REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | ☒ |
Pre-Effective Amendment No. | □ |
Post-Effective Amendment No. 989 | ☒ |
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | ☒ |
Amendment No. 991 | ☒ |
Counsel for the Fund: | |
Frank
P. Bruno, Esq.
Sidley Austin LLP 787 Seventh Avenue New York, New York 10019 |
Janey
Ahn, Esq.
BlackRock Advisors, LLC 55 East 52nd Street New York, New York 10055 |
Prospectus |
• | BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund |
Investor A: BMCAX • Investor C: BMCCX • Institutional: CMVIX • Class R: BMCRX |
Fund Overview | Key facts and details about the Fund, including investment objective, principal investment strategies, principal risk factors, fee and expense information and historical performance information | |
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Details About the Fund | Information about how the Fund invests, including investment objective, investment process, principal strategies and risk factors | |
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Account Information | Information about account services, sales charges and waivers, shareholder transactions, and distribution and other payments | |
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Management of the Fund | Information about BlackRock and the Portfolio Managers | |
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Financial Highlights |
Financial Performance of the
Fund
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General Information |
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Glossary |
Glossary of Investment
Terms
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Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge Waiver Policies |
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A-1 |
For More Information |
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Inside Back Cover |
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Back Cover |
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Investor
A
Shares |
Investor
C
Shares |
Institutional
Shares |
Class
R
Shares |
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Maximum
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
(as a percentage of offering price) |
5.25% | None | None | None | ||||
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) | None 1 | 1.00% 2 | None | None | ||||
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Investor
A
Shares |
Investor
C
Shares |
Institutional
Shares |
Class
R
Shares |
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Management Fee3 | 0.57% | 0.57% | 0.57% | 0.57% | ||||
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | None | 0.50% | ||||
Other Expenses | 0.30% | 0.28% | 0.30% | 0.35% | ||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.12% | 1.85% | 0.87% | 1.42% | ||||
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements3,4 | (0.25)% | (0.23)% | (0.25)% | (0.30)% | ||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements3,4 | 0.87% | 1.62% | 0.62% | 1.12% |
1 | A contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% is assessed on certain redemptions of Investor A Shares made within 18 months after purchase where no initial sales charge was paid at time of purchase as part of an investment of $1,000,000 or more. |
2 | There is no CDSC on Investor C Shares after one year. |
3 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 38, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets estimated to be attributable to investments in other equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates that have a contractual management fee, through January 31, 2021. In addition, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive its management fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Fund pays to BlackRock indirectly through its investment in money market funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates, through January 31, 2021. The contractual agreements may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
4 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 38, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) as a percentage of average daily net assets to 0.87% (for Investor A Shares), 1.62% (for Investor C Shares), and 0.62% (for Institutional Shares) through January 31, 2021 and 1.12% (for Class R Shares) through January 31, 2030. On February 1 of each year, the Class R Shares waiver agreement will renew automatically for an additional year so that the agreement will have a perpetual ten-year term. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Investor A Shares | $609 | $ 839 | $ 1,087 | $ 1,795 |
Investor C Shares | $265 | $ 559 | $ 979 | $ 2,150 |
Institutional Shares | $ 63 | $ 253 | $ 458 | $ 1,049 |
Class R Shares | $114 | $ 356 | $ 617 | $ 1,363 |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Investor C Shares | $ 165 | $ 559 | $ 979 | $ 2,150 |
■ | Commodities Related Investments Risk — Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors |
affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. | |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Illiquidity Risk — The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. | |
Hedging Risk — Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences. | |
Tax Risk — Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments, including swap agreements and commodity-linked derivative instruments, are currently unclear and may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. Such treatment may be less favorable than that given to a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through at least 2021. In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. |
■ | High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance. |
■ | Investment Style Risk — Under certain market conditions, growth investments have performed better during the later stages of economic expansion. Therefore, this investment style may over time go in and out of favor. At times when the investment style used by the Fund is out of favor, the Fund may underperform other equity funds that use different investment styles. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis and is subject to “Model Risk” as described below. This means you may lose money. |
■ | Model Risk — The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than as forecasted due to the factors incorporated into the models and the weighting of each factor, changes from historical trends, and issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, but not limited to, software issues and other technological issues). There is no guarantee that BlackRock’s use of these models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund. |
The information and data used in the models may be supplied by third parties. Inaccurate or incomplete data may limit the effectiveness of the models. In addition, some of the data that BlackRock uses may be historical data, which may not accurately predict future market movement. There is a risk that the models will not be successful in selecting investments or in determining the weighting of investment positions that will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | “New Issues” Risk — “New issues” are IPOs of equity securities. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
As
of 12/31/19
Average Annual Total Returns |
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund — Investor A Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 26.38% | 10.96% | 10.23% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | 25.14% | 9.36% | 8.89% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | 16.43% | 8.23% | 7.99% |
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund — Investor C Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 31.47% | 11.32% | 9.99% |
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund — Institutional Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 33.66% | 12.48% | 11.17% |
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund — Class R Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 33.10% | 11.83% | 10.46% |
Russell
1000 Growth Index
(Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
36.39% | 14.63% | 15.22% |
Name |
Portfolio
Manager
of the Fund Since |
Title |
Raffaele Savi | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Travis Cooke, CFA | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Richard Mathieson | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Investor
A and
Investor C Shares |
Institutional Shares | Class R Shares | |
Minimum
Initial
Investment |
$1,000
for all accounts except:
• $50, if establishing an Automatic Investment Plan. • There is no investment minimum for employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs). • There is no investment minimum for certain fee-based programs. |
There
is no minimum initial investment for:
• Employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs), state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles, unaffiliated thrifts and unaffiliated banks and trust companies, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to purchase such shares. • Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to offer Institutional Shares through a no-load program or investment platform. $2 million for individuals and “Institutional Investors,” which include, but are not limited to, endowments, foundations, family offices, local, city, and state governmental institutions, corporations and insurance company separate accounts who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to purchase such shares. $1,000 for: • Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund. • Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. |
$100 for all accounts. |
Minimum
Additional
Investment |
$50 for all accounts (with the exception of certain employer-sponsored retirement plans which may have a lower minimum). | No subsequent minimum. | No subsequent minimum. |
■ | Depositary Receipts — The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers in the form of depositary receipts or other securities that are convertible into securities of foreign issuers. American Depositary Receipts are receipts typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. European Depositary Receipts (issued in Europe) and Global Depositary Receipts (issued throughout the world) each evidence a similar ownership arrangement. The Fund may invest in unsponsored depositary receipts. |
■ | Illiquid Investments — The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. |
■ | Investment Companies — The Fund has the ability to invest in other investment companies, such as exchange-traded funds, unit investment trusts, and open-end and closed-end funds. The Fund may invest in affiliated investment companies, including affiliated money market funds and affiliated exchange-traded funds. |
■ | Master Limited Partnerships — The Fund may invest in publicly traded master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) which are limited partnerships or limited liability companies taxable as partnerships. MLPs may derive income and gains from the exploration, development, mining or production, processing, refining, transportation (including pipelines transporting gas, oil, or products thereof), or the marketing of any mineral or natural resources. MLPs generally have two classes of owners, the general partner and limited partners. When investing in an MLP, the Fund intends to purchase publicly traded common units issued to limited partners of the MLP. The general partner is typically owned by a major energy company, an investment fund or the direct management of the MLP or is an entity owned by one or more of such parties. The general partner may be structured as a private or publicly traded corporation or other entity. |
■ | Money Market Securities — The Fund may invest in money market securities or commercial paper. |
■ | Real Estate Investment Trusts — The Fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts — The Fund may enter into certain types of repurchase agreements or purchase and sale contracts. Under a repurchase agreement, the seller agrees to repurchase a security at a mutually agreed-upon time and price. A purchase and sale contract is similar to a repurchase agreement, but purchase and sale contracts also provide that the purchaser receives any interest on the security paid during the period. |
■ | Restricted Securities — Restricted securities are securities that cannot be offered for public resale unless registered under the applicable securities laws or that have a contractual restriction that prohibits or limits their resale. They may include Rule 144A securities, which are privately placed securities that can be resold to qualified institutional buyers but not to the general public, and securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are offered pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
■ | Rights — The Fund may purchase securities pursuant to the exercise of subscription rights, which allow an issuer’s existing shareholders to purchase additional common stock at a price substantially below the market price of the shares. |
■ | Securities Lending — The Fund may lend securities with a value up to 33 1⁄3% of its total assets to financial institutions that provide cash or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government as collateral. |
■ | Temporary Defensive Strategies — It is possible that in extreme market conditions the Fund may temporarily invest some or all of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, including high quality money market securities. Such a temporary defensive strategy would be inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies. The reason for acquiring money market securities would be to avoid market losses. However, if market conditions improve, this strategy could result in reducing the potential gain from the market upswing, thus reducing the Fund’s opportunity to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments — The purchase or sale of securities on a when-issued basis, on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment involves the purchase or sale of securities by the Fund at an established price with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The Fund enters into these transactions to obtain what is considered an advantageous price to the Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. |
■ | Commodities Related Investments Risk — Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Illiquidity Risk — Some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than other securities. The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. The Fund could also suffer losses related to its derivatives positions as a result of unanticipated market movements, which losses are potentially unlimited. Finally, BlackRock may not be able to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Fund’s derivatives positions to lose value. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. Derivatives may also expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. Certain transactions in derivatives involve substantial leverage risk and may expose the Fund to potential losses that exceed the amount originally invested by the Fund. | |
Hedging Risk — When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences noted below. |
Tax Risk — The federal income tax treatment of a derivative may not be as favorable as a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. As a result, a larger portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gains. In addition, certain derivatives are subject to mark-to-market or straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). If such provisions are applicable, there could be an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the Fund. In addition, the tax treatment of certain derivatives, such as swaps, is unsettled and may be subject to future legislation, regulation or administrative pronouncements issued by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through at least 2021. In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. |
Future regulatory developments may impact the Fund’s ability to invest or remain invested in certain derivatives. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. BlackRock cannot predict the effects of any new governmental regulation that may be implemented on the ability of the Fund to use swaps or any other financial derivative product, and there can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. | |
Risks Specific to Certain Derivatives Used by the Fund |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equities. The value of equity securities purchased by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Fund invests in declines or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. The value of equity securities may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or an increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, the value may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a company or industry, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment. |
■ | High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance. |
■ | Investment Style Risk — Under certain market conditions, growth investments have performed better during the later stages of economic expansion. Therefore, this investment style may over time go in and out of favor. At times when the investment style used by the Fund is out of favor, the Fund may underperform other equity funds that use different investment styles. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. As an open-end investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Fund is subject to the federal securities laws, including the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), the rules thereunder, and various SEC and SEC staff interpretive positions. In accordance with these laws, rules and positions, the Fund must “set aside” liquid assets (often referred to as “asset segregation”), or engage in other SEC- or staff-approved measures, to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of instruments. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis and is subject to “Model Risk” as described below. This means you may lose money. |
■ | Model Risk — The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than as forecasted due to the factors incorporated into the models and the weighting of each factor, as well as the level and scope of changes from historical trends. In addition, issues in the construction and implementation of the models, including software or hardware malfunction, power loss, software bugs, malicious code, viruses, system crashes and other technological failures or various other events or circumstances within or beyond the control of BlackRock, may adversely impact the Fund. Please see also “Cyber Security Risk” below. There is no guarantee that BlackRock’s use of these models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund. |
Some of the models used by BlackRock rely on historical data and may not accurately predict future market movements. The Fund bears the risk that the models used by BlackRock will not be successful in forecasting movements in the market or in determining the size, direction, and/or weighting of investment positions that will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective. In addition, the models may not be reliable in the event of unusual or disruptive events that cause market movements, which may be inconsistent with the historical |
performance of individual markets. In such instances, the models may produce unexpected results, which can result in losses for the Fund. Furthermore, because predictive models may be constructed based on data supplied by third parties, the success of relying on such models may depend heavily on the accuracy and reliability of such data. |
■ | “New Issues” Risk — “New issues” are IPOs of equity securities. Investments in companies that have recently gone public have the potential to produce substantial gains for the Fund. However, there is no assurance that the Fund will have access to profitable IPOs and therefore investors should not rely on these past gains as an indication of future performance. The investment performance of the Fund during periods when it is unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when the Fund is able to do so. In addition, as the Fund increases in size, the impact of IPOs on the Fund’s performance will generally decrease. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO. When an IPO is brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or, if it is able to buy shares, it may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
■ | Cyber Security Risk — Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, and other service providers, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. |
■ | Depositary Receipts Risk — Depositary receipts are generally subject to the same risks as the foreign securities that they evidence or into which they may be converted. In addition to investment risks associated with the underlying issuer, depositary receipts expose the Fund to additional risks associated with the non-uniform terms that apply to depositary receipt programs, credit exposure to the depository bank and to the sponsors and other parties with whom the depository bank establishes the programs, currency risk and the risk of an illiquid market for depositary receipts. The issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose information that is, in the United States, considered material. Therefore, there may be less information available regarding these issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the depositary receipts. |
■ | Distressed Securities Risk — Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in junk bonds. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on the distressed securities and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, distressed securities involve the substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal of or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale. |
■ | Emerging Markets Risk — The risks of foreign investments are usually much greater for emerging markets. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets may include those in countries considered emerging or developing by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation or the United Nations. Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. They are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than |
developed markets. Since these markets are often small, they may be more likely to suffer sharp and frequent price changes or long-term price depression because of adverse publicity, investor perceptions or the actions of a few large investors. In addition, traditional measures of investment value used in the United States, such as price to earnings ratios, may not apply to certain small markets. Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. | |
Many emerging markets have histories of political instability and abrupt changes in policies. As a result, their governments are more likely to take actions that are hostile or detrimental to private enterprise or foreign investment than those of more developed countries. Some countries have pervasive corruption and crime that may hinder investments. Certain emerging markets may also face other significant internal or external risks, including the risk of war, and ethnic, religious and racial conflicts. In addition, governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets, which may impair investment and economic growth. | |
■ | Expense Risk — Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund’s net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated. For example, to the extent that the Fund’s net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund’s expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund’s expense ratio could be significant. |
■ | Foreign Securities Risk — Because the Fund may invest in companies located in countries other than the United States, the Fund may be exposed to risks associated with foreign investments. |
■ | The value of holdings traded outside the United States (and any hedging transactions in foreign currencies) will be affected by changes in currency exchange rates. |
■ | The costs of non-U.S. securities transactions tend to be higher than those of U.S. transactions. |
■ | Foreign holdings may be adversely affected by foreign government action. |
■ | International trade barriers or economic sanctions against certain non-U.S. countries may adversely affect these holdings. |
■ | The economies of certain countries may compare unfavorably with the U.S. economy. |
■ | Foreign securities markets may be smaller than the U.S. markets, which may make trading more difficult. |
■ | Illiquid Investments Risk — The Fund’s illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid investments at an advantageous time or price. An investment may be illiquid due to, among other things, the lack of an active trading market. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to the risks associated with illiquid investments. Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions. |
■ | Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk — As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies (to the extent not offset by BlackRock through waivers). To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited. |
■ | Master Limited Partnerships Risk — The common units of an MLP are listed and traded on U.S. securities exchanges and their value fluctuates predominantly based on prevailing market conditions and the success of the MLP. Unlike owners of common stock of a corporation, owners of common units have limited voting rights and have no ability to annually elect directors. In the event of liquidation, common units have preference over subordinated units, but not over debt or preferred units, to the remaining assets of the MLP. |
■ | Mid Cap Securities Risk — The securities of mid cap companies generally trade in lower volumes and are generally subject to greater and less predictable price changes than the securities of larger capitalization companies. |
■ | Money Market Securities Risk — If market conditions improve while the Fund has invested some or all of its assets in high quality money market securities, this strategy could result in reducing the potential gain from the market upswing, thus reducing the Fund’s opportunity to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | REIT Investment Risk — In addition to the risks facing real estate-related securities, such as a decline in property values due to increasing vacancies, a decline in rents resulting from unanticipated economic, legal or technological developments or a decline in the price of securities of real estate companies due to a failure of borrowers to pay their loans or poor management, investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, may engage in dilutive offerings of securities and may be more volatile than other securities. REIT issuers may also fail to maintain their exemptions from investment company registration or fail to qualify for the “dividends paid deduction” under the Internal Revenue Code, which allows REITs to reduce their corporate taxable income for dividends paid to their shareholders. Ordinary REIT dividends received by the Fund and distributed to the Fund’s shareholders will generally be taxable as ordinary income and will not constitute “qualified dividend income.” However, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, a non-corporate taxpayer who is a direct REIT shareholder may claim a 20% “qualified business income” deduction for ordinary REIT dividends, and proposed regulations issued in January 2019, on which taxpayers may currently rely, permit a regulated investment company to report dividends as eligible for this deduction to the extent the regulated investment company’s income is derived from ordinary REIT dividends (reduced by allocable regulated investment company expenses). A shareholder may treat the dividends as such provided the regulated investment company and the shareholder satisfy applicable holding period requirements. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Restricted Securities Risk — Limitations on the resale of restricted securities may have an adverse effect on their marketability, and may prevent the Fund from disposing of them promptly at advantageous prices. Restricted securities may not be listed on an exchange and may have no active trading market. In order to sell such securities, the Fund may have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration. Other transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than unrestricted securities. Restricted securities may be difficult to value because market quotations may not be readily available, and the securities may have significant volatility. Also, the Fund may get only limited information about the issuer of a given restricted security, and therefore may be less able to predict a loss. Certain restricted securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses to the Fund. |
■ | Rights Risk — The failure to exercise subscription rights to purchase common stock would result in the dilution of the Fund’s interest in the issuing company. The market for such rights is not well developed, and, accordingly, the Fund may not always realize full value on the sale of rights. |
■ | Securities Lending Risk — Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Fund may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Fund could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. |
■ | Small Cap and Emerging Growth Securities Risk — Small cap or emerging growth companies may have limited product lines or markets. They may be less financially secure than larger, more established companies. They may depend on a small number of key personnel. If a product fails or there are other adverse developments, or if management changes, the Fund’s investment in a small cap or emerging growth company may lose substantial value. In addition, it is more difficult to get information on smaller companies, which tend to be less well known, have shorter operating histories, do not have significant ownership by large investors and are followed by relatively few securities analysts. |
The securities of small cap and emerging growth companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger cap securities or the market as a whole. In addition, small cap and emerging growth securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings. Investing in small cap and emerging growth securities requires a longer term view. | |
■ | Valuation Risk — The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. Pricing services that value fixed-income securities generally utilize a range of market-based and security-specific inputs and assumptions, as well as considerations about general market conditions, to establish a price. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but may be |
held or transactions may be conducted in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. The Fund’s ability to value its investments may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers. | |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
Investor A | Investor C2,3 | Institutional | Class R | |
Availability | Generally available through Financial Intermediaries. | Generally available through Financial Intermediaries. |
Limited
to certain investors, including:
• Individuals and “Institutional Investors,” which include, but are not limited to, endowments, foundations, family offices, local, city and state governmental institutions, corporations and insurance company separate accounts, who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares. • Employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs), state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles, unaffiliated thrifts and unaffiliated banks and trust companies, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares. • Employees, officers and directors/trustees of BlackRock or its affiliates and immediate family members of such persons, if they open an account directly with BlackRock. • Participants in certain programs sponsored by BlackRock or its affiliates or other Financial Intermediaries. • Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. • Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund. |
Available only to certain employer-sponsored retirement plans. |
Investor A | Investor C2,3 | Institutional | Class R | |
Conversion to Investor A Shares? | N/A | Yes, automatically approximately ten years after the date of purchase. It is the Financial Intermediary’s responsibility to ensure that the shareholder is credited with the proper holding period. As of the Effective Date (as defined below), certain Financial Intermediaries, including group retirement recordkeeping platforms, may not have been tracking such holding periods and therefore may not be able to process such conversions. In such instances, the automatic conversion of Investor C Shares to Investor A Shares will occur ten years after the Effective Date. | No. | No. |
Advantage | Makes sense for investors who are eligible to have the sales charge reduced or eliminated or who have a long-term investment horizon because there are no ongoing distribution fees. | No up-front sales charge so you start off owning more shares. These shares may make sense for investors who have a shorter investment horizon relative to Investor A Shares. | No up-front sales charge so you start off owning more shares. No distribution or service fees. | No up-front sales charge so you start off owning more shares. |
Disadvantage | You pay a sales charge up-front, and therefore you start off owning fewer shares. | You pay ongoing distribution fees each year you own Investor C Shares, which means that over the long term you can expect higher total fees per share than Investor A Shares and, as a result, lower total performance. | Limited availability. | You pay ongoing distribution fees each year you own Class R Shares, which means that over the long term you can expect higher total fees per share than Investor A Shares and, as a result, lower total performance. |
1 | Please see “Details About the Share Classes” for more information about each share class. |
2 | If you establish a new account directly with the Fund and do not have a Financial Intermediary associated with your account, you may only invest in Investor A Shares. Applications without a Financial Intermediary that select Investor C Shares will not be accepted. |
3 | The Fund will not accept a purchase order of $500,000 or more for Investor C Shares (may be lower on funds that have set a lower breakpoint for purchasing Investor A Shares without a front-end sales charge). Your Financial Intermediary may set a lower maximum for Investor C Shares. |
Your Investment |
Sales
Charge
as a % of Offering Price |
Sales
Charge
as a % of Your Investment1 |
Dealer
Compensation as a % of Offering Price |
Less than $25,000 | 5.25% | 5.54% | 5.00% |
$25,000 but less than $50,000 | 4.75% | 4.99% | 4.50% |
$50,000 but less than $100,000 | 4.00% | 4.17% | 3.75% |
$100,000 but less than $250,000 | 3.00% | 3.09% | 2.75% |
$250,000 but less than $500,000 | 2.50% | 2.56% | 2.25% |
$500,000 but less than $750,000 | 2.00% | 2.04% | 1.75% |
$750,000 but less than $1,000,000 | 1.50% | 1.52% | 1.25% |
$1,000,000 and over2 | 0.00% | 0.00% | — 2 |
1 | Rounded to the nearest one-hundredth percent. |
2 | If you invest $1,000,000 or more in Investor A Shares, you will not pay an initial sales charge. In that case, BlackRock compensates the Financial Intermediary from its own resources. However, if you redeem your shares within 18 months after purchase, you may be charged a deferred sales charge of 1.00% of the lesser of the original cost of the shares being redeemed or your redemption proceeds. Such deferred sales charge may be waived in connection with certain fee-based programs. |
i. | Buy a specified amount of Investor A, Investor C, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and/or Premier Shares, |
ii. | Make an investment in one or more Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds and/or |
iii. | Make an investment through the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program in one or more BlackRock Funds. |
i. | The current value of an investor’s existing Investor A and A1, Investor C, C1, C2 and C3, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and Premier Shares in most BlackRock Funds, |
ii. | The current value of an investor’s existing shares of Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds and |
iii. | The investment in the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program by the investor or by or on behalf of the investor’s spouse and children. |
■ | Certain employer-sponsored retirement plans. For purposes of this waiver, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs; |
■ | Rollovers of current investments through certain employer-sponsored retirement plans, provided the shares are transferred to the same BlackRock Fund as either a direct rollover, or subsequent to distribution, the rolled-over proceeds are contributed to a BlackRock IRA through an account directly with the Fund; or purchases by IRA programs that are sponsored by Financial Intermediary firms provided the Financial Intermediary firm has entered into a Class A Net Asset Value agreement with respect to such program with the Distributor; |
■ | Insurance company separate accounts; |
■ | Registered investment advisers, trust companies and bank trust departments exercising discretionary investment authority with respect to amounts to be invested in the Fund; |
■ | Persons participating in a fee-based program (such as a wrap account) under which they pay advisory fees to a broker-dealer or other financial institution; |
■ | Financial Intermediaries who have entered into an agreement with the Distributor and have been approved by the Distributor to offer Fund shares to self-directed investment brokerage accounts that may or may not charge a transaction fee; |
■ | Persons associated with the Fund, the Fund’s manager, the Fund’s sub-adviser, transfer agent, Distributor, fund accounting agents, Barclays PLC (“Barclays”) and their respective affiliates (to the extent permitted by these firms) including: (a) officers, directors and partners; (b) employees and retirees; (c) employees of firms who have entered into selling agreements to distribute shares of BlackRock Funds; (d) immediate family members of such persons; and (e) any trust, pension, profit-sharing or other benefit plan for any of the persons set forth in (a) through (d); and |
■ | State sponsored 529 college savings plans. |
■ | Redemptions of shares purchased through certain employer-sponsored retirement plans and rollovers of current investments in the Fund through such plans; |
■ | Exchanges pursuant to the exchange privilege, as described in “How to Buy, Sell, Exchange and Transfer Shares — How to Exchange Shares or Transfer Your Account”; |
■ | Redemptions made in connection with minimum required distributions from IRA or 403(b)(7) accounts due to the shareholder reaching the age of 70½; |
■ | Certain post-retirement withdrawals from an IRA or other retirement plan if you are over 59½ years old and you purchased your shares prior to October 2, 2006; |
■ | Redemptions made with respect to certain retirement plans sponsored by the Fund, BlackRock or an affiliate; |
■ | Redemptions resulting from shareholder death as long as the waiver request is made within one year of death or, if later, reasonably promptly following completion of probate (including in connection with the distribution of account assets to a beneficiary of the decedent); |
■ | Withdrawals resulting from shareholder disability (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) as long as the disability arose subsequent to the purchase of the shares; |
■ | Involuntary redemptions made of shares in accounts with low balances; |
■ | Certain redemptions made through the Systematic Withdrawal Plan (“SWP”) offered by the Fund, BlackRock or an affiliate; |
■ | Redemptions related to the payment of BNY Mellon Investment Servicing Trust Company custodial IRA fees; and |
■ | Redemptions when a shareholder can demonstrate hardship, in the absolute discretion of the Fund. |
■ | Individuals and “Institutional Investors” with a minimum initial investment of $2 million who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares; |
■ | Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares through a no-load program or investment platform, in each case, with no minimum initial investment; |
■ | Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund, with a minimum initial investment of $1,000; |
■ | Employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs), state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles, unaffiliated thrifts and unaffiliated banks and trust companies, each of which is not subject to any minimum initial investment and may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares; |
■ | Trust department clients of PNC Bank, National Association and Bank of America, N.A. and their affiliates for whom they (i) act in a fiduciary capacity (excluding participant directed employee benefit plans); (ii) otherwise have investment discretion; or (iii) act as custodian for at least $2 million in assets, who are not subject to any minimum initial investment; |
■ | Holders of certain Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”) sponsored unit investment trusts (“UITs”) who reinvest dividends received from such UITs in shares of the Fund, who are not subject to any minimum initial investment; |
■ | Employees, officers and directors/trustees of BlackRock, Inc., BlackRock Funds, BofA Corp., The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Barclays or their respective affiliates and immediate family members of such persons, if they open an account directly with BlackRock, who are not subject to any minimum initial investment; and |
■ | Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. |
■ | Answering customer inquiries regarding account status and history, the manner in which purchases, exchanges and redemptions or repurchases of shares may be effected and certain other matters pertaining to the customers’ investments; |
■ | Assisting customers in designating and changing dividend options, account designations and addresses; and |
■ | Providing other similar shareholder liaison services. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
How to Pay for Shares | Making payment for purchases |
Payment
for an order must be made in Federal funds or other immediately available funds by the time specified by your Financial Intermediary, but in no event later than 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on the second business day (in the case of Investor Shares) or
the first business day (in the case of Institutional Shares) following BlackRock’s receipt of the order. If payment is not received by this time, the order will be canceled, and you and your Financial Intermediary will be responsible for any
loss to the Fund.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares | Have your Financial Intermediary submit your sales order |
You
can make redemption requests through your Financial Intermediary. Shareholders should indicate whether they are redeeming Investor A, Investor C, Institutional or Class R Shares. The price of your shares is based on the next calculation of the
Fund’s net asset value after your order is placed. For your redemption request to be priced at the net asset value on the day of your request, you must submit your request to your Financial Intermediary prior to that day’s close of
business on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). Certain Financial Intermediaries, however, may require submission of orders prior to that time. Any redemption request placed after that time will be priced at the net asset value at the close
of business on the next business day.
