock")

BlackRock is a leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients worldwide. At December 31, 2009, BlackRock's AUM was US$3.346 trillion. BlackRock offers products that span the risk spectrum to meet clients' needs, including active, enhanced and index strategies across markets and asset classes. Products are offered in a variety of structures including separate accounts, iShares® exchange traded funds, and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions. Headquartered in New York City, as of December 31, 2009, the firm has approximately 8,500 full-time employees in 24 countries and a major presence in key global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information, please visit the company's website at www.blackrock.com.

About iShares

The iShares business is the global product leader in exchange traded funds with over 400 funds globally across equities, fixed income and commodities, which trade on 16 exchanges worldwide. The iShares Funds are bought and sold like common stocks on securities exchanges. The iShares Funds are attractive to many individual and institutional investors and financial intermediaries because of their relative low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account. The iShares customer base consists of the institutional segment of pension plans and fund managers, as well as the retail segment of financial advisors and high net worth individuals.