The iUnits S&P500 Index RSP Fund commenced trading yesterday on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The addition of this new exchange-traded fund brings the Barclays Global Investors Canada Ltd. family of iUnits to a total of 10.

The i500R seeks to provide long-term capital growth by matching, to the extent possible, the return of the S&P500 Index, while remaining fully RSP-eligible. The fund will invest primarily in exchange-traded futures contracts based on the S&P500 Index and in high quality Canadian short-term money market instruments.

With the i500R, investors will have the ability to participate in the performance of the widely regarded S&P500 index. “Standard and Poor’s is especially proud of its long-standing business relationship with BGI in launching exchange-traded funds in all the world’s major markets,” said Robert Shakotko, Managing Director of Index Services for Standard and Poor’s. “This new ETF will give Canadian investors a liquid investment vehicle for obtaining broad US market exposure inside an RRSP.”

The MER for the fund is 0.30%. Its ticker symbol sybmol is XSP.