|
Selling shares held directly with BlackRock |
Methods
of Redeeming
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) | Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued) |
redemption
methods below.
The Fund reserves the right to reinvest any dividend or distribution amounts (e.g., income dividends or capital gains) which you have elected to receive by check should your check be returned as undeliverable or remain uncashed for more than 6 months. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed checks. Your check will be reinvested in your account at the net asset value next calculated, on the day of the investment. When reinvested, those amounts are subject to the risk of loss like any fund investment. If you elect to receive distributions in cash and a check remains undeliverable or uncashed for more than 6 months, your cash election may also be changed automatically to reinvest and your future dividend and capital gains distributions will be reinvested in the Fund at the net asset value as of the date of payment of the distribution. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) | Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued) |
proceeds
sent by Federal wire transfer. You are responsible for any additional charges imposed by your bank for this service. No charge for wiring redemption payments with respect to Institutional Shares is imposed by the Fund.
***
If you make a redemption request before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares, the Fund may delay mailing your proceeds. This delay will usually not exceed ten days. |
Redemption Proceeds |
Under
normal circumstances, the Fund expects to meet redemption requests by using cash or cash equivalents in its portfolio or by selling portfolio assets to generate cash. During periods of stressed market conditions, when a significant portion of the
Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of less-liquid investments, the Fund may be more likely to limit cash redemptions and may determine to pay redemption proceeds by (i) borrowing under a line of credit it has entered into with a group of
lenders, (ii) borrowing from another BlackRock Fund pursuant to an interfund lending program, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions as set forth in the SAI, and/or (iii) transferring portfolio securities
in-kind to you. The SAI includes more information about the Fund’s line of credit and interfund lending program, to the extent applicable.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Exchange Privilege | Selling shares of one BlackRock Fund to purchase shares of another BlackRock Fund (“exchanging”) |
Investor
A, Investor C or Institutional Shares of the Fund are generally exchangeable for shares of the same class of another BlackRock Fund, to the extent such shares are offered by your Financial Intermediary. No exchange privilege is available for Class
R Shares.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Exchange Privilege (continued) | Selling shares of one BlackRock Fund to purchase shares of another BlackRock Fund (“exchanging”) (continued) |
no
required minimum amount with respect to exchanges of Institutional Shares.
|
Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary | Transfer to a participating Financial Intermediary |
You
may transfer your shares of the Fund only to another Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor. Certain shareholder services may not be available for the transferred shares. All future trading of these assets
must be coordinated by the receiving firm.
|
Transfer to a non-participating Financial Intermediary |
You
must either:
• Transfer your shares to an account with the Fund; or • Sell your shares, paying any applicable deferred sales charge. |
Automatic Investment Plan | Allows systematic investments on a periodic basis from your checking or savings account. | BlackRock’s AIP allows you to invest a specific amount on a periodic basis from your checking or savings account into your investment account. You may apply for this option upon account opening or by completing the AIP application. The minimum investment amount for an automatic investment is $50 per portfolio. |
■ | Suspend the right of redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act; |
■ | Postpone the date of payment upon redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act or if a redemption request is made before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares; |
■ | Redeem shares for property other than cash as may be permitted under the Investment Company Act; and |
■ | Redeem shares involuntarily in certain cases, such as when the value of a shareholder account falls below a specified level. |
Average Daily Net Assets |
Rate
of
Management Fee |
First $1 billion | 0.570% |
$1 billion – $3 billion | 0.540% |
$3 billion – $5 billion | 0.510% |
$5 billion – $10 billion | 0.500% |
Greater than $10 billion | 0.480% |
Contractual
Caps1 on
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses2 (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) |
|
Investor A Shares | 0.87% |
Investor C Shares | 1.62% |
Institutional Shares | 0.62% |
Class R Shares | 1.12% |
1 | The contractual caps for Investor A Shares, Investor C Shares and Institutional Shares are in effect through January 31, 2021 and the contractual cap for Class R Shares is in effect through January 31, 2030. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | As a percentage of average daily net assets. |
Portfolio Manager | Primary Role | Since | Title and Recent Biography |
Raffaele Savi | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Managing Director at Barclays Global Investors (“BGI”) from 2007 to 2009; Principal at BGI from 2006 to 2007. |
Travis Cooke, CFA | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2012; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2011, Principal of BGI from 2002 to 2009. |
Richard Mathieson | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2011; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2011; Principal at BGI from 2008 to 2009; Equity Analyst for Exista UK from 2007 to 2008; Principal at BGI from 2005 to 2007; Associate of BGI from 2001 to 2005. |
Institutional | |||||
Year Ended September 30, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 (a) | 2016 (a) | 2015 (a) |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 17.89 | $ 15.20 | $ 12.32 | $ 12.07 | $ 14.51 |
Net investment income(b) | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.10 | 0.06 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.22) | 3.52 | 2.87 | 1.06 | (0.25) |
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations | (0.09) | 3.65 | 2.99 | 1.16 | (0.19) |
Distributions (c) | |||||
From net investment income | (0.13) | (0.08) | (0.11) | (0.07) | (0.41) |
From net realized gain | (1.18) | (0.88) | — | (0.84) | (1.84) |
Total distributions | (1.31) | (0.96) | (0.11) | (0.91) | (2.25) |
Net asset value, end of year | $ 16.49 | $ 17.89 | $ 15.20 | $ 12.32 | $ 12.07 |
Total Return(d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | 0.41% | 25.31% | 24.43% | 9.75% | (2.15)% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets | |||||
Total expenses | 0.87% | 0.86% | 1.10% | 1.14% | 1.11% (e) |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 0.62% | 0.62% | 0.84% | 0.92% | 0.92% (e) |
Net investment income | 0.82% | 0.83% | 0.91% | 0.86% | 0.46% (e) |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $79,564 | $74,886 | $36,574 | $37,417 | $40,870 |
Portfolio turnover rate | 154% | 162% | 130% | 36% | 156% |
(a) | Consolidated Financial Highlights. |
(b) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(e) | Ratios do not include expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds of approximately 0.01%. |
Investor A | |||||
Year Ended September 30, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 (a) | 2016 (a) | 2015 (a) |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 17.11 | $ 14.59 | $ 11.83 | $ 11.61 | $ 14.04 |
Net investment income(b) | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.02 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.22) | 3.37 | 2.75 | 1.02 | (0.24) |
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations | (0.13) | 3.46 | 2.83 | 1.08 | (0.22) |
Distributions (c) | |||||
From net investment income | (0.09) | (0.06) | (0.07) | (0.02) | (0.37) |
From net realized gain | (1.18) | (0.88) | — | (0.84) | (1.84) |
Total distributions | (1.27) | (0.94) | (0.07) | (0.86) | (2.21) |
Net asset value, end of year | $ 15.71 | $ 17.11 | $ 14.59 | $ 11.83 | $ 11.61 |
Total Return(d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | 0.15% | 24.98% | 24.03% | 9.39% | (2.46)% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets | |||||
Total expenses | 1.12% | 1.12% | 1.35% | 1.42% | 1.41% (e) |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 0.87% | 0.87% | 1.13% | 1.24% | 1.24% (e) |
Net investment income | 0.57% | 0.58% | 0.60% | 0.54% | 0.14% (e) |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $699,247 | $730,996 | $351,398 | $323,297 | $355,844 |
Portfolio turnover rate | 154% | 162% | 130% | 36% | 156% |
(a) | Consolidated Financial Highlights. |
(b) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(e) | Ratios do not include expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds of approximately 0.01%. |
Investor C | |||||
Year Ended September 30, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 (a) | 2016 (a) | 2015 (a) |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 14.55 | $ 12.53 | $ 10.19 | $ 10.16 | $ 12.57 |
Net investment loss(b) | (0.03) | (0.03) | (0.02) | (0.02) | (0.07) |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.17) | 2.89 | 2.36 | 0.89 | (0.20) |
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations | (0.20) | 2.86 | 2.34 | 0.87 | (0.27) |
Distributions (c) | |||||
From net investment income | — | — | — | — | (0.30) |
From net realized gain | (1.00) | (0.84) | — | (0.84) | (1.84) |
Total distributions | (1.00) | (0.84) | — | (0.84) | (2.14) |
Net asset value, end of year | $ 13.35 | $ 14.55 | $ 12.53 | $ 10.19 | $ 10.16 |
Total Return(d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | (0.59)% | 24.09% | 22.96% | 8.63% | (3.26)% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets | |||||
Total expenses | 1.85% | 1.87% | 2.12% | 2.17% | 2.15% (e) |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 1.62% | 1.62% | 1.91% | 2.01% | 2.01% (e) |
Net investment loss | (0.22)% | (0.19)% | (0.16)% | (0.23)% | (0.63)% (e) |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $15,277 | $48,702 | $46,804 | $63,586 | $72,966 |
Portfolio turnover rate | 154% | 162% | 130% | 36% | 156% |
(a) | Consolidated Financial Highlights. |
(b) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(e) | Ratios do not include expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds of approximately 0.01%. |
Class R | |||||
Year Ended September 30, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 (a) | 2016 (a) | 2015 (a) |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $17.69 | $15.01 | $12.17 | $11.94 | $14.41 |
Net investment income (loss)(b) | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.02 | (0.03) |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.23) | 3.49 | 2.84 | 1.05 | (0.25) |
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations | (0.18) | 3.54 | 2.88 | 1.07 | (0.28) |
Distributions (c) | |||||
From net investment income | (0.01) | — | (0.04) | — | (0.35) |
From net realized gain | (1.18) | (0.86) | — | (0.84) | (1.84) |
Total distributions | (1.19) | (0.86) | (0.04) | (0.84) | (2.19) |
Net asset value, end of year | $16.32 | $17.69 | $15.01 | $12.17 | $11.94 |
Total Return(d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | (0.15)% | 24.68% | 23.68% | 9.04% | (2.86)% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets | |||||
Total expenses | 1.42% | 1.40% | 1.66% | 1.74% | 1.69% (e) |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 1.12% | 1.12% | 1.45% | 1.60% | 1.60% (e) |
Net investment income (loss) | 0.33% | 0.30% | 0.28% | 0.20% | (0.23)% (e) |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $ 867 | $1,864 | $2,332 | $1,875 | $1,138 |
Portfolio turnover rate | 154% | 162% | 130% | 36% | 156% |
(a) | Consolidated Financial Highlights. |
(b) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(e) | Ratios do not include expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds of approximately 0.01%. |
■ | Access the BlackRock website at http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery; and |
■ | Log into your account. |
■ | Shares purchased by employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan/plan participants |
■ | Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan |
■ | Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program, or effective February 1, 2019, exchanges of shares purchased through such a Merrill Lynch program due to the holdings moving from such program to a Merrill Lynch brokerage (non-advisory) account |
■ | Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch’s platform |
■ | Shares of funds purchased through the Merrill Edge Self-Directed platform |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other BlackRock Fund) |
■ | Shares exchanged from Investor C (i.e. level-load) Shares of the same Fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date |
■ | Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members |
■ | Shares purchased by directors of the Fund, and employees of BlackRock or any of its affiliates, as described in the prospectus |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement) |
■ | Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder |
■ | Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the prospectus |
■ | Shares bought due to return of excess contributions from an IRA Account |
■ | Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½ |
■ | Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch |
■ | Shares acquired through a Right of Reinstatement |
■ | Investor A and C Shares of the Fund held in the following IRA or other retirement brokerage accounts: Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, Rollover IRAs, Inherited IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, BASIC Plans, Educational Savings Accounts and Medical Savings Accounts, that are exchanged for Institutional Shares of the Fund due to transfer to certain fee based accounts or platforms |
■ | Effective February 1, 2019, Investor A Shares sold, where such Investor A Shares were received as a result of exchanges of shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program due to the holdings moving from the program to a Merrill Lynch brokerage (non-advisory) account |
■ | Breakpoints as described in the prospectus |
■ | Rights of Accumulation (ROA) entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts that will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets |
■ | Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of BlackRock Funds, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time |
■ | Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs |
■ | Shares purchased through an Ameriprise Financial investment advisory program (if an advisory or similar share class for such investment advisory program is not available) |
■ | Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Ameriprise Financial’s platform (if an advisory or similar share class for such investment advisory program is not available) |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within BlackRock Funds) |
■ | Shares exchanged from Investor C Shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to such shares following a shorter holding period, that waiver will apply to exchanges following such shorter period. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to exchanges of Investor C Shares for load waived shares, that waiver will also apply to such exchanges |
■ | Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates and their immediate family members |
■ | Shares purchased by or through qualified accounts (including IRAs, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, 401(k)s, 403(b) TSCAs subject to ERISA and defined benefit plans) that are held by a covered family member, defined as an Ameriprise financial advisor (“FA”) and/or the FA’s spouse, FA’s lineal ascendant (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother, great grandfather), FA’s lineal descendant (son, step-son, daughter, step-daughter, grandson, granddaughter, great grandson, great granddaughter) or any spouse of a covered family member who is a lineal descendant |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within BlackRock Funds, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (i.e. Rights of Reinstatement) |
■ | Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans does not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans |
■ | Morgan Stanley employee and employee-related accounts according to Morgan Stanley’s account linking rules |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund |
■ | Shares purchased through a Morgan Stanley self-directed brokerage account |
■ | Investor C Shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are exchanged for Investor A Shares of the same fund pursuant to Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s share class conversion program |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within BlackRock Funds under a Rights of Reinstatement provision, provided the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge |
■ | Shares purchased in a Raymond James investment advisory program. |
■ | Shares purchased of the same Fund or another BlackRock Fund through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend distributions. |
■ | Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Raymond James or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Raymond James. |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement). |
■ | A shareholder in the Fund’s Investor C shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Investor A shares of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Raymond James. |
■ | Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder. |
■ | Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund’s prospectus. |
■ | Shares bought due to return of excess contributions from an IRA Account. |
■ | Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½ as described in the Fund’s prospectus. |
■ | Shares sold to pay Raymond James fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Raymond James. |
■ | Shares acquired through a Right of Reinstatement. |
■ | Breakpoints as described in this prospectus. |
■ | Rights of accumulation which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Raymond James. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of rights of accumulation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. |
■ | Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of BlackRock Funds over a 13-month time period. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. |
Prospectus |
• | BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund |
Service: CMVSX |
Fund Overview | Key facts and details about the Fund, including investment objective, principal investment strategies, principal risk factors, fee and expense information and historical performance information | |
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Details About the Fund | Information about how the Fund invests, including investment objective, investment process, principal strategies and risk factors | |
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Account Information | Information about account services, sales charges and waivers, shareholder transactions, and distribution and other payments | |
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Management of the Fund | Information about BlackRock and the Portfolio Managers | |
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Financial Highlights |
Financial Performance of the
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General Information |
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Glossary |
Glossary of Investment
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For More Information |
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Inside Back Cover |
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Back Cover |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Service Shares |
Management Fee1 | 0.57% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.25% |
Other Expenses | 0.16% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.98% |
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1,2 | (0.11)% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1,2 | 0.87% |
1 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 25, BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets estimated to be attributable to investments in other equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates that have a contractual management fee, through January 31, 2021. In addition, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive its management fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Fund pays to BlackRock indirectly through its investment in money market funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates, through January 31, 2021. The contractual agreements may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 25, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) to 0.87% of average daily net assets through January 31, 2021. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Service Shares | $ 89 | $ 301 | $ 531 | $1,191 |
■ | Commodities Related Investments Risk — Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Illiquidity Risk — The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. | |
Hedging Risk — Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences. | |
Tax Risk — Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments, including swap agreements and commodity-linked derivative instruments, are currently unclear and may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. Such treatment may be less favorable than that given to a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through at least 2021. In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. |
■ | High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance. |
■ | Investment Style Risk — Under certain market conditions, growth investments have performed better during the later stages of economic expansion. Therefore, this investment style may over time go in and out of favor. At times when the investment style used by the Fund is out of favor, the Fund may underperform other equity funds that use different investment styles. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis and is subject to “Model Risk” as described below. This means you may lose money. |
■ | Model Risk — The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than as forecasted due to the factors incorporated into the models and the weighting of each factor, changes from historical trends, and issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, but not limited to, software issues and other technological issues). There is no guarantee that BlackRock’s use of these models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund. |
The information and data used in the models may be supplied by third parties. Inaccurate or incomplete data may limit the effectiveness of the models. In addition, some of the data that BlackRock uses may be historical data, which may not accurately predict future market movement. There is a risk that the models will not be successful in selecting investments or in determining the weighting of investment positions that will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | “New Issues” Risk — “New issues” are IPOs of equity securities. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s |
preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
As
of 12/31/19
Average Annual Total Returns |
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund — Service Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 33.34% | 12.16% | 10.84% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | 32.06% | 10.59% | 9.54% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | 20.58% | 9.22% | 8.53% |
Russell
1000 Growth Index
(Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
36.39% | 14.63% | 15.22% |
Name |
Portfolio
Manager
of the Fund Since |
Title |
Raffaele Savi | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Travis Cooke, CFA | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Richard Mathieson | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Service Shares | |
Minimum Initial Investment | $5,000 |
Minimum Additional Investment | There is no minimum amount for additional investments. |
■ | Depositary Receipts — The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers in the form of depositary receipts or other securities that are convertible into securities of foreign issuers. American Depositary Receipts are receipts typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. European Depositary Receipts (issued in Europe) and Global Depositary Receipts (issued throughout the world) each evidence a similar ownership arrangement. The Fund may invest in unsponsored depositary receipts. |
■ | Illiquid Investments — The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. |
■ | Investment Companies — The Fund has the ability to invest in other investment companies, such as exchange-traded funds, unit investment trusts, and open-end and closed-end funds. The Fund may invest in affiliated investment companies, including affiliated money market funds and affiliated exchange-traded funds. |
