Displaying items by tag: Blackrock

Stocks and bonds have been weaker since Wednesday’s stronger than expected inflation report. While some on Wall Street are now questioning whether the Fed will be able to cut rates at all, Rick Rieder, Blackrock’s head of fixed income, continues to see rate cuts later in the year.

He notes that Thursday’s PPI report was softer than expected and an indication that most inflation is contained in the services sector. He doesn’t believe that monetary policy could have too much impact on this type of inflation and that it would have damaging effects on other parts of the economy. Overall, he sees recent data consistent with core PCE at 2.6-2.7%.

He believes the current data justifies between one and two rate cuts before year-end. However, he believes that the data could still evolve in a way that justifies more. With rates above 5% and core PCE below 3%, monetary policy is very restrictive, so he believes the Fed will lower rates regardless.

In terms of fixed income, Rieder is bullish on short-duration notes, as investors can get yields between 6% and 7%. He sees the 10-year Treasury yield modestly declining into year-end due to softer economic data and the Fed cutting rates. However, longer-term, he believes that it is range-bound between 4% and 5%.

Finsum: Many on Wall Street are starting to turn more pessimistic about the Fed’s ability to cut rates given recent inflation data. Blackrock’s Rick Rieder still sees cuts later in the year, even if the data doesn’t significantly improve.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) is aiming to become one of the top 5 providers of model portfolios. Currently, GSAM is the ninth largest in terms of asset managers, with model portfolio assets of $14.5 billion. Over the next decade, model portfolios are projected to have more than $11 trillion in assets in total.

According to Alexandra Wilson-Elizondo, the co-CIO of GSAM’s multi-asset solutions group, the firm’s strategy is to outgrow its competitors rather than take existing market share as model portfolio assets are projected to grow 20% annually. Model portfolios consist of off-the-shelf strategies and custom models. Demand for the latter has been robust among wealthy clients.

Increasing adoption by financial advisors is the primary growth driver for the category. By decreasing time and resources spent on investment management, advisors can add more value in areas like client service, tax planning, and estate management. 

Currently, the leading provider of model portfolios among asset managers is Blackrock, followed by Wilshire Associates, Capital Group, and Vanguard. In 2019, GSAM bought S&P Global Market Intelligence, and it acquired NextCapital Group in 2022 to build the foundations of its model portfolio business.

Finsum: Goldman Sachs is aiming to grow its model portfolio segment and become a top-five provider among asset managers. Forecasts are for the category to grow 20% annually and exceed $11 trillion by 2030. 

The ETF market continues to grow and mature by providing new funds for investors to reach their financial goals. BMO Global Asset Management sees more growth in the coming year, driven by more targeted funds that appeal to more sophisticated investors.

It sees the ETF market continuing to evolve and innovate in order to meet the growing demand for more sophisticated products in an ETF wrapper. It sees ETFs becoming the primary way for investors to get exposure to themes, trends, and investment opportunities. Further, there is intense competition among issuers to continue bringing new products onto the market, especially given first-mover advantages.

BMO is particularly bullish on structured outcome ETFs, which were created to help investors manage risk. It believes that investors in equity funds and short-term bond funds are exposed to volatility given the outperformance of megacap, technology stocks over the past year and uncertainty around the Fed’s rate cuts.

Structured outcome ETFs are one way that clients can remain invested while capping downside risk. Among these, buffer ETFs, which use options that protect against downside risk and cap upside potential, are becoming increasingly popular among advisors and investors. Notably, this type of protection was at one time only available to high net worth investors.

Finsum: BMO Asset Management conducted an overview of the ETF industry. It notes the constant innovation in the space, with the latest growth area being structured outcome ETFs, which are particularly useful in terms of reducing portfolio risk.   

Robert Mitchnick, Blackrock’s digital asset lead, believes that bitcoin is more like ‘digital gold’ rather than a ‘risk-on’ asset, despite its strong correlation to equities in recent years. Throughout bitcoin’s existence, there has been a constant debate about its true nature. Some argue that bitcoin is like gold given that there is a fixed supply, which means that it should provide protection against inflation. 

While this may be true in theory, in reality, bitcoin has largely moved in the same direction as equities, which undermines the argument that it offers diversification. In 2022, bitcoin tumbled as the world dealt with the highest levels of inflation in decades. Notably, equities were also down 25% in 2022. In the following year, as equity markets made new highs, bitcoin also followed and made new highs as well. 

Despite this relationship, Mitchnik believes that historically, bitcoin has demonstrated very little correlation to stocks. He attributes the recent rally to excitement around the launch of bitcoin ETFs in the US. In terms of allocation, he recommends between 1 and 3% for investors to provide diversification and differentiated returns. The argument about bitcoin’s nature is germane for investors who want to understand whether it will make their portfolio more risky or more diversified. 

Finsum: There are two camps when it comes to bitcoin. One sees bitcoin as an asset that is closely correlated to equities; while the other believes that bitcoin is more like gold and can help diversify portfolios.

BlackRock (BLK) has unveiled plans to acquire SpiderRock, a prominent provider of technological solutions tailored for financial institutions. This acquisition is set to bolster BlackRock's Aladdin platform, a key player in the world of separately managed accounts (SMAs). 

By integrating SpiderRock's state-of-the-art technology into Aladdin, BlackRock aims to enhance its SMA capabilities, particularly in risk management and trading strategies. According to Cerulli Associates, SMAs are projected to see their assets under management surge to $4 trillion by 2026 from $2.7 trillion, driven primarily by heightened client demand for personalized portfolios offering tax advantages. This strategic move underscores BlackRock's commitment to leveraging advanced analytics within the management sector, enabling clients to optimize operations and mitigate risks more effectively. 

Through this acquisition, BlackRock is poised to pioneer innovative SMA solutions, driving efficiency and productivity across operations and meeting the demand for tax optimization. This development signals a significant step forward in BlackRock's journey toward becoming a leader in SMA, offering tailored solutions to address the evolving needs of investors and wealth managers worldwide.

Finsum: SMAs are fighting atop the industry with model portfolios to be the customized solution.