BlackRock is the world’s biggest

Article Excerpt

With $6.3 trillion in total assets under management on March 31, 2018, BlackRock is the largest asset manager in the world. The firm started its operations in 1988 with eight employees, and listed on the New York stock exchange in 1999 with assets under management of $400 billion. In June 2009, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, BlackRock bought Barclays Global Investors for $13.5 billion. Included in that purchase was the fast-growing exchange traded fund provider, iShares. From assets of $496 billion at the end of 2009, iShares has grown to the largest ETF provider globally, with a market share of 37% and $1.8 trillion of assets under management. iShares currently manages 844 funds, with 76% of the assets in equity funds, 22% in fixed income and 2% in other funds. The bulk of those assets are held in U.S.-listed ETFs. iShares and BlackRock are riding the investor trend away from the kind of pricey actively managed mutual funds and ETFs…