■ | Master Limited Partnerships — The Fund may invest in publicly traded master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) which are limited partnerships or limited liability companies taxable as partnerships. MLPs may derive income and gains from the exploration, development, mining or production, processing, refining, transportation (including pipelines transporting gas, oil, or products thereof), or the marketing of any mineral or natural resources. MLPs generally have two classes of owners, the general partner and limited partners. When investing in an MLP, the Fund intends to purchase publicly traded common units issued to limited partners of the MLP. The general partner is typically owned by a major energy company, an investment fund or the direct management of the MLP or is an entity owned by one or more of such parties. The general partner may be structured as a private or publicly traded corporation or other entity. |
■ | Money Market Securities — The Fund may invest in money market securities or commercial paper. |
■ | Real Estate Investment Trusts — The Fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts — The Fund may enter into certain types of repurchase agreements or purchase and sale contracts. Under a repurchase agreement, the seller agrees to repurchase a security at a mutually agreed-upon time and price. A purchase and sale contract is similar to a repurchase agreement, but purchase and sale contracts also provide that the purchaser receives any interest on the security paid during the period. |
■ | Restricted Securities — Restricted securities are securities that cannot be offered for public resale unless registered under the applicable securities laws or that have a contractual restriction that prohibits or limits their resale. They may include Rule 144A securities, which are privately placed securities that can be resold to qualified institutional buyers but not to the general public, and securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are offered pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
■ | Rights — The Fund may purchase securities pursuant to the exercise of subscription rights, which allow an issuer’s existing shareholders to purchase additional common stock at a price substantially below the market price of the shares. |
■ | Securities Lending — The Fund may lend securities with a value up to 33 1⁄3% of its total assets to financial institutions that provide cash or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government as collateral. |
■ | Temporary Defensive Strategies — It is possible that in extreme market conditions the Fund may temporarily invest some or all of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, including high quality money market securities. Such a temporary defensive strategy would be inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies. The reason for acquiring money market securities would be to avoid market losses. However, if market conditions improve, this strategy could result in reducing the potential gain from the market upswing, thus reducing the Fund’s opportunity to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments — The purchase or sale of securities on a when-issued basis, on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment involves the purchase or sale of securities by the Fund at an established price with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The Fund enters into these transactions to obtain what is considered an advantageous price to the Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. |
■ | Commodities Related Investments Risk — Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Illiquidity Risk — Some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than other securities. The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. The Fund could also suffer losses related to its derivatives positions as a result of unanticipated market movements, which losses are potentially unlimited. Finally, BlackRock may not be able to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Fund’s derivatives positions to lose value. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. Derivatives may also expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. Certain transactions in derivatives involve substantial leverage risk and may expose the Fund to potential losses that exceed the amount originally invested by the Fund. | |
Hedging Risk — When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences noted below. |
Tax Risk — The federal income tax treatment of a derivative may not be as favorable as a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. As a result, a larger portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gains. In addition, certain derivatives are subject to mark-to-market or straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). If such provisions are applicable, there could be an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the Fund. In addition, the tax treatment of certain derivatives, such as swaps, is unsettled and may be subject to future legislation, regulation or administrative pronouncements issued by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through at least 2021. In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. |
Future regulatory developments may impact the Fund’s ability to invest or remain invested in certain derivatives. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. BlackRock cannot predict the effects of any new governmental regulation that may be implemented on the ability of the Fund to use swaps or any other financial derivative product, and there can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. | |
Risks Specific to Certain Derivatives Used by the Fund |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equities. The value of equity securities purchased by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Fund invests in declines or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. The value of equity securities may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or an increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, the value may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a company or industry, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment. |
■ | High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance. |
■ | Investment Style Risk — Under certain market conditions, growth investments have performed better during the later stages of economic expansion. Therefore, this investment style may over time go in and out of favor. At times when the investment style used by the Fund is out of favor, the Fund may underperform other equity funds that use different investment styles. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. As an open-end investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Fund is subject to the federal securities laws, including the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), the rules thereunder, and various SEC and SEC staff interpretive positions. In accordance with these laws, rules and positions, the Fund must “set aside” liquid assets (often referred to as “asset segregation”), or engage in other SEC- or staff-approved measures, to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of instruments. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis and is subject to “Model Risk” as described below. This means you may lose money. |
■ | Model Risk — The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than as forecasted due to the factors incorporated into the models and the weighting of each factor, as well as the level and scope of changes from historical trends. In addition, issues in the construction and implementation of the models, including software or hardware malfunction, power loss, software bugs, malicious code, viruses, system crashes and other technological failures or various other events or circumstances within or beyond the control of BlackRock, may adversely impact the Fund. Please see also “Cyber Security Risk” below. There is no guarantee that BlackRock’s use of these models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund. |
Some of the models used by BlackRock rely on historical data and may not accurately predict future market movements. The Fund bears the risk that the models used by BlackRock will not be successful in forecasting movements in the market or in determining the size, direction, and/or weighting of investment positions that will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective. In addition, the models may not be reliable in the event of unusual or disruptive events that cause market movements, which may be inconsistent with the historical |
performance of individual markets. In such instances, the models may produce unexpected results, which can result in losses for the Fund. Furthermore, because predictive models may be constructed based on data supplied by third parties, the success of relying on such models may depend heavily on the accuracy and reliability of such data. |
■ | “New Issues” Risk — “New issues” are IPOs of equity securities. Investments in companies that have recently gone public have the potential to produce substantial gains for the Fund. However, there is no assurance that the Fund will have access to profitable IPOs and therefore investors should not rely on these past gains as an indication of future performance. The investment performance of the Fund during periods when it is unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when the Fund is able to do so. In addition, as the Fund increases in size, the impact of IPOs on the Fund’s performance will generally decrease. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO. When an IPO is brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or, if it is able to buy shares, it may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
■ | Cyber Security Risk — Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, and other service providers, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. |
■ | Depositary Receipts Risk — Depositary receipts are generally subject to the same risks as the foreign securities that they evidence or into which they may be converted. In addition to investment risks associated with the underlying issuer, depositary receipts expose the Fund to additional risks associated with the non-uniform terms that apply to depositary receipt programs, credit exposure to the depository bank and to the sponsors and other parties with whom the depository bank establishes the programs, currency risk and the risk of an illiquid market for depositary receipts. The issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose information that is, in the United States, considered material. Therefore, there may be less information available regarding these issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the depositary receipts. |
■ | Distressed Securities Risk — Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in junk bonds. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on the distressed securities and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, distressed securities involve the substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal of or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale. |
■ | Emerging Markets Risk — The risks of foreign investments are usually much greater for emerging markets. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets may include those in countries considered emerging or developing by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation or the United Nations. Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. They are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than |
developed markets. Since these markets are often small, they may be more likely to suffer sharp and frequent price changes or long-term price depression because of adverse publicity, investor perceptions or the actions of a few large investors. In addition, traditional measures of investment value used in the United States, such as price to earnings ratios, may not apply to certain small markets. Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. | |
Many emerging markets have histories of political instability and abrupt changes in policies. As a result, their governments are more likely to take actions that are hostile or detrimental to private enterprise or foreign investment than those of more developed countries. Some countries have pervasive corruption and crime that may hinder investments. Certain emerging markets may also face other significant internal or external risks, including the risk of war, and ethnic, religious and racial conflicts. In addition, governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets, which may impair investment and economic growth. | |
■ | Expense Risk — Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund’s net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated. For example, to the extent that the Fund’s net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund’s expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund’s expense ratio could be significant. |
■ | Foreign Securities Risk — Because the Fund may invest in companies located in countries other than the United States, the Fund may be exposed to risks associated with foreign investments. |
■ | The value of holdings traded outside the United States (and any hedging transactions in foreign currencies) will be affected by changes in currency exchange rates. |
■ | The costs of non-U.S. securities transactions tend to be higher than those of U.S. transactions. |
■ | Foreign holdings may be adversely affected by foreign government action. |
■ | International trade barriers or economic sanctions against certain non-U.S. countries may adversely affect these holdings. |
■ | The economies of certain countries may compare unfavorably with the U.S. economy. |
■ | Foreign securities markets may be smaller than the U.S. markets, which may make trading more difficult. |
■ | Illiquid Investments Risk — The Fund’s illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid investments at an advantageous time or price. An investment may be illiquid due to, among other things, the lack of an active trading market. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to the risks associated with illiquid investments. Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions. |
■ | Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk — As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies (to the extent not offset by BlackRock through waivers). To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited. |
■ | Master Limited Partnerships Risk — The common units of an MLP are listed and traded on U.S. securities exchanges and their value fluctuates predominantly based on prevailing market conditions and the success of the MLP. Unlike owners of common stock of a corporation, owners of common units have limited voting rights and have no ability to annually elect directors. In the event of liquidation, common units have preference over subordinated units, but not over debt or preferred units, to the remaining assets of the MLP. |
■ | Mid Cap Securities Risk — The securities of mid cap companies generally trade in lower volumes and are generally subject to greater and less predictable price changes than the securities of larger capitalization companies. |
■ | Money Market Securities Risk — If market conditions improve while the Fund has invested some or all of its assets in high quality money market securities, this strategy could result in reducing the potential gain from the market upswing, thus reducing the Fund’s opportunity to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | REIT Investment Risk — In addition to the risks facing real estate-related securities, such as a decline in property values due to increasing vacancies, a decline in rents resulting from unanticipated economic, legal or technological developments or a decline in the price of securities of real estate companies due to a failure of borrowers to pay their loans or poor management, investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, may engage in dilutive offerings of securities and may be more volatile than other securities. REIT issuers may also fail to maintain their exemptions from investment company registration or fail to qualify for the “dividends paid deduction” under the Internal Revenue Code, which allows REITs to reduce their corporate taxable income for dividends paid to their shareholders. Ordinary REIT dividends received by the Fund and distributed to the Fund’s shareholders will generally be taxable as ordinary income and will not constitute “qualified dividend income.” However, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, a non-corporate taxpayer who is a direct REIT shareholder may claim a 20% “qualified business income” deduction for ordinary REIT dividends, and proposed regulations issued in January 2019, on which taxpayers may currently rely, permit a regulated investment company to report dividends as eligible for this deduction to the extent the regulated investment company’s income is derived from ordinary REIT dividends (reduced by allocable regulated investment company expenses). A shareholder may treat the dividends as such provided the regulated investment company and the shareholder satisfy applicable holding period requirements. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Restricted Securities Risk — Limitations on the resale of restricted securities may have an adverse effect on their marketability, and may prevent the Fund from disposing of them promptly at advantageous prices. Restricted securities may not be listed on an exchange and may have no active trading market. In order to sell such securities, the Fund may have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration. Other transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than unrestricted securities. Restricted securities may be difficult to value because market quotations may not be readily available, and the securities may have significant volatility. Also, the Fund may get only limited information about the issuer of a given restricted security, and therefore may be less able to predict a loss. Certain restricted securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses to the Fund. |
■ | Rights Risk — The failure to exercise subscription rights to purchase common stock would result in the dilution of the Fund’s interest in the issuing company. The market for such rights is not well developed, and, accordingly, the Fund may not always realize full value on the sale of rights. |
■ | Securities Lending Risk — Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Fund may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Fund could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. |
■ | Small Cap and Emerging Growth Securities Risk — Small cap or emerging growth companies may have limited product lines or markets. They may be less financially secure than larger, more established companies. They may depend on a small number of key personnel. If a product fails or there are other adverse developments, or if management changes, the Fund’s investment in a small cap or emerging growth company may lose substantial value. In addition, it is more difficult to get information on smaller companies, which tend to be less well known, have shorter operating histories, do not have significant ownership by large investors and are followed by relatively few securities analysts. |
The securities of small cap and emerging growth companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger cap securities or the market as a whole. In addition, small cap and emerging growth securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings. Investing in small cap and emerging growth securities requires a longer term view. | |
■ | Valuation Risk — The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. Pricing services that value fixed-income securities generally utilize a range of market-based and security-specific inputs and assumptions, as well as considerations about general market conditions, to establish a price. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but may be |
held or transactions may be conducted in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. The Fund’s ability to value its investments may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers. | |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
Availability | Limited to certain investors, including: Financial Intermediaries (such as banks and brokerage firms) acting on behalf of their customers, certain persons who were shareholders of the Compass Capital Group of Funds at the time of its combination with The PNC® Fund in 1996 and investors that participate in the Capital DirectionsSM asset allocation program. Service Shares will normally be held by Financial Intermediaries or in the name of nominees of Financial Intermediaries on behalf of their customers. Service Shares are normally purchased through a customer’s account at a Financial Intermediary through procedures established by such Financial Intermediary. In these cases, confirmation of share purchases and redemptions will be sent to the Financial Intermediaries. A customer’s ownership of shares will be recorded by the Financial Intermediary and reflected in the account statements provided by such Financial Intermediaries to their customers. Investors wishing to purchase Service Shares should contact their Financial Intermediaries. |
Minimum Investment | $5,000. However, institutions may set a higher minimum for their customers. |
Initial Sales Charge? | No. Entire purchase price is invested in shares of the Fund. |
Deferred Sales Charge? | No. |
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees? | No Distribution Fee. 0.25% Annual Service Fee. |
Redemption Fees? | No. |
Advantage | No up-front sales charge so you start off owning more shares. |
Disadvantage | Limited availability. |
■ | Answering customer inquiries regarding account status and history, the manner in which purchases, exchanges and redemptions or repurchases of shares may be effected and certain other matters pertaining to the customers’ investments; |
■ | Assisting customers in designating and changing dividend options, account designations and addresses; and |
■ | Providing other similar shareholder liaison services. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
How to Pay for Shares | Making payment for purchases |
Payment
for Service Shares must normally be made in Federal funds or other immediately available funds by the time specified by your Financial Intermediary but in no event later than 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on the first business day following
BlackRock’s receipt of the order.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares | Have your Financial Intermediary submit your sales order |
You
can make redemption requests through your Financial Intermediary in accordance with the procedures applicable to your accounts. These procedures may vary according to the type of account and the Financial Intermediary involved and customers should
consult their Financial Intermediary in this regard.
|
Selling shares held directly with BlackRock |
Methods
of Redeeming
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) | Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued) |
will
be required.
***
If you make a redemption request before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares, the Fund may delay mailing your proceeds. This delay will usually not exceed ten days. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Redemption Proceeds |
Under
normal circumstances, the Fund expects to meet redemption requests by using cash or cash equivalents in its portfolio or by selling portfolio assets to generate cash. During periods of stressed market conditions, when a significant portion of the
Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of less-liquid investments, the Fund may be more likely to limit cash redemptions and may determine to pay redemption proceeds by (i) borrowing under a line of credit it has entered into with a group of
lenders, (ii) borrowing from another BlackRock Fund pursuant to an interfund lending program, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions as set forth in the SAI, and/or (iii) transferring portfolio securities
in-kind to you. The SAI includes more information about the Fund’s line of credit and interfund lending program, to the extent applicable.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Exchange Privilege | Selling shares of one BlackRock Fund to purchase shares of another BlackRock Fund (“exchanging”) |
Service
Shares of the Fund are generally exchangeable for shares of the same class of another BlackRock Fund, to the extent such shares are offered by your Financial Intermediary.
|
Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary | Transfer to a participating Financial Intermediary |
You
may transfer your shares of the Fund only to another Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor. Certain shareholder services may not be available for the transferred shares. All future trading of these assets
must be coordinated by the receiving firm.
|
Transfer to a non-participating Financial Intermediary |
You
must either:
• Transfer your Service Shares to an account with the Fund; or |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary (continued) | Transfer to a non-participating Financial Intermediary (continued) |
•
Sell your Service Shares.
