Blackrock - BLK STOCK NEWS

BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) has nominated two new independent directors to its Board: Gregory J. Fleming, CEO of Rockefeller Capital Management, and Kathleen Murphy, former President of Personal Investing at Fidelity Investments, for election at the 2025 Annual Meeting.

Fleming, who previously served on BlackRock's Board from 2006 to 2009, brings expertise in building and scaling financial services businesses. Murphy offers deep understanding of individual investors' needs, particularly in retirement savings. Marco Antonio Slim Domit will not seek re-election, while Murry S. Gerber has been asked to continue as Lead Independent Director for an additional year.

The nominations come as BlackRock integrates recent acquisitions, including Global Infrastructure Partners, Preqin, and the planned acquisition of HPS Investment Partners. If all nominees are elected, BlackRock's Board will comprise 18 members, including 15 independent directors, with six new directors since 2020.

BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) has launched a groundbreaking customizable public-private model portfolio within a Unified Managed Account (UMA), powered by GeoWealth's UMA technology and iCapital's capabilities. This marks the first-ever customizable model portfolio combining private and public market assets in a UMA with streamlined administration.

BlackRock, a leading model provider with approximately $300 billion in model assets globally, expects managed model portfolios to grow from $5 trillion to $10 trillion in the next four years. The company's custom models business has attracted $50 billion in new assets over the past 5 years, representing its fastest-growing models segment.

The U.S. Wealth Advisory business generates a quarter of BlackRock's revenues in 2024, with this new initiative aimed at simplifying advisors' ability to allocate across public and private markets in unified, professionally managed portfolios.

BlackRock (BLK) announced the expansion of its AI Infrastructure Partnership (AIP) with the addition of NVIDIA and xAI as new partners. The partnership, which includes Global Infrastructure Partners, Microsoft, and MGX, aims to unlock $30 billion in capital from investors, potentially mobilizing up to $100 billion in total investment when including debt financing.

The initiative will focus on investing in next-generation AI data centers and energy infrastructure primarily in the U.S., OECD, and U.S. partner countries. Additionally, GE Vernova and NextEra Energy have agreed to collaborate with AIP to accelerate the scaling of critical energy solutions for AI data centers, with GE Vernova specifically working on supply chain planning and innovative energy solutions.

NVIDIA will continue its role as a technical advisor to AIP, leveraging its expertise in accelerated computing and AI factories to guide the deployment of next-generation AI data center infrastructure.

BlackRock has launched the iShares Managed Futures Active ETF (CBOE: ISMF), expanding its active ETF platform. The new ETF leverages BlackRock's $306 billion Systematic investment platform to provide a liquid alternative strategy focused on trend-following signals across asset classes.

Managed by Jeffrey Rosenberg, Richard Mathieson, and Stephanie Lee, ISMF aims to serve as both a portfolio hedge against market weakness and a diversifier through investments in non-traditional assets, including futures and derivatives. The strategy employs dynamic risk-management systems and trend-following quantitative models to adapt to market conditions.

The launch comes as the Managed Futures ETF category has seen significant growth, with assets more than tripling to over $3.3 billion since 2021. The new ETF adds to BlackRock's $41 billion active ETF platform, offering investors access to differentiated, counter-cyclical returns through the ETF wrapper.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) has completed its acquisition of Preqin, a leading independent private markets data provider. This strategic move enhances BlackRock's ability to serve clients across public and private markets by integrating investment, technology, and data solutions on a single platform.

Private markets, projected to reach $30 trillion in alternative assets by decade's end, represent the fastest-growing segment of global investing. The acquisition addresses the transparency challenges limiting institutional and wealth investors' allocations to private markets.

Preqin will extend BlackRock's technology offerings while remaining available as a standalone solution. The platform covers 210,000 funds with over 220,000 users. Integration with BlackRock's Aladdin and eFront platforms will transform private markets investing across various functions. The private markets data segment is expected to grow to an $18 billion total addressable market by 2030.

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) has announced that Chairman and CEO Laurence D. Fink will be presenting at the 2025 RBC Capital Markets Global Financial Institutions Conference. The presentation is scheduled for March 4th, 2025, starting at approximately 12:20 p.m. ET.

Investors and interested parties can access a live webcast of the presentation through the 'Investor Relations' section of BlackRock's website. The recorded webcast will be made available for replay within 24 hours after the presentation and will remain accessible on the company's website for three months.

BlackRock and the Bipartisan Policy Center are launching the 2025 Retirement Summit in Washington D.C., following alarming survey results about Americans' retirement readiness. The survey of 1,000 registered voters revealed that one-third have no retirement savings, and 51% fear running out of money in retirement more than death.

Key findings show that 56% worry about personal finances daily, and only 28% believe working Americans have adequate retirement planning tools. Notably, 80% want Congress to prioritize retirement security legislation.

The Summit, themed 'Redefining Retirement: It's All of our Work,' will convene over 250 leaders on March 12, including prominent figures like Senators Cory Booker and Katie Britt, and business leaders like Jamie Dimon. BlackRock's LifePath Paycheck™ solution has reached $16 billion in assets under management, and the firm has appointed Jaime Magyera as senior sponsor for retirement to address the growing retirement savings gap.

BlackRock has announced the conversion of its High Yield Municipal Fund into the iShares® High Yield Muni Active ETF (HIMU), aiming to maximize federal tax-exempt current income and capital appreciation through high-yield municipal securities investments. The ETF maintains identical investment objectives as its predecessor mutual fund, which has delivered top quartile performance over multiple periods since its 2006 launch.

The fund leverages BlackRock's Municipal Bond Group, which manages over $182 billion in assets across diverse strategies. The conversion aligns with BlackRock's broader active ETF strategy, with the company managing $37 billion across 50 active ETFs in the U.S. BlackRock projects global active ETF assets to reach $4 trillion by 2030, up from $900 billion through June 2024.

BlackRock has launched the iShares BBB-B CLO Active ETF (Nasdaq: BCLO), expanding its active ETF platform. The new fund focuses on investing in CLOs rated BBB+ to B-, aiming to provide capital preservation and current income. BCLO is managed by BlackRock's CLO investment team, which oversees over $30 billion in assets globally.

The ETF comes with a total expense ratio of 0.45% and will be benchmarked against the JP Morgan CLO High Quality Mezzanine Index. The launch aligns with BlackRock's projection that global active ETF assets under management will reach $4 trillion by 2030. The company currently manages $37 billion across over 40 active ETFs in the U.S.