NEAR pursues total return that exceeds its reference benchmark by investing in an actively managed basket of investment grade, USD-denominated debt securities. Although it primarily holds fixed- and floating-rate securities of any maturity, it expects to maintain an effective duration of three years or less which puts it in the short-term niche. The securities it will invest in includes, but is not limited to, corporate, government, and privately issued bonds, agency securities, instruments of non-US issuers, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, structured securities, Munis, repurchase agreements, money market instruments and investment companies. Derivatives may be utilized for hedging and enhancing returns purposes. The fund was named iShares Short Maturity Bond ETF prior to December 2, 2020, and was called the BlackRock Short Maturity Bond ETF until October 30, 2023, when it followed an effective duration of one year or less. Prior to October 10, 2024, the fund used Blackrock for branding purposes instead of iShares.