|
■ | Suspend the right of redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act; |
■ | Postpone the date of payment upon redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act or if a redemption request is made before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares; |
■ | Redeem shares for property other than cash as may be permitted under the Investment Company Act; and |
■ | Redeem shares involuntarily in certain cases, such as when the value of a shareholder account falls below a specified level. |
Average Daily Net Assets |
Rate
of
Management Fee |
First $1 billion | 0.570% |
$1 billion – $3 billion | 0.540% |
$3 billion – $5 billion | 0.510% |
$5 billion – $10 billion | 0.500% |
Greater than $10 billion | 0.480% |
Contractual
Cap1 on
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses2 (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) |
|
Service Shares | 0.87% |
1 | The contractual cap is in effect through January 31, 2021. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | As a percentage of average daily net assets. |
Portfolio Manager | Primary Role | Since | Title and Recent Biography |
Raffaele Savi | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Managing Director at Barclays Global Investors (“BGI”) from 2007 to 2009; Principal at BGI from 2006 to 2007. |
Portfolio Manager | Primary Role | Since | Title and Recent Biography |
Travis Cooke, CFA | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2012; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2011, Principal of BGI from 2002 to 2009. |
Richard Mathieson | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2011; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2011; Principal at BGI from 2008 to 2009; Equity Analyst for Exista UK from 2007 to 2008; Principal at BGI from 2005 to 2007; Associate of BGI from 2001 to 2005. |
Service | |||||
Year Ended September 30, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 (a) | 2016 (a) | 2015 (a) |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $17.57 | $14.95 | $12.12 | $11.86 | $14.29 |
Net investment income(b) | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.01 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.22) | 3.46 | 2.82 | 1.05 | (0.24) |
Net increase (decrease) from investment operations | (0.13) | 3.55 | 2.90 | 1.11 | (0.23) |
Distributions (c) | |||||
From net investment income | (0.08) | (0.05) | (0.07) | (0.01) | (0.36) |
From net realized gain | (1.18) | (0.88) | — | (0.84) | (1.84) |
Total distributions | (1.26) | (0.93) | (0.07) | (0.85) | (2.20) |
Net asset value, end of year | $16.18 | $17.57 | $14.95 | $12.12 | $11.86 |
Total Return(d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | 0.15% | 24.96% | 24.03% | 9.44% | (2.49)% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets | |||||
Total expenses. | 0.98% (e) | 1.03% | 1.24% | 1.26% (e) | 1.33% (e),(f) |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 0.87% | 0.87% | 1.11% | 1.24% | 1.23% (f) |
Net investment income | 0.57% | 0.55% | 0.59% | 0.54% | 0.10% (f) |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $ 198 | $ 160 | $ 189 | $ 119 | $ 108 |
Portfolio turnover rate | 154% | 162% | 130% | 36% | 156% |
(a) | Consolidated Financial Highlights. |
(b) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(e) | Includes recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees. Excluding the recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees, the ratios were as follows: |
Year Ended September 30, | |||||
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
Expense ratios | 0.97% | N/A | N/A | 1.21% | 1.30% |
(f) | Ratios do not include expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds of approximately 0.01%. |
■ | Access the BlackRock website at http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery; and |
■ | Log into your account. |
Prospectus |
• | BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund |
Class K: BMCKX |
Fund Overview | Key facts and details about the Fund, including investment objective, principal investment strategies, principal risk factors, fee and expense information and historical performance information | |
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Details About the Fund | Information about how the Fund invests, including investment objective, investment process, principal strategies and risk factors | |
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Account Information | Information about account services, sales charges and waivers, shareholder transactions, and distribution and other payments | |
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Management of the Fund | Information about BlackRock and the Portfolio Managers | |
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Financial Highlights |
Financial Performance of the
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General Information |
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Glossary |
Glossary of Investment
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For More Information |
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Inside Back Cover |
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Back Cover |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Class
K
Shares |
Management Fee1 | 0.57% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | None |
Other Expenses | 0.14% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.71% |
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1,2 | (0.14)% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1,2 | 0.57% |
1 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 26, BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets estimated to be attributable to investments in other equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates that have a contractual management fee, through January 31, 2021. In addition, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive its management fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Fund pays to BlackRock indirectly through its investment in money market funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates, through January 31, 2021. The contractual agreements may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 26, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) to 0.57% of average daily net assets through January 31, 2021. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Class K Shares | $58 | $213 | $381 | $869 |
■ | Commodities Related Investments Risk — Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Illiquidity Risk — The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. | |
Hedging Risk — Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences. | |
Tax Risk — Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments, including swap agreements and commodity-linked derivative instruments, are currently unclear and may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. Such treatment may be less favorable than that given to a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through at least 2021. In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. |
■ | High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance. |
■ | Investment Style Risk — Under certain market conditions, growth investments have performed better during the later stages of economic expansion. Therefore, this investment style may over time go in and out of favor. At times when the investment style used by the Fund is out of favor, the Fund may underperform other equity funds that use different investment styles. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis and is subject to “Model Risk” as described below. This means you may lose money. |
■ | Model Risk — The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than as forecasted due to the factors incorporated into the models and the weighting of each factor, changes from historical trends, and issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, but not limited to, software issues and other technological issues). There is no guarantee that BlackRock’s use of these models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund. |
The information and data used in the models may be supplied by third parties. Inaccurate or incomplete data may limit the effectiveness of the models. In addition, some of the data that BlackRock uses may be historical data, which may not accurately predict future market movement. There is a risk that the models will not be successful in selecting investments or in determining the weighting of investment positions that will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | “New Issues” Risk — “New issues” are IPOs of equity securities. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s |
preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
As
of 12/31/19
Average Annual Total Returns |
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund — Class K Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 33.82% | 12.30% | 10.90% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | 32.48% | 10.68% | 9.55% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | 20.91% | 9.32% | 8.56% |
As
of 12/31/19
Average Annual Total Returns |
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Russell
1000 Growth Index
(Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
36.39% | 14.63% | 15.22% |
Name |
Portfolio
Manager
of the Fund Since |
Title |
Raffaele Savi | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Travis Cooke, CFA | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Richard Mathieson | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
■ | Depositary Receipts — The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers in the form of depositary receipts or other securities that are convertible into securities of foreign issuers. American Depositary Receipts are receipts typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. European Depositary Receipts (issued in Europe) and Global Depositary Receipts (issued throughout the world) each evidence a similar ownership arrangement. The Fund may invest in unsponsored depositary receipts. |
■ | Illiquid Investments — The Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. |
■ | Investment Companies — The Fund has the ability to invest in other investment companies, such as exchange-traded funds, unit investment trusts, and open-end and closed-end funds. The Fund may invest in affiliated investment companies, including affiliated money market funds and affiliated exchange-traded funds. |
■ | Master Limited Partnerships — The Fund may invest in publicly traded master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) which are limited partnerships or limited liability companies taxable as partnerships. MLPs may derive income and gains from the exploration, development, mining or production, processing, refining, transportation (including pipelines transporting gas, oil, or products thereof), or the marketing of any mineral or natural resources. MLPs generally have two classes of owners, the general partner and limited partners. When investing in an MLP, the Fund intends to purchase publicly traded common units issued to limited partners of the MLP. The general partner is typically owned by a major energy company, an investment fund or the direct management of the MLP or is an entity owned by one or more of such parties. The general partner may be structured as a private or publicly traded corporation or other entity. |
■ | Money Market Securities — The Fund may invest in money market securities or commercial paper. |
■ | Real Estate Investment Trusts — The Fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts — The Fund may enter into certain types of repurchase agreements or purchase and sale contracts. Under a repurchase agreement, the seller agrees to repurchase a security at a mutually agreed-upon time and price. A purchase and sale contract is similar to a repurchase agreement, but purchase and sale contracts also provide that the purchaser receives any interest on the security paid during the period. |
■ | Restricted Securities — Restricted securities are securities that cannot be offered for public resale unless registered under the applicable securities laws or that have a contractual restriction that prohibits or limits their resale. They may include Rule 144A securities, which are privately placed securities that can be resold to qualified institutional buyers but not to the general public, and securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are offered pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
■ | Rights — The Fund may purchase securities pursuant to the exercise of subscription rights, which allow an issuer’s existing shareholders to purchase additional common stock at a price substantially below the market price of the shares. |
■ | Securities Lending — The Fund may lend securities with a value up to 33 1⁄3% of its total assets to financial institutions that provide cash or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government as collateral. |
■ | Temporary Defensive Strategies — It is possible that in extreme market conditions the Fund may temporarily invest some or all of its assets in cash or cash equivalents, including high quality money market securities. Such a temporary defensive strategy would be inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies. The reason for acquiring money market securities would be to avoid market losses. However, if market conditions improve, this strategy could result in reducing the potential gain from the market upswing, thus reducing the Fund’s opportunity to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments — The purchase or sale of securities on a when-issued basis, on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment involves the purchase or sale of securities by the Fund at an established price with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The Fund enters into these transactions to obtain what is considered an advantageous price to the Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. |
■ | Commodities Related Investments Risk — Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Illiquidity Risk — Some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than other securities. The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. The Fund could also suffer losses related to its derivatives positions as a result of unanticipated market movements, which losses are potentially unlimited. Finally, BlackRock may not be able to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Fund’s derivatives positions to lose value. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. Derivatives may also expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. Certain transactions in derivatives involve substantial leverage risk and may expose the Fund to potential losses that exceed the amount originally invested by the Fund. | |
Hedging Risk — When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences noted below. |
Tax Risk — The federal income tax treatment of a derivative may not be as favorable as a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. As a result, a larger portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gains. In addition, certain derivatives are subject to mark-to-market or straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). If such provisions are applicable, there could be an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the Fund. In addition, the tax treatment of certain derivatives, such as swaps, is unsettled and may be subject to future legislation, regulation or administrative pronouncements issued by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through at least 2021. In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. |
Future regulatory developments may impact the Fund’s ability to invest or remain invested in certain derivatives. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. BlackRock cannot predict the effects of any new governmental regulation that may be implemented on the ability of the Fund to use swaps or any other financial derivative product, and there can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. | |
Risks Specific to Certain Derivatives Used by the Fund |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equities. The value of equity securities purchased by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Fund invests in declines or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. The value of equity securities may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or an increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, the value may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a company or industry, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment. |
■ | High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance. |
■ | Investment Style Risk — Under certain market conditions, growth investments have performed better during the later stages of economic expansion. Therefore, this investment style may over time go in and out of favor. At times when the investment style used by the Fund is out of favor, the Fund may underperform other equity funds that use different investment styles. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. As an open-end investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Fund is subject to the federal securities laws, including the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), the rules thereunder, and various SEC and SEC staff interpretive positions. In accordance with these laws, rules and positions, the Fund must “set aside” liquid assets (often referred to as “asset segregation”), or engage in other SEC- or staff-approved measures, to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of instruments. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis and is subject to “Model Risk” as described below. This means you may lose money. |
■ | Model Risk — The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than as forecasted due to the factors incorporated into the models and the weighting of each factor, as well as the level and scope of changes from historical trends. In addition, issues in the construction and implementation of the models, including software or hardware malfunction, power loss, software bugs, malicious code, viruses, system crashes and other technological failures or various other events or circumstances within or beyond the control of BlackRock, may adversely impact the Fund. Please see also “Cyber Security Risk” below. There is no guarantee that BlackRock’s use of these models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund. |
Some of the models used by BlackRock rely on historical data and may not accurately predict future market movements. The Fund bears the risk that the models used by BlackRock will not be successful in forecasting movements in the market or in determining the size, direction, and/or weighting of investment positions that will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective. In addition, the models may not be reliable in the event of unusual or disruptive events that cause market movements, which may be inconsistent with the historical |
performance of individual markets. In such instances, the models may produce unexpected results, which can result in losses for the Fund. Furthermore, because predictive models may be constructed based on data supplied by third parties, the success of relying on such models may depend heavily on the accuracy and reliability of such data. |
■ | “New Issues” Risk — “New issues” are IPOs of equity securities. Investments in companies that have recently gone public have the potential to produce substantial gains for the Fund. However, there is no assurance that the Fund will have access to profitable IPOs and therefore investors should not rely on these past gains as an indication of future performance. The investment performance of the Fund during periods when it is unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when the Fund is able to do so. In addition, as the Fund increases in size, the impact of IPOs on the Fund’s performance will generally decrease. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO. When an IPO is brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or, if it is able to buy shares, it may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
■ | Cyber Security Risk — Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, and other service providers, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. |
■ | Depositary Receipts Risk — Depositary receipts are generally subject to the same risks as the foreign securities that they evidence or into which they may be converted. In addition to investment risks associated with the underlying issuer, depositary receipts expose the Fund to additional risks associated with the non-uniform terms that apply to depositary receipt programs, credit exposure to the depository bank and to the sponsors and other parties with whom the depository bank establishes the programs, currency risk and the risk of an illiquid market for depositary receipts. The issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose information that is, in the United States, considered material. Therefore, there may be less information available regarding these issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the depositary receipts. |
■ | Distressed Securities Risk — Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in junk bonds. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on the distressed securities and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, distressed securities involve the substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal of or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale. |
■ | Emerging Markets Risk — The risks of foreign investments are usually much greater for emerging markets. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets may include those in countries considered emerging or developing by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation or the United Nations. Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. They are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than |
developed markets. Since these markets are often small, they may be more likely to suffer sharp and frequent price changes or long-term price depression because of adverse publicity, investor perceptions or the actions of a few large investors. In addition, traditional measures of investment value used in the United States, such as price to earnings ratios, may not apply to certain small markets. Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. | |
Many emerging markets have histories of political instability and abrupt changes in policies. As a result, their governments are more likely to take actions that are hostile or detrimental to private enterprise or foreign investment than those of more developed countries. Some countries have pervasive corruption and crime that may hinder investments. Certain emerging markets may also face other significant internal or external risks, including the risk of war, and ethnic, religious and racial conflicts. In addition, governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets, which may impair investment and economic growth. | |
■ | Expense Risk — Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund’s net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated. For example, to the extent that the Fund’s net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund’s expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund’s expense ratio could be significant. |
■ | Foreign Securities Risk — Because the Fund may invest in companies located in countries other than the United States, the Fund may be exposed to risks associated with foreign investments. |
■ | The value of holdings traded outside the United States (and any hedging transactions in foreign currencies) will be affected by changes in currency exchange rates. |
■ | The costs of non-U.S. securities transactions tend to be higher than those of U.S. transactions. |
■ | Foreign holdings may be adversely affected by foreign government action. |
■ | International trade barriers or economic sanctions against certain non-U.S. countries may adversely affect these holdings. |
■ | The economies of certain countries may compare unfavorably with the U.S. economy. |
■ | Foreign securities markets may be smaller than the U.S. markets, which may make trading more difficult. |
■ | Illiquid Investments Risk — The Fund’s illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid investments at an advantageous time or price. An investment may be illiquid due to, among other things, the lack of an active trading market. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to the risks associated with illiquid investments. Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions. |
■ | Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk — As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies (to the extent not offset by BlackRock through waivers). To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited. |
■ | Master Limited Partnerships Risk — The common units of an MLP are listed and traded on U.S. securities exchanges and their value fluctuates predominantly based on prevailing market conditions and the success of the MLP. Unlike owners of common stock of a corporation, owners of common units have limited voting rights and have no ability to annually elect directors. In the event of liquidation, common units have preference over subordinated units, but not over debt or preferred units, to the remaining assets of the MLP. |
■ | Mid Cap Securities Risk — The securities of mid cap companies generally trade in lower volumes and are generally subject to greater and less predictable price changes than the securities of larger capitalization companies. |
■ | Money Market Securities Risk — If market conditions improve while the Fund has invested some or all of its assets in high quality money market securities, this strategy could result in reducing the potential gain from the market upswing, thus reducing the Fund’s opportunity to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | REIT Investment Risk — In addition to the risks facing real estate-related securities, such as a decline in property values due to increasing vacancies, a decline in rents resulting from unanticipated economic, legal or technological developments or a decline in the price of securities of real estate companies due to a failure of borrowers to pay their loans or poor management, investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, may engage in dilutive offerings of securities and may be more volatile than other securities. REIT issuers may also fail to maintain their exemptions from investment company registration or fail to qualify for the “dividends paid deduction” under the Internal Revenue Code, which allows REITs to reduce their corporate taxable income for dividends paid to their shareholders. Ordinary REIT dividends received by the Fund and distributed to the Fund’s shareholders will generally be taxable as ordinary income and will not constitute “qualified dividend income.” However, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, a non-corporate taxpayer who is a direct REIT shareholder may claim a 20% “qualified business income” deduction for ordinary REIT dividends, and proposed regulations issued in January 2019, on which taxpayers may currently rely, permit a regulated investment company to report dividends as eligible for this deduction to the extent the regulated investment company’s income is derived from ordinary REIT dividends (reduced by allocable regulated investment company expenses). A shareholder may treat the dividends as such provided the regulated investment company and the shareholder satisfy applicable holding period requirements. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Restricted Securities Risk — Limitations on the resale of restricted securities may have an adverse effect on their marketability, and may prevent the Fund from disposing of them promptly at advantageous prices. Restricted securities may not be listed on an exchange and may have no active trading market. In order to sell such securities, the Fund may have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration. Other transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than unrestricted securities. Restricted securities may be difficult to value because market quotations may not be readily available, and the securities may have significant volatility. Also, the Fund may get only limited information about the issuer of a given restricted security, and therefore may be less able to predict a loss. Certain restricted securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses to the Fund. |
■ | Rights Risk — The failure to exercise subscription rights to purchase common stock would result in the dilution of the Fund’s interest in the issuing company. The market for such rights is not well developed, and, accordingly, the Fund may not always realize full value on the sale of rights. |
■ | Securities Lending Risk — Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Fund may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Fund could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. |
■ | Small Cap and Emerging Growth Securities Risk — Small cap or emerging growth companies may have limited product lines or markets. They may be less financially secure than larger, more established companies. They may depend on a small number of key personnel. If a product fails or there are other adverse developments, or if management changes, the Fund’s investment in a small cap or emerging growth company may lose substantial value. In addition, it is more difficult to get information on smaller companies, which tend to be less well known, have shorter operating histories, do not have significant ownership by large investors and are followed by relatively few securities analysts. |
The securities of small cap and emerging growth companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger cap securities or the market as a whole. In addition, small cap and emerging growth securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, borrowing costs and earnings. Investing in small cap and emerging growth securities requires a longer term view. | |
■ | Valuation Risk — The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. Pricing services that value fixed-income securities generally utilize a range of market-based and security-specific inputs and assumptions, as well as considerations about general market conditions, to establish a price. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but may be |
held or transactions may be conducted in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. The Fund’s ability to value its investments may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers. | |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
Availability | Available only to (i) certain employee benefit plans, such as health savings accounts, and certain employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs and SARSEPs) (collectively, “Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans”), (ii) collective trust funds, investment companies and other pooled investment vehicles, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares, (iii) “Institutional Investors,” which include, but are not limited to, endowments, foundations, family offices, banks and bank trusts, local, city, and state governmental institutions, corporations and insurance company separate accounts, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares, (iv) fee-based advisory platforms of a Financial Intermediary that (a) has specifically acknowledged in a written agreement with the Distributor and/or its affiliate(s) that the Financial Intermediary shall offer such shares to fee-based advisory clients through an omnibus account held at the Fund or (b) transacts in the Fund’s shares through another intermediary that has executed such an agreement and (v) any other investors who met the eligibility criteria for BlackRock Shares or Class K Shares prior to August 15, 2016 and have continually held Class K Shares of the Fund in the same account since August 15, 2016. |
Minimum Investment |
$5
million minimum initial investment for Institutional Investors.
|
Initial Sales Charge? | No. Entire purchase price is invested in shares of the Fund. |
Deferred Sales Charge? | No. |
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees? | No. |
Redemption Fees? | No. |
i. | The current value of an investor’s existing Investor A and A1, Investor C, C1, C2 and C3, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and Premier Shares in most mutual funds sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates (“BlackRock Funds”), |
ii. | The current value of an investor’s existing shares of certain unlisted closed-end management investment companies sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates and |
iii. | The investment in the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program by the investor or by or on behalf of the investor’s spouse and children. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Initial Purchase |
Determine
the amount of your
investment |
There
is no minimum initial investment for any Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans or any other investors other than Institutional Investors.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Initial Purchase (continued) |
Have
your Financial
Intermediary submit your purchase order |
The
price of your shares is based on the next calculation of the Fund’s net asset value after your order is placed. Any purchase orders placed prior to the close of business on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) (generally, 4:00
p.m. Eastern time) will be priced at the net asset value determined that day. Certain Financial Intermediaries, however, may require submission of orders prior to that time. Purchase orders placed after that time will be priced at the net asset
value determined on the next business day. A broker-dealer or financial institution maintaining the account in which you hold shares may charge a separate account, service or transaction fee on the purchase or sale of Fund shares that would be in
addition to the fees and expenses shown in the Fund’s “Fees and Expenses” table.
|
Or
contact BlackRock (for
accounts held directly with BlackRock) |
For investors not purchasing shares through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan, to purchase shares directly from BlackRock, call (800) 537-4942 and request a new account application. | |
Add
to Your
Investment |
Purchase additional shares | There is no minimum investment amount for additional purchases. |
Have
your Financial
Intermediary submit your purchase order for additional shares |
To purchase additional shares, you may contact your Financial Intermediary or Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan. | |
Or
contact BlackRock (for
accounts held directly with BlackRock) |
For
investors not purchasing shares through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan:
|
|
Acquire
additional shares by
reinvesting dividends and capital gains |
All dividends and capital gains distributions are automatically reinvested without a sales charge. To make any changes to your dividend and/or capital gains distributions options, please call BlackRock at (800) 537-4942 (for investors who are not purchasing shares through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan) or contact your Financial Intermediary. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
How to Pay for Shares | Making payment for purchases |
If
you are purchasing shares through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan, payment for an order must be made in Federal funds or other immediately available funds by the time specified by your Financial Intermediary, but in no event later than 4:00
p.m. (Eastern time) on the first business day following the receipt of the order. If payment is not received by this time, the order will be canceled and you and your Financial Intermediary will be responsible for any loss to the Fund.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares |
Have
your Financial
Intermediary submit your sales order |
If
you purchased shares through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan, you can make redemption requests through your Financial Intermediary in accordance with the procedures applicable to your accounts. These procedures may vary according to the type
of account and the Financial Intermediary involved, and customers should consult their Financial Intermediary in this regard. Financial Intermediaries are responsible for transmitting redemption orders and crediting their customers’ accounts
with redemption proceeds on a timely basis. Information relating to such redemption services and charges to process a redemption of shares, if any, should be obtained by customers from their Financial Intermediaries.
|
Selling
shares held directly with
BlackRock |
Methods
of Redeeming if You Did Not Purchase Your Shares Through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) |
Selling
shares held directly with
BlackRock (continued) |
that
are reasonably believed to be genuine in accordance with such procedures. The Fund may refuse a telephone redemption request if it believes it is advisable to do so.
Redemption proceeds may be paid by check or, if the Fund has verified banking information on file, by wire transfer.
***
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) |
Selling
shares held directly with
BlackRock (continued) |
If you make a redemption request before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares, the Fund may delay mailing your proceeds. This delay will usually not exceed ten days. |
Redemption Proceeds |
Under
normal circumstances, the Fund expects to meet redemption requests by using cash or cash equivalents in its portfolio or by selling portfolio assets to generate cash. During periods of stressed market conditions, when a significant portion of the
Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of less-liquid investments, the Fund may be more likely to limit cash redemptions and may determine to pay redemption proceeds by (i) borrowing under a line of credit it has entered into with a group of
lenders, (ii) borrowing from another BlackRock Fund pursuant to an interfund lending program, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions as set forth in the SAI, and/or (iii) transferring portfolio securities
in-kind to you. The SAI includes more information about the Fund’s line of credit and interfund lending program, to the extent applicable.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Exchange Privilege | Selling shares of one BlackRock Fund to purchase shares of another BlackRock Fund (“exchanging”) |
Class
K Shares of the Fund are generally exchangeable for shares of the same class of another BlackRock Fund, to the extent such shares are offered by your Financial Intermediary. Investors who currently own Class K Shares of the Fund may make exchanges
into Class K Shares of other BlackRock Funds except for investors holding shares through certain client accounts at Financial Intermediaries that are omnibus with the Fund and do not meet applicable minimums. There is no required minimum amount with
respect to exchanges of Class K Shares. You may only exchange into Class K Shares of a BlackRock Fund that is open to new investors or in which you have a current account, if the BlackRock Fund is closed to new investors.
