FlexShares ETFs, sponsored and managed by Northern Trust, has exceeded USD1bn in assets.

Launched in September 2011, FlexShares’ funds are designed to make it easier to construct and manage portfolios that seek to achieve investor goals while offering all the traditional benefits of ETFs.

"The demands of investors and the advisors who serve them continue to drive the evolution in the ETF landscape," says Shundrawn Thomas, head of Northern Trust's exchange-traded funds group. "Passing the USD1bn mark is an important milestone for us and affirms that our focus on distinctive products is valued by investors."

The FlexShares Funds available on the New York Stock Exchange are based on indexes created and maintained by Morningstar and Markit Indices. They are:

FlexShares Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources Index Fund: seeks to offer balanced exposure to rising global demand for natural resources, emphasizing companies with business interests in early stages of the resource supply chain.

FlexShares Morningstar US Market Factor Tilt Index Fund: strives to offer an alternative exposure to the broad US stock market by tilting the portfolio toward small cap and value stocks.

FlexShares iBoxx 3-Year Target Duration TIPS and FlexShares iBoxx 5-Year Target Duration TIPS Index Funds: seek to provide investors access to Treasury inflation-protected securities with stable duration exposure through changing interest-rate and economic cycles.