BlackRock Sees $114B in Net Flows Amid Market Turmoil
Even as uncertainty mounted over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Federal Reserve's response to fast-rising consumer prices, clients continue to pour money into BlackRock's long-term investment products.
April 13, 2022 at 01:26 PM
3 minute read
Investors continued to pour money into BlackRock Inc.'s funds in the first quarter, seemingly undeterred by falling stock prices, surging inflation and war in Europe.
Even as uncertainty mounted over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Federal Reserve's response to fast-rising consumer prices, clients added a total of $114 billion to BlackRock's long-term investment products in the three months through March, the New York-based firm said Wednesday in a statement.
Equity funds led the way, with a $76 billion haul, while bond funds saw $7.5 billion, despite fixed-income markets tensing as the Fed begins to raise interest rates to combat inflation at a four-decade high.
The inflows came even as investor confidence fell over the period. The S&P 500 ended the quarter down 5%, while the Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 9.1%.
"As the world continues to face geopolitical and economic uncertainty, our investments over the years to build BlackRock's allweather platform position us well to advise our clients and help them pursue their long-term financial goals," Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink said in the statement.
BlackRock's total assets under management slid to $9.57 trillion at the end of March after the firm crossed the $10 trillion mark at the end of last year. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $9.52, beating the $8.79 average estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
The company reported revenue of about $4.7 billion for the three months ended in March, slightly below analyst estimates of about $4.8 billion for the period.
The firm took in investor money across different products, including equities, fixed-income and alternatives. Cash-management products saw outflows of $27 billion in the quarter. Exchange-traded funds took in about $56.2 billion, down from $68.5 billion in the year-ago period.
Shares of asset managers and major banks have taken a hit this year along with global markets. BlackRock shares are down 22% this year through Tuesday, compared with a 7.7% decline for the S&P 500.
Here are some additional highlights from BlackRock's first-quarter earnings release:
• Performance fees decreased $31 million from the year-ago period, which BlackRock attributed in part to lower revenue from its liquid alternatives business.
• Overall inflows to bond funds came despite institutions pulling a net $2.8 billion from active fixed income funds, one of the only subcategories where BlackRock experienced outflows.
• Institutions added $47 billion to BlackRock funds overall in the first quarter, a 71% increase over the year-ago period.
• Against a chaotic geopolitical backdrop, investors also put money to work internationally: BlackRock reported flows of $45 billion to the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. That compares to $41 billion in Asia-Pacific, and $28 billion in the Americas.
Silla Brush and Annie Massa report for Bloomberg News.
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllTrump Mulls Big Changes to Banking Regulation, Unsettling the Industry
CFPB Orders Big Banks to Limit Overdraft Fees to $5. But Will Its Edict Stick?
3 minute readUS Judge Throws Out Sale of Infowars to The Onion. But That's Not the End of the Road for Sandy Hook Families
4 minute readGreenberg Traurig Initiates String of Suits Following JPMorgan Chase's 'Infinite Money Glitch'
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250