|
Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary |
Transfer
to a participating
Financial Intermediary |
You
may transfer your Class K Shares of the Fund only to another Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor. Certain shareholder services may not be available for the transferred shares. All future trading of these
assets must be coordinated by the receiving firm.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary (continued) |
Transfer
to a participating
Financial Intermediary (continued) |
Please contact your Financial Intermediary to accomplish the transfer of your Class K Shares. |
Transfer
to a non-participating
Financial Intermediary |
You
must either:
• Transfer your Class K Shares to an account with the Fund; or • Sell your Class K Shares. |
■ | Suspend the right of redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act; |
■ | Postpone the date of payment upon redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act or if a redemption request is made before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares; |
■ | Redeem shares for property other than cash as may be permitted under the Investment Company Act; and |
■ | Redeem shares involuntarily in certain cases, such as when the value of a shareholder account falls below a specified level. |
Average Daily Net Assets |
Rate
of
Management Fee |
First $1 billion | 0.570% |
$1 billion – $3 billion | 0.540% |
$3 billion – $5 billion | 0.510% |
$5 billion – $10 billion | 0.500% |
Greater than $10 billion | 0.480% |
Contractual
Cap1 on
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses2 (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) |
|
Class K Shares | 0.57% |
1 | The contractual cap is in effect through January 31, 2021. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | As a percentage of average daily net assets. |
Portfolio Manager | Primary Role | Since | Title and Recent Biography |
Raffaele Savi | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Managing Director at Barclays Global Investors (“BGI”) from 2007 to 2009; Principal at BGI from 2006 to 2007. |
Portfolio Manager | Primary Role | Since | Title and Recent Biography |
Travis Cooke, CFA | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2012; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2011, Principal of BGI from 2002 to 2009. |
Richard Mathieson | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. | 2017 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2011; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2011; Principal at BGI from 2008 to 2009; Equity Analyst for Exista UK from 2007 to 2008; Principal at BGI from 2005 to 2007; Associate of BGI from 2001 to 2005. |
(a) | Commencement of operations. |
(b) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(e) | Aggregate total return. |
(f) | Annualized. |
(g) | Portfolio turnover is representative of the Fund for the entire year. |
■ | Access the BlackRock website at http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery; and |
■ | Log into your account. |
Class |
BlackRock
Advantage
Large Cap Growth Fund |
|
Investor A Shares
|
BMCAX | |
Investor C
Shares
|
BMCCX | |
Institutional
Shares
|
CMVIX | |
Class R
Shares
|
BMCRX | |
Service
Shares
|
CMVSX | |
Class K
Shares
|
BMCKX |
BlackRock
Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund |
|
144A Securities | X |
Asset-Backed Securities | X |
Asset-Based Securities | X |
Precious Metal-Related Securities | X |
Bank Loans | |
Borrowing and Leverage | X |
Cash Flows; Expenses | |
Cash Management | X |
Collateralized Debt Obligations | |
Collateralized Bond Obligations | |
Collateralized Loan Obligations | |
Commercial Paper | X |
Commodity-Linked Derivative Instruments and Hybrid Instruments | X |
Qualifying Hybrid Instruments | |
Hybrid Instruments Without Principal Protection | |
Limitations on Leverage | |
Counterparty Risk | |
Convertible Securities | X |
BlackRock
Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund |
|
Credit Linked Securities | X |
Cyber Security Issues | X |
Debt Securities | X |
Inflation-Indexed Bonds | |
Investment Grade Debt Obligations | X |
High Yield Investments (“Junk Bonds”) | X |
Mezzanine Investments | |
Pay-in-kind Bonds | |
Supranational Entities | |
Depositary Receipts (ADRs, EDRs and GDRs) | X |
Derivatives | X |
Hedging | X |
Speculation | X |
Risk Factors in Derivatives | X |
Correlation Risk | X |
Counterparty Risk | X |
Credit Risk | X |
Currency Risk | X |
Illiquidity Risk | X |
Leverage Risk | X |
Market Risk | X |
Valuation Risk | X |
Volatility Risk | X |
Futures | X |
Swap Agreements | X |
Credit Default Swaps and Similar Instruments | X |
Interest Rate Swaps, Floors and Caps | X |
Total Return Swaps | X |
Options | X |
Options on Securities and Securities Indices | X |
Call Options | X |
Put Options | X |
Options on Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) Certificates | |
Options on Swaps (“Swaptions”) | X |
Foreign Exchange Transactions | X |
Spot Transactions and FX Forwards | X |
Currency Futures | X |
Currency Options | See note 1 below |
Currency Swaps | X |
Distressed Securities | X |
Equity Securities | X |
BlackRock
Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund |
|
Real Estate-Related Securities | X |
Securities of Smaller or Emerging Growth Companies | X |
Exchange-Traded Notes (“ETNs”) | |
Foreign Investments | X |
Foreign Investment Risks | X |
Foreign Market Risk | X |
Foreign Economy Risk | X |
Currency Risk and Exchange Risk | X |
Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards | X |
Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the United States | X |
Publicly Available Information | X |
Settlement Risk | X |
Sovereign Debt | X |
Funding Agreements | |
Guarantees | |
Illiquid Investments | X |
Index Funds: Information Concerning the Indexes | |
S&P 500 Index | |
Russell Indexes | |
MSCI Indexes | |
FTSE Indexes | |
Bloomberg Barclays Indexes | |
ICE BofAML Indexes | |
Indexed and Inverse Securities | X |
Inflation Risk | X |
Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) Risk | X |
Interfund Lending Program | |
Borrowing, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions | |
Lending, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions | |
Investment in Emerging Markets | X |
Brady Bonds | |
China Investments Risk | |
Investment in Other Investment Companies | X |
Exchange-Traded Funds | X |
Lease Obligations | |
Life Settlement Investments | X |
Liquidity Risk Management | X |
Master Limited Partnerships | X |
Merger Transaction Risk | X |
Money Market Obligations of Domestic Banks, Foreign Banks and Foreign Branches of U.S. Banks | X |
Money Market Securities | X |
BlackRock
Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund |
|
Mortgage-Related Securities | |
Mortgage-Backed Securities | |
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”) | |
Adjustable Rate Mortgage Securities | |
CMO Residuals | |
Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities | |
Tiered Index Bonds | |
TBA Commitments | |
Mortgage Dollar Rolls | |
Net Interest Margin (NIM) Securities | |
Municipal Investments | X |
Risk Factors and Special Considerations Relating to Municipal Bonds | |
Description of Municipal Bonds | |
General Obligation Bonds | |
Revenue Bonds | |
Private Activity Bonds (“PABs”) | |
Moral Obligation Bonds | |
Municipal Notes | |
Municipal Commercial Paper | |
Municipal Lease Obligations | |
Tender Option Bonds | |
Yields | |
Variable Rate Demand Obligations (“VRDOs”) and Participating VRDOs | |
Transactions in Financial Futures Contracts on Municipal Indexes | |
Call Rights | |
Municipal Interest Rate Swap Transactions | |
Insured Municipal Bonds | |
Build America Bonds | |
Tax-Exempt Municipal Investments | X |
Participation Notes | |
Portfolio Turnover Rates | X |
Preferred Stock | X |
Tax-Exempt Preferred Shares | |
Trust Preferred Securities | |
Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”) | X |
Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts | X |
Restricted Securities | X |
Reverse Repurchase Agreements | X |
Rights Offerings and Warrants to Purchase | X |
Securities Lending | X |
Short Sales | See note 2 below |
BlackRock
Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund |
|
Standby Commitment Agreements | X |
Stripped Securities | |
Structured Notes | |
Taxability Risk | |
Temporary Defensive Measures | X |
U.S. Government Obligations | X |
U.S. Treasury Obligations | X |
U.S. Treasury Rolls | |
Utility Industries | X |
When-Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments | X |
Yields and Ratings | |
Zero Coupon Securities |
Trustees | Experience, Qualifications and Skills | |
Independent Trustees | ||
Bruce R. Bond | Bruce R. Bond has served for approximately 20 years on the board of registered investment companies, having served as a member of the boards of certain BlackRock-advised Funds and predecessor funds, including the legacy-BlackRock funds and the State Street Research Mutual Funds. He also has executive management and business experience, having served as president and chief executive officer of several communications networking companies. Mr. Bond also has corporate governance experience from his service as a director of a computer equipment company. | |
Susan J. Carter | Susan J. Carter has over 35 years of experience in investment management. She has served as President & Chief Executive Officer of Commonfund Capital, Inc. (“CCI”), a registered investment adviser focused on non-profit investors, from 1997 to 2013, Chief Executive Officer of CCI from 2013 to 2014 and Senior Advisor to CCI in 2015. Ms. Carter also served as trustee to the Pacific Pension Institute from 2014 to 2018. She currently serves as trustee to the Financial Accounting Foundation, Advisory Board Member for the Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship at Tuck School of Business, Board Member for Girls Who Invest, Advisory Board Member for Bridges Fund Management and Practitioner Advisory Board Member for Private Capital Research Institute (“PCRI”). These positions have provided her with insight and perspective on the markets and the economy. | |
Collette Chilton | Collette Chilton has over 20 years of experience in investment management. She has held the position of Chief Investment Officer of Williams College since October 2006. Prior to that she was President and Chief Investment Officer of Lucent Asset Management Corporation, where she oversaw approximately $40 billion in pension and retirement savings assets for the company. These positions have provided her with insight and perspective on the markets and the economy. | |
Neil A. Cotty | Neil A. Cotty has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, including 19 years at Bank of America Corporation and its affiliates, where he served, at different times, as the Chief Financial Officer of various businesses including Investment Banking, Global Markets, Wealth Management and Consumer and also served ten years as the Chief Accounting Officer for Bank of America Corporation. Mr. Cotty has been determined by the Audit Committee to be an audit committee financial expert, as such term is defined in the applicable Commission rules. | |
Lena G. Goldberg | Lena G. Goldberg has more than 20 years of business and oversight experience, most recently through her service as a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School. Prior thereto, she held legal and management positions at FMR LLC/Fidelity Investments as well as positions on the boards of various Fidelity subsidiaries over a 12-year period. She has additional corporate governance experience as a member of board and advisory committees for privately held corporations and non-profit organizations. Ms. Goldberg also has more than 17 years of legal experience as an attorney in private practice, including as a partner in a law firm. |
Trustees | Experience, Qualifications and Skills | |
Henry R. Keizer | Henry R. Keizer brings over 40 years of executive, financial, operational, strategic and global expertise gained through his 35 year career at KPMG, a global professional services organization and by his service as a director to both publicly and privately held organizations. He has extensive experience with issues facing complex, global companies and expertise in financial reporting, accounting, auditing, risk management, and regulatory affairs for such companies. Mr. Keizer’s experience also includes service as an audit committee chair to both publicly and privately held organizations across numerous industries including professional services, property and casualty reinsurance, insurance, diversified financial services, banking, direct to consumer, business to business and technology. Mr. Keizer is a certified public accountant and also served on the board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Keizer has been determined by the Audit Committee to be an audit committee financial expert, as such term is defined in the applicable Commission rules. | |
Cynthia A. Montgomery | Cynthia A. Montgomery has served for over 20 years on the boards of registered investment companies, most recently as a member of the boards of certain BlackRock-advised Funds and predecessor funds, including the legacy Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (“MLIM”) funds. The Board benefits from Ms. Montgomery’s more than 20 years of academic experience as a professor at Harvard Business School where she taught courses on corporate strategy and corporate governance. Ms. Montgomery also has business management and corporate governance experience through her service on the corporate boards of a variety of public companies. She has also authored numerous articles and books on these topics. | |
Donald C. Opatrny | Donald C. Opatrny has more than 39 years of business, oversight and executive experience, including through his service as president, director and investment committee chair for academic and not-for-profit organizations, and his experience as a partner, managing director and advisory director at Goldman Sachs for 32 years. He also has investment management experience as a board member of Athena Capital Advisors LLC. | |
Joseph P. Platt | Joseph P. Platt has served for over 15 years on the boards of registered investment companies, most recently as a member of the boards of certain BlackRock-advised Funds and predecessor funds, including the legacy BlackRock funds. Mr. Platt currently serves as general partner at Thorn Partners, LP, a private investment company. Prior to his joining Thorn Partners, LP, he was an owner, director and executive vice president with Johnson and Higgins, an insurance broker and employee benefits consultant. He has over 25 years of experience in the areas of insurance, compensation and benefits. Mr. Platt also serves on the boards of public, private and non-profit companies. | |
Mark Stalnecker | Mark Stalnecker has gained a wealth of experience in investing and asset management from his over 13 years of service as the Chief Investment Officer of the University of Delaware as well as from his various positions with First Union Corporation, including Senior Vice President and State Investment Director of First Investment Advisors. The Board benefits from his experience and perspective as the Chief Investment Officer of a university endowment and from the oversight experience he gained from service on various private and non-profit boards. | |
Kenneth L. Urish | Kenneth L. Urish has served for over 15 years on the boards of registered investment companies, most recently as a member of the boards of certain BlackRock-advised Funds and predecessor funds, including the legacy BlackRock funds. He has over 30 years of experience in public accounting. Mr. Urish has served as a managing member of an accounting and consulting firm. Mr. Urish has been determined by the Audit Committee to be an audit committee financial expert, as such term is defined in the applicable Commission rules. |
Trustees | Experience, Qualifications and Skills | |
Claire A. Walton | Claire A. Walton has over 25 years of experience in investment management. She has served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Liberty Square Asset Management, LP from 1998 to 2015, an investment manager that specialized in long/short non-U.S. equity investments, and has been an owner and General Partner of Neon Liberty Capital Management, LLC since 2003, a firm focusing on long/short equities in global emerging and frontier markets. These positions have provided her with insight and perspective on the markets and the economy. | |
Interested Trustees | ||
Robert Fairbairn | Robert Fairbairn has more than 25 years of experience with BlackRock, Inc. and over 30 years of experience in finance and asset management. In particular, Mr. Fairbairn’s positions as Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc., Member of BlackRock’s Global Executive and Global Operating Committees and Co-Chair of BlackRock’s Human Capital Committee provide the Board with a wealth of practical business knowledge and leadership. In addition, Mr. Fairbairn has global investment management and oversight experience through his former positions as Global Head of BlackRock’s Retail and iShares® businesses, Head of BlackRock’s Global Client Group, Chairman of BlackRock’s international businesses and his previous oversight over BlackRock’s Strategic Partner Program and Strategic Product Management Group. Mr. Fairbairn also serves as a board member for the funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex. | |
John M. Perlowski | John M. Perlowski’s experience as Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009, as the Head of BlackRock Global Accounting and Product Services since 2009, and as President and Chief Executive Officer of the BlackRock-advised Funds provides him with a strong understanding of the BlackRock-advised Funds, their operations, and the business and regulatory issues facing the BlackRock-advised Funds. Mr. Perlowski’s prior position as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Global Product Group at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and his former service as Treasurer and Senior Vice President of the Goldman Sachs Mutual Funds and as Director of the Goldman Sachs Offshore Funds provides the Board with the benefit of his experience with the management practices of other financial companies. Mr. Perlowski also serves as a board member for the funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex. |
Name
and Year of Birth1,2 |
Position(s)
Held (Length of Service)3 |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
Number
of
BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen |
Public
Company and Other Investment Company Directorships Held During Past Five Years |
||||
Independent Trustees | ||||||||
Mark
Stalnecker
|
Chair
of the Board
(Since 2019) and Trustee (Since 2015) |
Chief Investment Officer, University of Delaware from 1999 to 2013; Trustee and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committees, Winterthur Museum and Country Estate from 2005 to 2016; Member of the Investment Committee, Delaware Public Employees’ Retirement System since 2002; Member of the Investment Committee, Christiana Care Health System from 2009 to 2017; Member of the Investment Committee, Delaware Community Foundation from 2013 to 2014; Director and Chair of the Audit Committee, SEI Private Trust Co. from 2001 to 2014. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | None | ||||
Bruce
R. Bond
|
Trustee
(Since 2019) |
Board Member, Amsphere Limited (software) since 2018; Trustee and Member of the Governance Committee, State Street Research Mutual Funds from 1997 to 2005; Board Member of Governance, Audit and Finance Committee, Avaya Inc. (computer equipment) from 2003 to 2007. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | None | ||||
Susan
J. Carter
|
Trustee
(Since 2016) |
Director, Pacific Pension Institute from 2014 to 2018; Advisory Board Member, Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship at Tuck School of Business since 1997; Senior Advisor, CCI (investment adviser) in 2015; Chief Executive Officer, CCI from 2013 to 2014; President & Chief Executive Officer, CCI from 1997 to 2013; Advisory Board Member, Girls Who Invest from 2015 to 2018 and Board Member thereof since 2018; Advisory Board Member, Bridges Fund Management since 2016; Trustee, Financial Accounting Foundation since 2017; Practitioner Advisory Board Member, PCRI since 2017. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | None | ||||
Collette
Chilton
|
Trustee
(Since 2015) |
Chief Investment Officer, Williams College since 2006; Chief Investment Officer, Lucent Asset Management Corporation from 1998 to 2006. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | None | ||||
Neil
A. Cotty
|
Trustee
(Since 2016) |
Bank of America Corporation from 1996 to 2015, serving in various senior finance leadership roles, including Chief Accounting Officer from 2009 to 2015, Chief Financial Officer of Global Banking, Markets and Wealth Management from 2008 to 2009, Chief Accounting Officer from 2004 to 2008, Chief Financial Officer of Consumer Bank from 2003 to 2004, Chief Financial Officer of Global Corporate Investment Bank from 1999 to 2002. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | None |
Name
and Year of Birth1,2 |
Position(s)
Held (Length of Service)3 |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
Number
of
BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen |
Public
Company and Other Investment Company Directorships Held During Past Five Years |
||||
Lena
G. Goldberg
|
Trustee
(Since 2019) |
Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School, since 2008; Director, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. since 2013; FMR LLC/Fidelity Investments (financial services) from 1996 to 2008, serving in various senior roles including Executive Vice President – Strategic Corporate Initiatives and Executive Vice President and General Counsel; Partner, Sullivan & Worcester LLP from 1985 to 1996 and Associate thereof from 1979 to 1985. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | None | ||||
Henry
R. Keizer
|
Trustee
(Since 2019) |
Director, Park Indemnity Ltd. (captive insurer) since 2010; Director, MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation and MUFG Union Bank, N.A. (financial and bank holding company) from 2014 to 2016; Director, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants from 2009 to 2011; Director, KPMG LLP (audit, tax and advisory services) from 2004 to 2005 and 2010 to 2012; Director, KPMG International in 2012, Deputy Chairman and Chief Operating Officer thereof from 2010 to 2012 and U.S. Vice Chairman of Audit thereof from 2005 to 2010; Global Head of Audit, KPMGI (consortium of KPMG firms) from 2006 to 2010; Director, YMCA of Greater New York from 2006 to 2010. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | Hertz Global Holdings (car rental); Montpelier Re Holdings, Ltd. (publicly held property and casualty reinsurance) from 2013 until 2015; WABCO (commercial vehicle safety systems); Sealed Air Corp. (packaging) | ||||
Cynthia
A. Montgomery
|
Trustee
(Since 2007) |
Professor, Harvard Business School since 1989. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. (manufacturing) | ||||
Donald
C. Opatrny
|
Trustee
(Since 2019) |
Trustee, Vice Chair, Member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Investment Committee, Cornell University since 2004; President, Trustee and Member of the Investment Committee, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum from 2007 to 2014; Member of the Board and Investment Committee, University School from 2007 to 2018; Member of the Investment Committee, Mellon Foundation from 2009 to 2015; Trustee, Artstor (a Mellon Foundation affiliate) from 2010 to 2015; President and Trustee, the Center for the Arts, Jackson Hole from 2011 to 2018; Director, Athena Capital Advisors LLC (investment management firm) since 2013; Trustee and Chair of the Investment Committee, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole since 2014; Member of Affordable Housing Supply Board of Jackson, Wyoming since 2018; Member, Investment Funds Committee, State of Wyoming since 2017; Trustee, Phoenix Art Museum since 2018. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | None | ||||
Joseph
P. Platt
|
Trustee
(Since 2007) |
General Partner, Thorn Partners, LP (private investments) since 1998; Director, WQED Multi-Media (public broadcasting not-for-profit) since 2001; Chair, Basic Health International (non-profit) since 2015. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd. (reinsurance company); Consol Energy Inc. |
Name
and Year of Birth1,2 |
Position(s)
Held (Length of Service)3 |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
Number
of
BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen |
Public
Company and Other Investment Company Directorships Held During Past Five Years |
||||
Kenneth
L. Urish
|
Trustee
(Since 2007) |
Managing Partner, Urish Popeck & Co., LLC (certified public accountants and consultants) since 1976; Past-Chairman of the Professional Ethics Committee of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Committee Member thereof since 2007; Member of External Advisory Board, The Pennsylvania State University Accounting Department since founding in 2001; Principal, UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors, LLC since 2013; Trustee, The Holy Family Institute from 2001 to 2010; President and Trustee, Pittsburgh Catholic Publishing Associates from 2003 to 2008; Director, Inter-Tel from 2006 to 2007. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | None | ||||
Claire
A. Walton
|
Trustee
(Since 2016) |
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Liberty Square Asset Management, LP from 1998 to 2015; General Partner of Neon Liberty Capital Management, LLC since 2003; Director, Boston Hedge Fund Group from 2009 to 2018; Director, Woodstock Ski Runners since 2013; Director, Massachusetts Council on Economic Education from 2013 to 2015. | 37 RICs consisting of 176 Portfolios | None | ||||
Interested Trustees4 | ||||||||
Robert
Fairbairn
|
Trustee
(Since 2018) |
Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. since 2019; Member of BlackRock’s Global Executive and Global Operating Committees; Co-Chair of BlackRock’s Human Capital Committee; Senior Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2010 to 2019; oversaw BlackRock’s Strategic Partner Program and Strategic Product Management Group from 2012 to 2019; Member of the Board of Managers of BlackRock Investments, LLC from 2011 to 2018; Global Head of BlackRock’s Retail and iShares® businesses from 2012 to 2016. | 123 RICs consisting of 286 Portfolios | None | ||||
John
M. Perlowski5
|
Trustee (Since 2015) President and Chief Executive Officer (Since 2010) | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Head of BlackRock Global Accounting and Product Services since 2009; Advisory Director of Family Resource Network (charitable foundation) since 2009. | 124 RICs consisting of 287 Portfolios | None |
1 | The address of each Trustee is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 55 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10055. |
2 | Independent Trustees serve until their resignation, retirement, removal or death, or until December 31 of the year in which they turn 75. The Board may determine to extend the terms of Independent Trustees on a case-by-case basis, as appropriate. |
3 | Following the combination of MLIM and BlackRock, Inc. in September 2006, the various legacy MLIM and legacy BlackRock fund boards were realigned and consolidated into three new fund boards in 2007. Furthermore, effective January 1, 2019, three BlackRock Fund Complexes were realigned and consolidated into two BlackRock Fund Complexes. As a result, although the chart shows the year that each Independent Trustee joined the Board, certain Independent Trustees first became members of the boards of other BlackRock-advised Funds, legacy MLIM funds or legacy BlackRock funds as follows: Bruce R. Bond, 2005; Cynthia A. Montgomery, 1994; Joseph P. Platt, 1999; Kenneth L. Urish, 1999; Lena G. Goldberg, 2016; Henry R. Keizer, 2016; Donald C. Opatrny, 2015. |
4 | Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Perlowski are both “interested persons,” as defined in the Investment Company Act, of the Trust based on their positions with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Perlowski are also board members of the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex. |
5 | Mr. Perlowski is also a trustee of the BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund. |
Name
and Year of Birth1,2 |
Position(s)
Held
(Length of Service) |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
||
Officers Who Are Not Trustees | ||||
Thomas
Callahan
|
Vice
President
(Since 2016) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2013; Member of the Board of Managers of BlackRock Investments, LLC (principal underwriter) since 2019 and Managing Director thereof since 2017; Head of BlackRock’s Global Cash Management Business since 2016; Co-Head of the Global Cash Management Business from 2014 to 2016; Deputy Head of the Global Cash Management Business from 2013 to 2014; Member of the Cash Management Group Executive Committee since 2013; Chief Executive Officer of NYSE Liffe U.S. from 2008 to 2013. | ||
Jennifer
McGovern
|
Vice
President
(Since 2014) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2011 to 2015; Head of Product Development and Oversight for BlackRock’s Strategic Product Management Group since 2019; Head of Product Structure and Oversight for BlackRock’s U.S. Wealth Advisory Group from 2013 to 2019. | ||
Neal
J. Andrews
|
Chief
Financial Officer
(Since 2007) |
Chief Financial Officer of the iShares® exchange traded funds since 2019; Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006. | ||
Jay
M. Fife
|
Treasurer
(Since 2007) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2007. | ||
Charles
Park
|
Chief Compliance Officer (Since 2014) | Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer for certain BlackRock-advised Funds from 2014 to 2015; Chief Compliance Officer of BlackRock Advisors, LLC and the BlackRock-advised Funds in the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex and the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex since 2014; Principal of and Chief Compliance Officer for iShares® Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC since 2012 and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) since 2006; Chief Compliance Officer for the BFA-advised iShares® exchange traded funds since 2006; Chief Compliance Officer for BlackRock Asset Management International Inc. since 2012. | ||
Lisa
Belle
|
Anti-Money
Laundering Compliance Officer
(Since 2019) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2019; Global Financial Crime Head for Asset and Wealth Management of JP Morgan from 2013 to 2019; Managing Director of RBS Securities from 2012 to 2013; Head of Financial Crimes for Barclays Wealth Americas from 2010 to 2012. | ||
Janey
Ahn
|
Secretary
(Since 2019) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2018; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2017. |
1 | The address of each Officer is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 55 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10055. |
2 | Officers of the Trust serve at the pleasure of the Board. |
Name |
Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in Supervised Funds |
||
Independent Trustees: | ||||
Bruce R.
Bond
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Susan J.
Carter
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Collette
Chilton
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Neil A.
Cotty
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Lena G.
Goldberg
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Henry R.
Keizer
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Cynthia A.
Montgomery
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Donald C.
Opatrny
|
None | Over $100,000 |
Name |
Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in Supervised Funds |
||
Joseph P.
Platt
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Mark
Stalnecker
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Kenneth L.
Urish
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Claire A.
Walton
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Interested Trustees: | ||||
Robert
Fairbairn
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
John M.
Perlowski
|
None | Over $100,000 |
Name |
Compensation
from the Fund |
Estimated
Annual Benefits upon Retirement |
Aggregate
Compensation
from the Fund and Other BlackRock-Advised Funds1 |
|||
Independent Trustees: | ||||||
Bruce R.
Bond2
|
$1,018 | None | $400,000 | |||
Susan J.
Carter
|
$1,433 | None | $400,000 | |||
Collette Chilton
|
$1,433 | None | $400,000 | |||
Neil A.
Cotty
|
$1,433 | None | $400,000 | |||
Lena G.
Goldberg2,3
|
$1,168 | None | $430,000 | |||
Robert M.
Hernandez2,4
|
$1,018 | None | $400,000 | |||
Rodney D.
Johnson5
|
$505 | None | N/A |
Name |
Compensation
from the Fund |
Estimated
Annual Benefits upon Retirement |
Aggregate
Compensation
from the Fund and Other BlackRock-Advised Funds1 |
|||
Henry R.
Keizer2,6
|
$1,168 | None | $430,000 | |||
Cynthia A.
Montgomery7
|
$1,592 | None | $430,000 | |||
Donald C.
Opatrny2,8
|
$1,168 | None | $430,000 | |||
Joseph P.
Platt9
|
$1,442 | None | $400,000 | |||
Robert C. Robb,
Jr.10
|
$415 | None | $400,000 | |||
Mark
Stalnecker11
|
$2,070 | None | $520,000 | |||
Kenneth L.
Urish12
|
$1,451 | None | $400,000 | |||
Claire A.
Walton
|
$1,433 | None | $400,000 | |||
Frederick W.
Winter10
|
$1,415 | None | $400,000 | |||
Interested Trustees: | ||||||
Robert
Fairbairn
|
None | None | None | |||
John M.
Perlowski
|
None | None | None |
1 | For the number of BlackRock-advised Funds from which each Trustee receives compensation, see the Biographical Information chart beginning on page I-13. |
2 | Messrs. Bond, Hernandez, Keizer and Opatrny and Ms. Goldberg were elected as Trustees of the Trust effective January 1, 2019. They each served as a director or trustee to certain other BlackRock-advised Funds prior to January 1, 2019. |
3 | Ms. Goldberg was appointed Chair of the Compliance Committee effective January 1, 2019. |
4 | Mr. Hernandez retired as a Trustee of the Trust effective December 31, 2019. |
5 | Mr. Johnson retired as a Trustee of the Trust and as Chair of the Board and Chair of the Ad Hoc Topics Committee effective December 31, 2018. |
6 | Mr. Keizer was appointed Chair of the Audit Committee effective January 1, 2019. |
7 | Chair of the Governance Committee. |
8 | Mr. Opatrny was appointed Chair of the Performance Oversight Committee effective January 1, 2019. |
9 | Mr. Platt served as the Chair of the Compliance Committee through December 31, 2018. |
10 | Messrs. Robb and Winter retired as Trustees of the Trust effective December 31, 2018 and have been retained as consultants to the Independent Trustees. |
11 | Mr. Stalnecker was appointed Chair of the Board and Chair of the Ad Hoc Topics Committee effective January 1, 2019. He served as Chair Elect of the Board from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018 and served as the Chair of the Performance Oversight Committee through December 31, 2018. |
12 | Mr. Urish served as the Chair of the Audit Committee through December 31, 2018. |
Fiscal Year Ended September 30, |
Fees
Paid
to BlackRock |
Fees
Waived
by BlackRock |
Fees
Reimbursed
by BlackRock |
|||
2019
|
$4,473,103 | $793,461 | $ 973,812 | |||
2018
|
$4,459,544 | $724,214 | $1,050,621 | |||
2017
|
$3,185,918 | $283,341 | $ 626,318 |
Fiscal Year Ended September 30, |
Fees
Paid
to the Administrator |
Fees
Waived
by the Administrator |
||
2019
|
$483,385 | $156,960 | ||
2018
|
$481,889 | $156,556 | ||
2017
|
$272,654 | $ 87,814 |
Fiscal Year Ended September 30, |
Fees
Paid
to BlackRock |
Fees
Waived
by BlackRock |
||
2019
|
$60,665 | $60,665 | ||
2018
|
$74,453 | $74,453 | ||
2017
|
$57,145 | $57,145 |
Portfolio Manager | Dollar Range | |
Raffaele Savi
|
$100,001-$500,000 | |
Travis Cooke, CFA
|
$50,001-$100,000 | |
Richard Mathieson
|
$10,001-$50,000 |
Fiscal Year Ended September 30, | Amount Paid to BNY MIS | |
2019
|
$ 80,151 | |
2018
|
$ 73,081 | |
2017
|
$ 94,719 |
Investor A Shares | ||||||||
Fiscal Year Ended September 30, |
Gross
Sales Charges Collected |
Sales
Charges Retained by BRIL |
Sales
Charges Paid to Affiliates |
CDSCs
Received on Redemption of Load-Waived Shares |
||||
2019
|
$103,096 | $7,892 | $7,892 | $ 0 | ||||
2018
|
$ 77,081 | $8,729 | $8,729 | $ 0 | ||||
2017
|
$ 79,287 | $8,331 | $8,341 | $460 |
Investor C Shares | ||||
Fiscal Year Ended September 30, |
CDSCs
Received
by BRIL |
CDSCs
Paid
to Affiliates |
||
2019
|
$629 | $629 | ||
2018
|
$427 | $427 | ||
2017
|
$316 | $316 |
Class Name | Paid to BRIL | |
Investor A
Shares
|
$1,722,650 | |
Investor C
Shares
|
$ 203,495 | |
Service
Shares
|
$ 434 | |
Class R
Shares
|
$ 6,315 |
Computation of Offering Price Per Share: |
Advantage
Large Cap Growth Fund |
Net
Assets
|
$699,246,899 |
Number of Shares
Outstanding
|
44,502,900 |
Net Asset Value Per Share (net assets divided by number of shares
outstanding)
|
$15.71 |
Sales Charge (5.25% of offering price; 5.54% of net asset value per
share)1
|
0.87 |
Offering
Price
|
$16.58 |
1 | Rounded to the nearest one-hundredth percent; assumes maximum sales charge is applicable. |
Fiscal Year Ended September 30, |
Aggregate
Brokerage Commissions Paid |
Commissions
Paid to Affiliates |
||
2019
|
$259,794 | $0 | ||
20181
|
$314,702 | $0 |
Fiscal Year Ended September 30, |
Aggregate
Brokerage Commissions Paid |
Commissions
Paid to Affiliates |
||
2017
|
$202,101 | $0 |
1 | The increase in brokerage commissions paid by the Fund as compared to the prior fiscal year was due to an increase in trading activity. |
Amount
of Commissions
Paid to Brokers for Providing 28(e) Eligible Research Services |
Amount
of Brokerage
Transactions Involved |
|
$46,576 | $342,995,307 |
Regular Broker-Dealer | Debt(D)/Equity(E) | Aggregate Holdings (000’s) | ||
Morgan Stanley & Co.
LLC
|
E | $471 |
(1) | selecting borrowers from an approved list of borrowers and executing a securities lending agreement as agent on behalf of the Fund with each such borrower; |
(2) | negotiating the terms of securities loans, including the amount of fees; |
(3) | directing the delivery of loaned securities; |
(4) | monitoring the daily value of the loaned securities and directing the payment of additional collateral or the return of excess collateral, as necessary; |
(5) | investing cash collateral received in connection with any loaned securities; |
(6) | monitoring distributions on loaned securities (for example, interest and dividend activity); |
(7) | in the event of default by a borrower with respect to any securities loan, using the collateral or the proceeds of the liquidation of collateral to purchase replacement securities of the same issue, type, class and series as that of the loaned securities; and |
(8) | terminating securities loans and arranging for the return of loaned securities to the Fund at loan termination. |
BlackRock
Advantage
Large Cap Growth Fund |
|
Gross income from securities lending
activities
|
$124,125 |
Fees and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related services | |
Securities lending income paid to BIM for services as securities lending agent
|
$ 21,748 |
Cash collateral management expenses not included in securities lending income paid to
BIM
|
$ 918 |
Administrative fees not included in securities lending income paid to
BIM
|
$ 0 |
Indemnification fees not included in securities lending income paid to
BIM
|
$ 0 |
Rebates (paid to
borrowers)
|
$ 40,513 |
Other fees not included in securities lending income paid to
BIM
|
$ 0 |
Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending
activities
|
$ 63,179 |
Net income from securities lending
activities
|
$ 60,946 |
Name | Address | % | Class | |||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated |
4800
East Deerlake Drive, 3rd Floor
Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
45.81% | Investor A Shares | |||
National Financial Services LLC |
499
Washington Boulevard, Floor 5
Jersey City, NJ 07310-2010 |
8.16% | Investor A Shares | |||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated |
4800
East Deerlake Drive, 3rd Floor
Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
19.22% | Investor C Shares | |||
Pershing LLC |
1
Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-0001 |
10.02% | Investor C Shares | |||
National Financial Services LLC |
499
Washington Boulevard, Floor 5
Jersey City, NJ 07310-2010 |
9.79% | Investor C Shares | |||
Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC |
2801
Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103 |
5.58% | Investor C Shares | |||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated |
4800
East Deerlake Drive, 3rd Floor
Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
56.46% | Institutional Shares | |||
UBS WM USA |
1000
Harbor Boulevard
Weehawken, NJ 07086 |
6.19% | Institutional Shares | |||
National Financial Services LLC |
499
Washington Boulevard, Floor 5
Jersey City, NJ 07310-2010 |
6.13% | Institutional Shares | |||
Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC |
2801
Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103 |
6.00% | Institutional Shares | |||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated |
4800
East Deerlake Drive, 3rd Floor
Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
87.31% | Class R Shares | |||
Matrix Trust Company |
717
17th Street, Suite 1300
Denver, CO 80202 |
8.71% | Class R Shares |
Name | Address | % | Class | |||
Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC |
2801
Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103 |
66.56% | Service Shares | |||
National Financial Services LLC |
499
Washington Boulevard, Floor 5
Jersey City, NJ 07310-2010 |
13.77% | Service Shares | |||
TD Ameritrade |
P.O.
Box 2226
Omaha, NE 68103-2226 |
8.00% | Service Shares | |||
BlackRock Funds |
P.O.
Box 8907
Wilmington, DE 19899-8907 |
7.07% | Service Shares | |||
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC |
4
Chase Metrotech Center
Brooklyn, NY 11245 |
42.53% | Class K Shares | |||
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. |
P.O.
Box 1533
Minneapolis, MN 55480 |
36.53% | Class K Shares | |||
BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. |
40
East 52nd Street, Floor 10
New York, NY 10022-5911 |
20.92% | Class K Shares |
• | Junk bonds may be issued by less creditworthy companies. These securities are vulnerable to adverse changes in the issuer’s industry and to general economic conditions. Issuers of junk bonds may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments or the unavailability of additional financing. |
• | The issuers of junk bonds may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade bonds. If the issuer experiences financial stress, it may be unable to meet its debt obligations. |
The issuer’s ability to pay its debt obligations also may be lessened by specific issuer developments, or the unavailability of additional financing. Issuers of high yield securities are often in the growth stage of their development and/or involved in a reorganization or takeover. | |
• | Junk bonds are frequently ranked junior to claims by other creditors. If the issuer cannot meet its obligations, the senior obligations are generally paid off before the junior obligations, which will potentially limit a Fund’s ability to fully recover principal or to receive interest payments when senior securities are in default. Thus, investors in high yield securities have a lower degree of protection with respect to principal and interest payments then do investors in higher rated securities. |
• | Junk bonds frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from a Fund before it matures. If an issuer redeems the junk bonds, a Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income. |
• | Prices of junk bonds are subject to extreme price fluctuations. Negative economic developments may have a greater impact on the prices of junk bonds than on those of other higher rated fixed-income securities. |
• | Junk bonds may be less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities even under normal economic conditions. Under certain economic and/or market conditions, a Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain high yield securities due to the limited number of investors in that sector of the market. There are fewer dealers in the junk bond market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for junk bonds by the dealers, and such quotations may not be the actual prices available for a purchase or sale. Because junk bonds are less liquid than higher rated bonds, judgment may play a greater role in valuing certain of a Fund’s portfolio securities than in the case of securities trading in a more liquid market. |
• | The secondary markets for high yield securities are not as liquid as the secondary markets for higher rated securities. The secondary markets for high yield securities are concentrated in relatively few market makers and participants in the markets are mostly institutional investors, including insurance companies, banks, other financial institutions and mutual funds. In addition, the trading volume for high yield securities is generally lower than that for higher rated securities and the secondary markets could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. Under certain economic and/or market conditions, a Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain high yield securities due to the limited number of investors in that sector of the market. An illiquid secondary market may adversely affect the market price of the high yield security, which may result in increased difficulty selling the particular issue and obtaining accurate market quotations on the issue when valuing a Fund’s assets. Market quotations on high yield securities are available only from a limited number of dealers, and such quotations may not be the actual prices available for a purchase or sale. When the secondary market for high yield securities becomes more illiquid, or in the absence of readily available market quotations for such securities, the relative lack of reliable objective data makes it more difficult to value a Fund’s securities, and judgment plays a more important role in determining such valuations. |
• | A Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer. |
• | The junk bond markets may react strongly to adverse news about an issuer or the economy, or to the perception or expectation of adverse news, whether or not it is based on fundamental analysis. Additionally, prices for high yield securities may be affected by legislative and regulatory developments. These developments could adversely affect a Fund’s NAV and investment practices, the secondary market for high yield securities, the financial condition of issuers of these securities and the value and liquidity of outstanding high yield securities, especially in a thinly traded market. For example, federal legislation requiring the divestiture by federally insured savings and loan associations of their investments in high yield bonds and limiting the deductibility of interest by certain corporate issuers of high yield bonds adversely affected the market in the past. |
• | The rating assigned by a rating agency evaluates the issuing agency’s assessment of the safety of a non-investment grade security’s principal and interest payments, but does not address market value risk. Because such ratings of the ratings agencies may not always reflect current conditions and events, in addition to using recognized rating agencies and other sources, the sub-adviser performs its own analysis of the issuers whose non-investment grade securities a Fund holds. Because of this, the Fund’s performance may depend more on the sub-adviser’s own credit analysis than in the case of mutual funds investing in higher-rated securities. |
(a) | U.S. dollar-denominated obligations issued or supported by the credit of U.S. or foreign banks or savings institutions with total assets in excess of $1 billion (including obligations of foreign branches of such banks); |
(b) | high quality commercial paper and other obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. and foreign corporations and other issuers rated (at the time of purchase) A-2 or higher by S&P, Prime-2 or higher by Moody’s or F-2 or higher by Fitch, as well as high quality corporate bonds rated (at the time of purchase) A or higher by those rating agencies; |
(c) | unrated notes, paper and other instruments that are of comparable quality to the instruments described in (b) above as determined by the Fund’s Manager; |
(d) | asset-backed securities (including interests in pools of assets such as mortgages, installment purchase obligations and credit card receivables); |
(e) | securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government or by its agencies or authorities and related custodial receipts; |
(f) | dollar-denominated securities issued or guaranteed by foreign governments or their political subdivisions, agencies or authorities; |
(g) | funding agreements issued by highly-rated U.S. insurance companies; |
(h) | securities issued or guaranteed by state or local governmental bodies; |
(i) | repurchase agreements relating to the above instruments; |
(j) | municipal bonds and notes whose principal and interest payments are guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or authorities or which otherwise depend directly or indirectly on the credit of the United States; |
(k) | fixed and variable rate notes and similar debt instruments rated MIG-2, VMIG-2 or Prime-2 or higher by Moody’s, SP-2 or A-2 or higher by S&P, or F-2 or higher by Fitch; |
(l) | tax-exempt commercial paper and similar debt instruments rated Prime-2 or higher by Moody’s, A-2 or higher by S&P, or F-2 or higher by Fitch; |
(m) | municipal bonds rated A or higher by Moody’s, S&P or Fitch; |
(n) | unrated notes, paper or other instruments that are of comparable quality to the instruments described above, as determined by the Fund’s Manager under guidelines established by the Board; and |
(o) | municipal bonds and notes which are guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government or an agency or instrumentality thereof or which otherwise depend directly or indirectly on the credit of the United States. |
Mortgage-Related Securities. |
• | Portfolio Holdings: “Portfolio Holdings” are a Fund’s portfolio securities and other instruments, and include, but are not limited to: |
• | for equity securities, information such as issuer name, CUSIP, ticker symbol, total shares and market value; |
• | for fixed income securities, information such as issuer name, CUSIP, ticker symbol, coupon, maturity, current face value and market value; |
• | for all securities, information such as quantity, SEDOL, market price, yield, WAL, duration and convexity as of a specific date; |
• | for derivatives, indicative data including, but not limited to, pay leg, receive leg, notional amount, reset frequency and trade counterparty; and |
• | for trading strategies, specific portfolio holdings, including the number of shares held, weightings of particular holdings, trading details, pending or recent transactions and portfolio management plans to purchase or sell particular securities or allocation within particular sectors. |
• | Portfolio Characteristics (excluding Liquidity Metrics): “Portfolio Characteristics” include, but are not limited to, sector allocation, credit quality breakdown, maturity distribution, duration and convexity measures, average credit quality, average maturity, average coupon, top 10 holdings with percent of the fund held, average market capitalization, capitalization range, risk related information (e.g., value at risk, standard deviation), ROE, P/E, P/B, P/CF, P/S and EPS. |
• | Additional characteristics specific to money market funds include, but are not limited to, historical daily and weekly liquid assets (as defined under Rule 2a-7) and historical fund net inflows and outflows. |
• | Portfolio Characteristics — Liquidity Metrics: |
• | “Liquidity Metrics” which seek to ascertain a Fund’s liquidity profile under BlackRock’s global liquidity risk methodology which include but are not limited to: (a) disclosure regarding the number of days needed to liquidate a portfolio or the portfolio’s underlying investments; and (b) the percentage of a Fund’s NAV invested in a particular liquidity tier under BlackRock’s global liquidity risk methodology. |
• | The dissemination of position-level liquidity metrics data and any non-public regulatory data pursuant to SEC Rule 22e-4 (including SEC liquidity tiering) is not permitted unless pre-approved. |
• | Disclosure of Liquidity Metrics pursuant to Section 3 of the Policy should be reviewed by BlackRock’s Risk and Quantitative Analysis Group (“RQA”) and the relevant portfolio management team prior to dissemination. |
* | Global Allocation Exception: For purposes of portfolio holdings, Global Allocation funds include BlackRock Global Allocation Fund, Inc., BlackRock Global Allocation Portfolio of BlackRock Series Fund, Inc. and BlackRock Global Allocation V.I. Fund of BlackRock Variable Series Funds, Inc. Information on certain Portfolio Characteristics of BlackRock Global Allocation Portfolio and BlackRock Global Allocation V.I. Fund is available, upon request, to insurance companies that use these funds as underlying investments (and to advisers and sub-advisers of funds invested in BlackRock Global Allocation Portfolio and BlackRock Global Allocation V.I. Fund) in their variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies on a weekly basis (or such other period as may be determined to be appropriate). Disclosure of such characteristics of these two funds constitutes a disclosure of Confidential Information and is being made for reasons deemed appropriate by BlackRock and in accordance with the requirements set forth in these guidelines. If Portfolio Characteristics are disclosed to one party, they must also be disclosed to all other parties requesting the same information. |
** | Strategic Income Opportunities Exception: Information on certain Portfolio Characteristics of BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio of BlackRock Funds V may be made available to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries, consultants and third party data providers, upon request on a more frequent basis as may be deemed appropriate by BlackRock from time-to-time. If Portfolio Characteristics are disclosed to one party, they must also be disclosed to all other parties requesting the same information. |
Money Market Funds | ||
Time Periods | ||
Prior
to 5 Calendar Days
After Month-End |
5
Calendar Days After
Month-End to Date of Public Filing |
|
Portfolio
Holdings |
Cannot
disclose without non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement and CCO approval except the following portfolio holdings information may be released as follows:
• Weekly portfolio holdings information released on the website at least one business day after week-end. • Other information as may be required under Rule 2a-7 (e.g., name of issuer, category of investment, principal amount, maturity dates, yields). |
May disclose to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries, consultants and third-party data providers. If portfolio holdings are disclosed to one party, they must also be disclosed to all other parties requesting the same information. |
Portfolio
Characteristics |
Cannot
disclose without non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement and CCO approval except the following information may be released on the Fund’s website daily:
• Historical NAVs calculated based on market factors (e.g., marked-to-market) • Percentage of fund assets invested in daily and weekly liquid assets (as defined under Rule 2a-7) • Daily net inflows and outflows • Yields, SEC yields, WAM, WAL, current assets • Other information as may be required by Rule 2a-7 |
May disclose to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries, consultants and third-party data providers. If Portfolio Characteristics are disclosed to one party, they must also be disclosed to all other parties requesting the same information. |
(i) | the preparation and posting of the Fund’s Portfolio Holdings and/or Portfolio Characteristics to its website on a more frequent basis than authorized above; |
(ii) | the disclosure of the Fund’s Portfolio Holdings to third-party service providers not noted above; and |
(iii) | the disclosure of the Fund’s Portfolio Holdings and/or Portfolio Characteristics to other parties for legitimate business purposes. |
• | Fund Fact Sheets are available to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries and consultants on a monthly or quarterly basis no earlier than the fifth calendar day after the end of a month or quarter. |
• | Money Market Performance Reports are typically available to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries and consultants by the tenth calendar day of the month (and on a one day lag for certain institutional funds). They contain monthly money market Fund performance, rolling 12-month average and benchmark performance. |
1. | Fund’s Board of Directors and, if necessary, independent Directors’ counsel and Fund counsel. |
2. | Fund’s Transfer Agent. |
3. | Fund’s Custodian. |
4. | Fund’s Administrator, if applicable. |
5. | Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. |
6. | Fund’s accounting services provider. |
7. | Independent rating agencies — Morningstar, Inc., Lipper Inc., S&P, Moody’s, Fitch. |
8. | Information aggregators — Markit on Demand, Thomson Financial and Bloomberg, eVestments Alliance, Informa/PSN Investment Solutions, Crane Data and iMoneyNet. |
9. | Sponsors of 401(k) plans that include BlackRock-advised funds — E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company, Inc. |
10. | Sponsors and consultants for pension and retirement plans that invest in BlackRock-advised funds — Rocaton Investment Advisors, LLC, Mercer Investment Consulting, Callan Associates, Brockhouse & Cooper, Cambridge Associates, Morningstar/Investorforce, Russell Investments (Mellon Analytical Solutions), Wilshire Associates and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. |
11. | Pricing Vendors — Refinitiv, ICE Data Services, Bloomberg, IHS Markit, JP Morgan Pricing-Direct, FactSet, Loan Pricing Corporation, Valuation Research Corporation, Murray, Devine & Co., Inc. and WM Company PLC. |
12. | Portfolio Compliance Consultants — Oracle Financial Services. |
13. | Third-party feeder funds — Stock Index Fund, a series of Homestead Funds, Inc.; Transamerica Stock Index, a series of Transamerica Funds; and Alight Money Market Fund, a series of Alight Series Trust and their respective boards, sponsors, administrators and other service providers. |
14. | Affiliated feeder funds — Treasury Money Market Fund (Cayman) and its board, sponsor, administrator and other service providers. |
15. | Other — Investment Company Institute, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., Mizuho Asset Management Co., Ltd., Nationwide Fund Advisors and State Street Bank and Trust Company, Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. |
$1 million but less than $3
million
|
1.00% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.50% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.25% |
$250,000 but less than $3
million
|
1.00% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.50% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.25% |
$1 million but less than $3
million
|
0.75% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.50% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.25% |
$1 million but less than $3
million
|
0.50% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.25% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.15% |
$250,000 but less than $3
million
|
0.50% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.25% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.15% |
$1 million but less than $3
million
|
0.15% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.10% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.05% |
$500,000 but less than $3
million
|
0.75% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.50% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.25% |
$100,000 and
above
|
0.25% |
$250,000 but less than $4
million
|
1.00% |
$4 million but less than $10
million
|
0.50% |
$10 million and
above
|
0.25% |
$250,000 but less than $3
million
|
0.75% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.50% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.25% |
$1,000,000 and above
|
0.10% |
$1,000,000 and above
|
0.15% |
Aaa | Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk. |
Aa | Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. |
A | Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk. |
Baa | Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics. |
Ba | Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk. |
B | Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk. |
Caa | Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk. |
Ca | Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest. |
C | Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest. |
P-1 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations. |
P-2 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations. |
P-3 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations. |
NP | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories. |
MIG 1 | This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing. |
MIG 2 | This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group. |
MIG 3 | This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established. |
SG | This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection. |
VMIG 1 | This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
VMIG 2 | This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
VMIG 3 | This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
SG | This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
• | Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation; |
• | Nature of and provisions of the obligation, and the promise we impute; |
• | Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights. |
AAA | An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong. |
AA | An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong. |
A | An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong. |
BBB | An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
BB;
B;
CCC; CC; and C |
Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions. |
BB | An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
B | An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
CCC | An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
CC | An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC’ rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default. |
C | An obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher. |
D | An obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer. |
NR | This indicates that no rating has been requested, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy. |
A-1 | A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong. |
A-2 | A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory. |
A-3 | A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
B | A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments. |
C | A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
D | A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer. |
• | Amortization schedule—the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and |
• | Source of payment—the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note. |
S&P’s municipal short-term note rating symbols are as follows: |
SP-1 | Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation. |
SP-2 | Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes. |
SP-3 | Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest. |
AAA | Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events. |
AA | Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events. |
A | High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings. |
BBB | Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. |
BB | Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. |
B | Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material credit risk is present. |
CCC | Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present. |
CC | Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk. |
C | Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk. |
F1 | Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature. |
F2 | Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. |
F3 | Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate. |
B | Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions. |
C | High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility. |
RD | Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only. |
D | Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation. |
1 | iShares MSCI Peru ETF and the iShares Sustainable ETFs, as defined in Appendix A of the Proxy Voting Policy for iShares Sustainable ETFs have separate Fund Proxy Voting Policies. |
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• | Boards and directors |
• | Auditors and audit-related issues |
• | Capital structure, mergers, asset sales and other special transactions |
• | Compensation and benefits |
• | Environmental and social issues |
• | General corporate governance matters and shareholder protections |
• | establishing an appropriate corporate governance structure |
• | supporting and overseeing management in setting long-term strategic goals, applicable measures of value-creation and milestones that will demonstrate progress, and steps taken if any obstacles are anticipated or incurred |
• | ensuring the integrity of financial statements |
• | making independent decisions regarding mergers, acquisitions and disposals |
• | establishing appropriate executive compensation structures |
• | addressing business issues, including environmental and social issues, when they have the potential to materially impact company reputation and performance |
• | current or former employment at the company or a subsidiary within the past several years |
• | being, or representing, a shareholder with a substantial shareholding in the company |
• | interlocking directorships |
• | having any other interest, business or other relationship which could, or could reasonably be perceived to, materially interfere with the director’s ability to act in the best interests of the company |
• | BlackRock clients who may be issuers of securities or proponents of shareholder resolutions |
• | BlackRock business partners or third parties who may be issuers of securities or proponents of shareholder resolutions |
• | BlackRock employees who may sit on the boards of public companies held in Funds managed by BlackRock |
• | Significant BlackRock, Inc. investors who may be issuers of securities held in Funds managed by BlackRock |
• | Securities of BlackRock, Inc. or BlackRock investment funds held in Funds managed by BlackRock |
• | BlackRock, Inc. board members who serve as senior executives of public companies held in Funds managed by BlackRock |
• | Adopted the Guidelines which are designed to protect and enhance the economic value of the companies in which BlackRock invests on behalf of clients. |
• | Established a reporting structure that separates BIS from employees with sales, vendor management or business partnership roles. In addition, BlackRock seeks to ensure that all engagements with corporate issuers, dissident shareholders or shareholder proponents are managed consistently and without regard to BlackRock’s relationship with such parties. Clients or business partners are not given special treatment or differentiated access to BIS. BIS prioritizes engagements based on factors including but not limited to our need for additional information to make a voting decision or our view on the likelihood that an engagement could lead to positive outcome(s) over time for the economic value of the company. Within the normal course of business, BIS may engage directly with BlackRock clients, business partners and/or third parties, and/or with employees with sales, vendor management or business partnership roles, in discussions regarding our approach to stewardship, general corporate governance matters, client reporting needs, and/or to otherwise ensure that proxy-related client service levels are met. |
• | Determined to engage, in certain instances, an independent fiduciary to vote proxies as a further safeguard to avoid potential conflicts of interest, to satisfy regulatory compliance requirements, or as may be otherwise required by applicable law. In such circumstances, the independent fiduciary provides BlackRock’s proxy voting agent with instructions, in accordance with the Guidelines, as to how to vote such proxies, and BlackRock’s proxy voting agent votes the proxy in accordance with the independent fiduciary’s determination. BlackRock uses an independent fiduciary to vote proxies of (i) any company that is affiliated with BlackRock, Inc., (ii) any public company that includes BlackRock employees on its board of directors, (iii) The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., (iv) any public company of which a BlackRock, Inc. board member serves as a senior executive, and (v) companies when legal or regulatory requirements compel BlackRock to use an independent fiduciary. In selecting an independent fiduciary, we assess several characteristics, including but not limited to: independence, an ability to analyze proxy issues and vote in the best economic interest of our clients, reputation for reliability and integrity, and operational capacity to accurately deliver the assigned votes in a timely manner. We may engage more than one independent fiduciary, in part in order to mitigate potential or perceived conflicts of interest at an independent fiduciary. The Global Committee appoints and reviews the performance of the independent fiduciar(ies), generally on an annual basis. |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
1 | — | Articles of Incorporation |
(a) | — | Declaration of Trust of Registrant dated December 22, 1988 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 1(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 33 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-26305) (the “Registration Statement”) filed on January 27, 1998. |
(b) | — | Amendment No. 1 to Declaration of Trust dated May 4, 1989 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 1(b) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 33 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 27, 1998. |
(c) | — | Amendment No. 2 to the Declaration of Trust dated December 23, 1993 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 1(c) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 33 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 27, 1998. |
(d) | — | Amendment No. 3 to the Declaration of Trust dated January 5, 1996 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 1(d) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 23 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 18, 1996. |
(e) | — | Amendment No. 4 to the Declaration of Trust dated December 23, 1997 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 1(e) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 33 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 27, 1998. |
(f) | — | Amended and Restated Certificate of Classification of Shares dated January 22, 2020 is filed herewith. |
2 | — | By-laws |
(a) | — | Amended and Restated Code of Regulations of Registrant, effective as of November 29, 2018 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 962 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on September 25, 2019. |
3 | — | Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders |
(a) | — | Article IV, Article V (Sections 5.1 and 5.4), Article VI (Sections 6.2, 6.5 and 6.7), Article VIII, Article IX (Sections 9.2, 9.5 and 9.6) and Article X (Sections 10.1, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.8 and 10.9) of Registrant’s Declaration of Trust dated December 22, 1988, as amended, are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 1(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 33 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 27, 1998; Article I, Article II (Sections 2 and 3), Article IV (Section 1) and Article V (Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6) of Registrant’s Amended and Restated Code of Regulations are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 962 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on September 25, 2019. |
4 | — | Investment Advisory Contracts. |
(a) | — | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC relating to non-index funds is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 100 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 13, 2006. |
(b) | — | Form of Addendum No. 6 to Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund and BlackRock Advantage Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Emerging Markets Long/Short Equity Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4(e) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 186 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on September 29, 2011. |
(c) | — | Form of Addendum No. 7 to Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Short Obligations Fund, BlackRock Global Long/Short Equity Fund, BlackRock Total Factor Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Strategic Risk Allocation Fund) and BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 259 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on December 21, 2012. |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(d) | — | Form of Addendum No. 8 to Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Advantage Small Cap Core Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Disciplined Small Cap Core Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 282 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on March 13, 2013. |
(e) | — | Form of Addendum No. 9 to Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Total Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Emerging Market Allocation Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 295 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on May 16, 2013. |
(f) | — | Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International, Ltd. with respect to BlackRock International Dividend Fund (f/k/a BlackRock International Opportunities Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4(e) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 100 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 13, 2006. |
(g) | — | Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4(h) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 144 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2011. |
(h) | — | Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock Total Factor Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Strategic Risk Allocation Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 259 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on December 21, 2012. |
(i) | — | Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited with respect to BlackRock Tactical Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Managed Volatility Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 269 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2013. |
(j) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock Total Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Emerging Market Allocation Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 295 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on May 16, 2013. |
(k) | — | Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited with respect to BlackRock Total Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Emerging Market Allocation Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 295 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on May 16, 2013. |
(l) | — | Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited with respect to BlackRock Total Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Emerging Market Allocation Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 295 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on May 16, 2013. |
(m) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 450 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on April 29, 2015. |
(n) | — | Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited with respect to BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 450 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on April 29, 2015. |
(o) | — | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement for certain index funds between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to iShares Russell Mid-Cap Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Midcap Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 454 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on May 13, 2015. |
(p) | — | Appendix A to Form of Investment Advisory Agreement for certain index funds between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to iShares Russell Mid-Cap Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Midcap Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 465 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on June 8, 2015. |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(q) | — | Form of Addendum No. 1 with respect to iShares Developed Real Estate Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Developed Real Estate Index Fund) to Investment Advisory Agreement for certain index funds between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 473 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on August 12, 2015. |
(r) | — | Form of Addendum No. 2 with respect to iShares Russell Small/Mid-Cap Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Small/Mid Cap Index Fund) to Investment Advisory Agreement for certain index funds between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 474 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on August 12, 2015. |
(s) | — | Form of Addendum No. 3 with respect to iShares Total U.S. Stock Market Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Total Stock Market Index Fund) to Investment Advisory Agreement for certain index funds between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 475 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on August 12, 2015. |
(t) | — | Form of Addendum No. 13 to Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Advantage ESG U.S. Equity Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Impact U.S. Equity Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 486 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 5, 2015. |
(u) | — | Form of Addendum No. 5 to Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Portfolio, BlackRock Advantage Small Cap Growth Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Small Cap Growth Equity Portfolio), BlackRock Tactical Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Managed Volatility Portfolio (f/k/a BlackRock Asset Allocation Portfolio)), BlackRock Health Sciences Opportunities Portfolio, BlackRock Technology Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities Portfolio), BlackRock Energy Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock All-Cap Energy & Resources Portfolio), BlackRock High Equity Income Fund (f/k/a BlackRock U.S. Opportunities Portfolio), BlackRock Advantage International Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Global Opportunities Portfolio), BlackRock International Dividend Fund (f/k/a BlackRock International Opportunities Portfolio), BlackRock Exchange Portfolio and BlackRock Money Market Portfolio is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 491 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 24, 2015. |
(v) | — | Form of Amendment to Addendum No. 5 to Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock High Equity Income Fund (f/k/a BlackRock U.S. Opportunities Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 491 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 24, 2015. |
(w) | — | Form of Addendum No. 4 with respect to iShares Short-Term TIPS Bond Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index Fund) to Investment Advisory Agreement for certain index funds between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 537 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on February 16, 2016. |
(x) | — | Form of Addendum No. 14 to Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Emerging Markets Equity Strategies Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 545 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on February 22, 2016. |
(y) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock Emerging Markets Equity Strategies Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 545 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on February 22, 2016. |
(z) | — | Form of Addendum No. 5 with respect to iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor USA Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Multifactor USA Index Fund), iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor Intl Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Multifactor International Index Fund), iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Min Vol USA Index Fund) and iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol EAFE Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Min Vol EAFE Index Fund) to Investment Advisory Agreement for certain index funds between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 590 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on July 12, 2016. |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(aa) | — | Form of Amendment to Addendum No. 6 to Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 620 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 22, 2016. |
(bb) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock Global Long/Short Equity Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 620 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 22, 2016. |
(cc) | — | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Fund Advisors is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 649 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on December 20, 2016. |
(dd) | — | Form of Amendment No. 2 to Addendum No. 5 to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Advantage Small Cap Growth Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Small Cap Growth Equity Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 663 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 27, 2017. |
(ee) | — | Form of Amendment to Addendum No. 9 to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Total Emerging Markets Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No.851 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on April 27, 2018. |
(ff) | — | Form of Amendment to Addendum No. 5 to the Investment Advisory Agreement for certain index funds between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor USA Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Multifactor USA Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 757 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 21, 2017. |
(gg) | — | Form of Amendment No. 3 to Addendum No. 5 to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock High Equity Income Fund, BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund, BlackRock Advantage International Fund and BlackRock International Dividend Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 757 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 21, 2017. |
(hh) | — | Form of Amendment No. 2 to Addendum No. 6 to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Advantage Emerging Markets Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 757 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 21, 2017. |
(ii) | — | Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock Fund Advisors with respect to iShares Developed Real Estate Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Developed Real Estate Index Fund), iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol EAFE Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Min Vol EAFE Index Fund), iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Min Vol USA Index Fund), iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor Intl Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Multifactor International Index Fund), iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor USA Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Multifactor USA Index Fund), iShares Russell Mid-Cap Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Midcap Index Fund), iShares Russell Small/Mid-Cap Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Small/Mid Cap Index Fund), iShares Short-Term TIPS Bond Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index Fund) and iShares Total U.S. Stock Market Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Total Stock Market Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 757 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 21, 2017. |
(jj) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock International Dividend Fund (f/k/a BlackRock International Opportunities Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 808 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 25, 2018. |
(kk) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock Energy Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock All-Cap Energy & Resources Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 808 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 25, 2018. |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(ll) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock Tactical Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Managed Volatility Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 808 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 25, 2018. |
(mm) | — | Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited with respect to BlackRock Tactical Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Managed Volatility Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 808 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 25, 2018. |
(nn) | — | Form of Amendment No. 4 to Addendum No. 5 to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Portfolio and BlackRock Technology Opportunities Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 851 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on April 27, 2018. |
(oo) | — | Form of Amendment No. 3 to Addendum No. 6 to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 851 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on April 27, 2018. |
(pp) | — | Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited with respect to BlackRock Emerging Markets Equity Strategies Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 852 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on April 27, 2018. |
(qq) | — | Form of Addendum No. 1 to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Fund Advisors with respect to iShares Municipal Bond Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 865 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on May 31, 2018. |
(rr) | — | Form of Addendum No. 16 to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock China A Opportunities Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 920 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on December 21, 2018. |
(ss) | — | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund is incorporated by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 945 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on April 8, 2019. |
(tt) | — | Form of Amended and Restated Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock Global Long/Short Equity Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 968 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 22, 2019. |
(uu) | — | Form of Amendment No. 4 to Addendum No. 6 to the Investment Advisory Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Advantage Emerging Markets Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 970 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 22, 2019. |
(vv) | — | Form of Amended and Restated Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock Total Factor Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 973 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 22, 2019. |
(ww) | — | Form of Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited with respect to BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 976 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 25, 2019. |
5 | — | Underwriting Contracts |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(a) | — | Form of Amended and Restated Distribution Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 5 of Post-Effective Amendment No. 66 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. (File No. 2-60836), filed on July 26, 2019. |
6 | — | Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts |
(a) | — | None |
7 | — | Custodian Agreements |
(a) | — | Amended and Restated Custodian Agreement dated February 10, 2004 between BlackRock Funds and PFPC Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 7(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 86 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 3, 2004. |
(b) | — | Custody Agreement dated October 12, 2011 between BlackRock Funds and The Bank of New York Mellon is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 7(b) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 387 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on September 29, 2014. |
(c) | — | Form of Custody Agreement (U.S. Dollar Only) between BlackRock Funds and The Bank of New York Mellon is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 728 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on July 28, 2017. |
(d) | — | Form of Master Global Custody Agreement between BlackRock Funds and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 728 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on July 28, 2017. |
(e) | — | Master Custodian Agreement dated December 31, 2018 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 7(g) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 943 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on February 28, 2019. |
8 | — | Other Material Contracts |
(a) | — | Form of Administration Agreement dated January 1, 2015 between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 148 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds II (File No. 333-142592), filed on January 28, 2015. |
(b) | — | Form of Amendment No. 1 to the Administration Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(2) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds V (File No. 333-224371), filed on July 23, 2018. |
(c) | — | Form of Amended Schedule B to the Administration Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(c) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 336 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds II (File No. 333-142592), filed on October 30, 2019. |
(d) | — | Form of Administration Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC with respect to BlackRock Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8(b) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 945 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on April 8, 2019. |
(e) | — | Form of Administration and Accounting Services Agreement dated June 25, 2010 between Registrant and BNY Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (f/k/a PNC Global Investment Servicing (U.S.) Inc.) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(g) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 28 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Capital Appreciation Fund, Inc. (File No. 33-47875), filed on January 28, 2013. |
(f) | — | Administration and Fund Accounting Services Agreement dated December 31, 2018 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(k) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 43 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of Managed Account Series (File No. 333-124463), filed on February 28, 2019. |
(g) | — | Form of Transfer Agency and Shareholder Services Agreement between Registrant and BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 48 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Series Fund, Inc. (File No. 2-69062), filed on April 18, 2014. |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(h) | — | Share Acquisition Agreement dated April 29, 1998 by and among Registrant and PNC Bank, National Association and PNC Bank, Delaware, respectively, each as trustee for certain of the common trust funds listed therein is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 9(l) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 36 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on April 29, 1998. |
(i) | — | Form of Ninth Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement by and between Registrant, BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock Fund Advisors is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(i) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 967 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 22, 2019. |
(j) | — | Form of Amended and Restated Shareholders’ Administrative Services Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC, dated July 1, 2019, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(k) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 305 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds III (File No. 33-54126), filed on July 1, 2019. |
(k) | — | Form of Sixth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement among Registrant, a syndicate of banks and certain other parties is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 947 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on April 29, 2019. |
(l) | — | Form of Sixth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Investment Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 13(d) of the Registration Statement on Form N-14 of BlackRock Multi-State Municipal Series Trust (File No. 333-235834), filed on January 7, 2020. |
(m) | — | Form of Master Fund Services Agreement between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 728 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on July 28, 2017. |
(n) | — | Form of Fifth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. is filed herewith. |
9 | — | Legal Opinion |
(a) | — | None |
10 | — | Other Opinions |
(a) | — | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm is filed herewith. |
11 | — | Omitted Financial Statements |
(a) | — | None |
12 | — | Initial Capital Agreements |
(a) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and Registrant’s distributor relating to BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund, BlackRock Advantage Small Cap Growth Fund, BlackRock High Equity Income Fund, BlackRock International Dividend Fund, BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Portfolio, BlackRock Money Market Portfolio and BlackRock Tactical Opportunities Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 13(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 34 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on February 13, 1998. |
(b) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and Registrant’s distributor relating to BlackRock Technology Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities Portfolio (f/k/a BlackRock Global Science & Technology Portfolio)) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 12(e) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 54 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on May 10, 2000. |
(c) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Distributors, Inc. relating to BlackRock Health Sciences Opportunities Portfolio (f/k/a BlackRock Health Sciences Portfolio) and BlackRock Exchange Portfolio is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 12(t) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 86 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 3, 2004. |
(d) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Distributors, Inc. relating to BlackRock Energy Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock All-Cap Global Resources Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 12(u) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 87 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 19, 2004. |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(e) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Distributors, Inc. relating to BlackRock Advantage International Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Global Opportunities Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 12(v) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 94 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 27, 2006. |
(f) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Distributors, Inc. relating to BlackRock Tactical Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Managed Volatility Portfolio (f/k/a BlackRock Asset Allocation Portfolio)), BlackRock Advantage Small Cap Growth Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Small Cap Growth Equity Portfolio), BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Portfolio, BlackRock International Dividend Fund (f/k/a BlackRock International Opportunities Portfolio), BlackRock High Equity Income Fund (f/k/a BlackRock U.S. Opportunities Portfolio), BlackRock Technology Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Science & Technology Opportunities Portfolio (f/k/a BlackRock Global Science & Technology Portfolio)), BlackRock Health Sciences Opportunities Portfolio, BlackRock Energy Opportunities Fund (f/k/a BlackRock All-Cap Global Resources Portfolio) and BlackRock Advantage International Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Global Opportunities Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 12(x) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 97 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on September 19, 2006. |
(g) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Investments, LLC relating to BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 187 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on September 29, 2011. |
(h) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Investments, LLC relating to BlackRock Advantage Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Emerging Markets Long/Short Equity Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 188 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 6, 2011. |
(i) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Investments, LLC relating to BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 298 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on May 31, 2013. |
(j) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Investments, LLC relating to BlackRock Short Obligations Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No.243 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 2, 2012. |
(k) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to BlackRock Global Long/Short Equity Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 12(ii) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 257 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on December 19, 2012. |
(l) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to BlackRock Total Factor Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Strategic Risk Allocation Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 259 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on December 21, 2012. |
(m) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to BlackRock Advantage Small Cap Core Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Disciplined Small Cap Core Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 282 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on March 13, 2013. |
(n) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to BlackRock Total Emerging Markets Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Emerging Market Allocation Portfolio) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 295 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on May 16, 2013. |
(o) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to iShares Russell Mid-Cap Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Midcap Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 454 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on May 13, 2015. |
(p) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to iShares Developed Real Estate Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Developed Real Estate Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 473 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on August 12, 2015. |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(q) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to iShares Russell Small/Mid-Cap Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Small/Mid Cap Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 474 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on August 12, 2015. |
(r) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to iShares Total U.S. Stock Market Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Total Stock Market Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 475 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on August 12, 2015. |
(s) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to BlackRock Advantage ESG U.S. Equity Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Impact U.S. Equity Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 486 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on October 5, 2015. |
(t) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to iShares Short-Term TIPS Bond Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 537 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on February 16, 2016. |
(u) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to BlackRock Emerging Markets Equity Strategies Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 545 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on February 22, 2016. |
(v) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor USA Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Multifactor USA Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 590 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on July 12, 2016. |
(w) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor Intl Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Multifactor International Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 590 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on July 12, 2016. |
(x) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Min Vol USA Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 590 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on July 12, 2016. |
(y) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Holdco 2, Inc. relating to iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol EAFE Index Fund (f/k/a BlackRock Min Vol EAFE Index Fund) is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 590 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on July 12, 2016. |
(z) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. relating to iShares Municipal Bond Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 894 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 19, 2018. |
(aa) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. relating to iShares Municipal Bond Index Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 894 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on November 19, 2018. |
(bb) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. relating to BlackRock China A Opportunities Fund is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 920 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on December 21, 2018. |
(cc) | — | Form of Purchase Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. relating to BlackRock Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund is incorporated by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 945 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on April 8, 2019. |
13 | — | Rule 12b-1 Plan. |
(a) | — | Form of Distribution and Service Plan is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 13(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 111 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2009. |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(b) | — | Exhibit A to the Distribution and Service Plan, amended as of April 10, 2019, is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 962 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on September 25, 2019. |
14 | — | Rule 18f-3 Plan. |
(a) | — | Amended and Restated Plan Pursuant to Rule 18f-3 for Operation of a Multi-Class Distribution System is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 960 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on July 29, 2019. |
15 | — | Reserved |
16 | — | Codes of Ethics. |
(a) | — | Code of Ethics of Registrant, BlackRock Investments, LLC, BlackRock Advisors, LLC, BlackRock Fund Advisors, BlackRock International Limited, BlackRock (Singapore) Limited and BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 956 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on May 29, 2019. |
99 | — | Power of Attorney. |
(a) | — | Power of Attorney is incorporated herein by reference to an Exhibit of Post-Effective Amendment No. 922 to Registrant’s Registration Statement filed on January 22, 2019. |
Name | Position(s) and Office(s) with BRIL |
Position(s)
and
Office(s) with Registrant |
Abigail Reynolds | Chairman and Member, Board of Managers, and Chief Executive Officer | None |
Christopher J. Meade | Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Senior Managing Director | None |
Lauren Bradley | Chief Financial Officer and Vice President | None |
Gregory Rosta | Chief Compliance Officer and Director | None |
Jon Maro | Chief Operating Officer and Director | None |
Anne Ackerley | Member, Board of Managers, and Managing Director | None |
Blair Alleman | Managing Director | None |
Michael Bishopp | Managing Director | None |
Thomas Callahan | Member, Board of Managers, and Managing Director | Vice President |
Samara Cohen | Managing Director | None |
John Diorio | Managing Director | None |
Name | Position(s) and Office(s) with BRIL |
Position(s)
and
Office(s) with Registrant |
Lisa Hill | Managing Director | None |
Brendan Kyne | Managing Director | None |
Paul Lohrey | Managing Director | None |
Martin Small | Member, Board of Managers, and Managing Director | None |
Jonathan Steel | Managing Director | None |
Katrina Gil | Director | None |
Chris Nugent | Director | None |
Andrew Dickson | Director and Secretary | None |
Terri Slane | Director and Assistant Secretary | None |
Lourdes Sanchez | Vice President | None |
Lita Midwinter | Anti-Money Laundering Officer | None |
Zach Buchwald | Member, Board of Managers | None |
Gerald Pucci | Member, Board of Managers | None |
Philip Vasan | Member, Board of Managers | None |
BlackRock
FundsSM (Registrant)
on behalf of BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund |
|
By: | /s/ John M. Perlowski |
(John
M. Perlowski,
President and Chief Executive Officer) |
Signature | Title | Date | ||
/s/
John M. Perlowski
(John M. Perlowski) |
Trustee,
President and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer) |
January 24, 2020 | ||
/s/
Neal J. Andrews
(Neal J. Andrews) |
Chief
Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
January 24, 2020 | ||
Bruce
R. Bond*
(Bruce R. Bond) |
Trustee | |||
Susan
J. Carter*
(Susan J. Carter) |
Trustee | |||
Collette
Chilton*
(Collette Chilton) |
Trustee | |||
Neil
A. Cotty*
(Neil A. Cotty) |
Trustee | |||
Lena
G. Goldberg*
(Lena G. Goldberg) |
Trustee | |||
Henry
R. Keizer*
(Henry R. Keizer) |
Trustee | |||
Cynthia
A. Montgomery*
(Cynthia A. Montgomery) |
Trustee | |||
Donald
C. Opatrny*
(Donald C. Opatrny) |
Trustee | |||
Joseph
P. Platt*
(Joseph P. Platt) |
Trustee | |||
Mark
Stalnecker*
(Mark Stalnecker) |
Trustee |
Signature | Title | Date | ||
Kenneth
L. Urish*
(Kenneth L. Urish) |
Trustee | |||
Claire
A. Walton*
(Claire A. Walton) |
Trustee | |||
Robert
Fairbairn*
(Robert Fairbairn) |
Trustee | |||
*By:
/s/ Janey Ahn
(Janey Ahn, Attorney-In-Fact) |
January 24, 2020 |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
1(f) | ― | Amended and Restated Certificate of Classification of Shares dated January 22, 2020. |
8(n) | ― | Form of Fifth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement between Registrant and BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. |
10(a) | ― | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. |
Exhibit 1(f)
BLACKROCK FUNDSSM
(A Massachusetts Business Trust)
AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF CLASSIFICATION OF SHARES
The undersigned, Secretary of BlackRock FundsSM (the Trust), does hereby certify to the following:
WHEREAS, the Declaration of Trust of the Trust, dated the 22nd day of December, 1988, as amended (the Declaration), provides in Section 5.1 that (a) the shares of beneficial interest in the Trust shall be of one class, par value $0.001 (each, a Share and collectively, the Shares), provided that, subject to the terms of the Declaration and the requirements of applicable law, the Trustees of the Trust (the Trustees) have the power to classify or reclassify any unissued Shares into any number of additional classes of Shares, (b) the Trustees may further classify or reclassify any class of Shares into one or more series of such class, (c) the Trustees shall give each class of Shares an alphabetical designation and may give any class of Shares such supplementary designation as the Trustees may deem appropriate and (d) more than one class of Shares may have the same alphabetical designation.
WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority granted to the Trustees in Section 5.1 of the Declaration, the Trustees have, from time to time, divided the Shares into several classes, each with an alphabetical designation and a supplementary designation (each, a Portfolio and collectively, the Portfolios), and have divided each of such Portfolios into one or more series of such Portfolios, having the same alphabetical designation and having a supplementary designation (each, a Class and collectively, the Classes), each as determined by the Trustees, and such Portfolios and Classes in effect as of January 3, 2019 were included in an Amended and Restated Certificate of Classification of Shares dated as of that date;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority granted to the Trustees in Section 5.1 of the Declaration, at a meeting of the Trustees held on November 28, 2018, the Trustees by resolution approved the liquidation and subsequent termination of six Portfolios of the Trust with the alphabetical designations ZZZ, FFFFF, GGGGG, HHHHH, IIIII and QQQQ and the supplementary designations of BlackRock Emerging Markets Dividend Fund, iShares Edge MSCI USA Momentum Factor Index Fund, iShares Edge MSCI USA Quality Factor Index Fund, iShares Edge MSCI USA Size Factor Index Fund, iShares Edge MSCI USA Value Factor Index Fund, and iShares MSCI Asia ex Japan Index Fund, respectively, and each such Portfolio, other than BlackRock Emerging Markets Dividend Fund, was liquidated on or about January 29, 2019 and BlackRock Emerging Markets Dividend Fund was liquidated on or about February 15, 2019;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority granted to the Trustees in Section 5.1 of the Declaration, at a meeting of the Trustees held on November 28, 2018, the Trustees by resolution approved the liquidation and subsequent termination of the Portfolio of the Trust with the alphabetical designation RRRR and with the supplemental designation iShares MSCI Developed World Index Fund, and such Portfolio was liquidated on or about May 7, 2019;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority granted to the Trustees in Section 5.1 of the Declaration, at a meeting of the Trustees held on February 20, 2019, the Trustees by resolution
approved the establishment and designation of a new Portfolio of the Trust with the alphabetical designation MMMMM and the supplementary designation of BlackRock Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund, and approved the further classification of the Shares of such Portfolio into three separate Classes of Shares with the same alphabetical designation, MMMMM-2, MMMMM-3, and MMMMM-21, with the supplemental designations of Investor A Shares, Institutional Shares and Direct Shares, respectively, effective as of February 20, 2019;
WHEREAS, a prior Certificate contained scriveners errors with respect to the designation of the Direct Shares of BlackRock Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund and the supplemental designation of Investor P Shares of iShares Municipal Bond Index Fund;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority granted to the Trustees in Section 5.1 of the Declaration, at a meeting of the Trustees held on May 14-15, 2019, the Trustees by resolution approved the establishment and designation of a new class of BlackRock Money Market Portfolio with the alphabetical designation A-22 and the supplementary designation of Premier Shares, effective as of May 15, 2019;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority granted to the Trustees in Section 5.1 of the Declaration, by written consent of the Trustees dated October 4, 2019, the Trustees approved the establishment and designation of a new class of BlackRock Technology Opportunities Fund with the alphabetical designation OO-18 and the supplementary designation of Class K Shares, effective as of October 4, 2019;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority granted to the Trustees in Section 5.1 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by action at a meeting held on September 18, 2019, authorized the change in the supplementary designation of the Portfolio with the alphabetical designation WWWW from BlackRock Impact U.S. Equity Fund to BlackRock Advantage ESG U.S. Equity Fund and such name change became effective as of December 2, 2019;
WHEREAS, pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization by and between the Trust, on behalf of its Portfolio with the alphabetical designation GGG, and the supplementary designation BlackRock Energy & Resources Portfolio (the Target Fund) and the Trust, on behalf of its Portfolio with the alphabetical designation HHH, and the supplementary designation BlackRock All-Cap Energy & Resources Portfolio (the Acquiring Fund), the Target Fund was reorganized into the Acquiring Fund on January 13, 2020 (the Reorganization), in complete liquidation and termination of the Target Fund; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority granted to the Trustees in Section 5.1 of the Declaration, the Trustees, by action at a meeting held on July 31, 2019, authorized the change in the supplementary designation of the Acquiring Fund to BlackRock Energy Opportunities Fund as of the closing date of the Reorganization.
2
NOW THEREFORE, the undersigned Secretary of the Trust does hereby further certify that following the actions and corrections referenced above, the Trusts Certificate of Classification of Shares is amended and restated in its entirety as of the 13th day of January, 2020, as follows:
1. The following Portfolios and Classes of such Portfolios have heretofore been established and designated by the Trustees in accordance with the Declaration and remain in effect on the date hereof:
Portfolio: Supplementary Designation |
Portfolio:
|
Classes of
the
|
Classes of the
Portfolio |
|||
BlackRock Advantage Emerging Markets Fund |
DDDD | Investor A | DDDD-2 | |||
Investor C | DDDD-5 | |||||
Institutional | DDDD-3 | |||||
Class K | DDDD-18 | |||||
BlackRock Advantage ESG U.S. Equity Fund |
WWWW | Investor A | WWWW-2 | |||
Investor C | WWWW-5 | |||||
Institutional | WWWW-3 | |||||
Class K | WWWW-18 | |||||
BlackRock Advantage International Fund |
III | Investor A | III-2 | |||
Investor C | III-5 | |||||
Institutional | III-3 | |||||
Class K | III-18 | |||||
Class R | III-13 | |||||
Service | III-1 | |||||
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund |
DD | Investor A | DD-2 | |||
Investor C | DD-5 | |||||
Institutional | DD-3 | |||||
Class K | DD-18 | |||||
Class R | DD-13 | |||||
Service | DD-1 | |||||
BlackRock Advantage Small Cap Core Fund |
LLLL | Investor A | LLLL-2 | |||
Investor C | LLLL-5 | |||||
Institutional | LLLL-3 | |||||
Class K | LLLL-18 | |||||
BlackRock Advantage Small Cap Growth Fund |
T | Investor A | T-2 | |||
Investor C | T-5 | |||||
Institutional | T-3 | |||||
Class K | T-18 | |||||
Class R | T-13 | |||||
Service | T-1 |
3
Portfolio: Supplementary Designation |
Portfolio:
|
Classes of
the
|
Classes of the
Portfolio |
|||
BlackRock China A Opportunities Fund |
LLLLL | Institutional | LLLLL-3 | |||
Class K | LLLLL-18 | |||||
BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund |
CCCC | Investor A | CCCC-2 | |||
Investor C | CCCC-5 | |||||
Institutional | CCCC-3 | |||||
Class K | CCCC-18 | |||||
BlackRock Emerging Markets Equity Strategies Fund |
YYYY | Investor A | YYYY-2 | |||
Investor C | YYYY-5 | |||||
Institutional | YYYY-3 | |||||
Class K | YYYY-18 | |||||
BlackRock Energy Opportunities Fund |
HHH | Investor A | HHH-2 | |||
Investor C | HHH-5 | |||||
Institutional | HHH-3 | |||||
Class R | HHH-13 | |||||
Service | HHH-1 | |||||
BlackRock Exchange Portfolio |
AAA | BlackRock | AAA-6 | |||
BlackRock Global Long/Short Equity Fund |
JJJJ | Investor A | JJJJ-2 | |||
Investor C | JJJJ-5 | |||||
Institutional | JJJJ-3 | |||||
Class K | JJJJ-18 | |||||
BlackRock Health Sciences Opportunities Portfolio |
FFF | Investor A | FFF-2 | |||
Investor C | FFF-5 | |||||
Institutional | FFF-3 | |||||
Class K | FFF-18 | |||||
Class R | FFF-13 | |||||
Service | FFF-1 | |||||
BlackRock High Equity Income Fund |
II | Investor A | II-2 | |||
Investor C | II-5 | |||||
Institutional | II-3 | |||||
Class R | II-13 | |||||
Service | II-1 |
4
Portfolio: Supplementary Designation |
Portfolio:
|
Classes of
the
|
Classes of the
Portfolio |
|||
BlackRock International Dividend Fund |
HH | Investor A | HH-2 | |||
Investor C | HH-5 | |||||
Institutional | HH-3 | |||||
Class K | HH-18 | |||||
Class R | HH-13 | |||||
Service | HH-1 | |||||
BlackRock Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund |
MMMMM | Investor A | MMMMM-2 | |||
Institutional | MMMMM-3 | |||||
Direct | MMMMM-21 | |||||
BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Portfolio |
EE | Investor A | EE-2 | |||
Investor C | EE-5 | |||||
Institutional | EE-3 | |||||
Class K | EE-18 | |||||
Class R | EE-13 | |||||
Service | EE-1 | |||||
BlackRock Money Market Portfolio |
A | Investor A | A-2 | |||
Investor C | A-5 | |||||
Institutional | A-3 | |||||
Service | A-1 | |||||
Premier | A-22 | |||||
BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund |
HHHH | Investor A | HHHH-2 | |||
Investor C | HHHH-5 | |||||
Institutional | HHHH-3 | |||||
BlackRock Short Obligations Fund |
FFFF | Investor A | FFFF-2 | |||
Institutional | FFFF-3 | |||||
Class K | FFFF-18 | |||||
BlackRock Tactical Opportunities Fund |
E | Investor A | E-2 | |||
Investor C | E-5 | |||||
Institutional | E-3 | |||||
Class K | E-18 | |||||
Class R | E-13 | |||||
Service | E-1 | |||||
BlackRock Technology Opportunities Fund |
OO | Investor A | OO-2 | |||
Investor C | OO-5 | |||||
Institutional | OO-3 |
5
Portfolio: Supplementary Designation |
Portfolio:
|
Classes of
the
|
Classes of the
Portfolio |
|||
Class R | OO-13 | |||||
Service | OO-1 | |||||
Class K | OO-18 | |||||
BlackRock Total Emerging Markets Fund |
MMMM | Investor A | MMMM-2 | |||
Investor C | MMMM-5 | |||||
Institutional | MMMM-3 | |||||
BlackRock Total Factor Fund |
KKKK | Investor A | KKKK-2 | |||
Investor C | KKKK-5 | |||||
Institutional | KKKK-3 | |||||
Class K | KKKK-18 | |||||
iShares Developed Real Estate Index Fund |
TTTT | Investor A | TTTT-2 | |||
Institutional | TTTT-3 | |||||
Class K | TTTT-18 | |||||
iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol EAFE Index Fund |
DDDDD | Institutional | DDDDD-3 | |||
Class K | DDDDD-18 | |||||
iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA Index Fund |
CCCCC | Institutional | CCCCC-3 | |||
Class K | CCCCC-18 | |||||
iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor Intl Index Fund |
BBBBB | Institutional | BBBBB-3 | |||
Class K | BBBBB-18 | |||||
iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor USA Index Fund |
AAAAA | Institutional | AAAAA-3 | |||
Class K | AAAAA-18 | |||||
iShares Municipal Bond Index Fund |
KKKKK | Investor A | KKKKK-2 | |||
Institutional | KKKKK-3 | |||||
Class K | KKKKK-18 | |||||
Investor P | KKKKK-20 | |||||
iShares Russell Mid-Cap Index Fund |
SSSS | Investor A | SSSS-2 | |||
Institutional | SSSS-3 | |||||
Class K | SSSS-18 |
6
Portfolio: Supplementary Designation |
Portfolio:
|
Classes of
the
|
Classes of the
Portfolio |
|||
iShares Russell Small/Mid-Cap Index Fund |
UUUU | Investor A | UUUU-2 | |||
Institutional | UUUU-3 | |||||
Class K | UUUU-18 | |||||
iShares Short-Term TIPS Bond Index Fund |
XXXX | Investor A | XXXX-2 | |||
Institutional | XXXX-3 | |||||
Class K | XXXX-18 | |||||
iShares Total U.S. Stock Market Index Fund |
VVVV | Investor A | VVVV-2 | |||
Institutional | VVVV-3 | |||||
Class K | VVVV-18 |
2. The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of Shares of beneficial interest of each such Portfolio and Class.
3. All consideration received by the Trust for the issue or sale of Shares of a Class of a Portfolio shall be invested and reinvested with the consideration received by the Trust for the issue and sale of all other Classes of that Portfolio, together with all income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, including: (i) any proceeds derived from the sale, exchange or liquidation thereof, (ii) any funds or payments derived from any reinvestment of such proceeds in whatever form the same may be, and (iii) any general assets of the Trust allocated to Shares of that Portfolio by the Trustees in accordance with the Declaration; and each Class of the Portfolio shall share on the basis of relative net asset values (or on such other basis established by the Trustees or officers of the Trust) with such other Classes of Shares of such Portfolio in such consideration and other assets, income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, including any proceeds derived from the sale, exchange or liquidation thereof, and any assets derived from any reinvestment of such proceeds in whatever form.
4. In determining the income attributable to each Portfolio: any general expenses and liabilities of the Trust allocated by the Trustees to the Portfolios of the Trust shall be allocated among all Portfolios on the basis of relative net asset values (or on such other basis established by the Trustees or officers of the Trust), and any expenses and liabilities of the Trust allocated by the Trustees to a Portfolio shall be allocated among the Classes of such Portfolio on the basis of relative net asset values (or on such other basis established by the Trustees or officers of the Trust), except that to the extent permitted by rule or order of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Shares of a Class shall bear all: (1) expenses and liabilities relating to Shares of that Class payable under the Trusts Distribution and Service Plan with respect to those Shares and (2) other expenses and liabilities directly attributable to such Shares of a Class which the Trustees determine should be borne solely by such Shares.
7
5. Shares shall (1) have all the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations, qualifications, terms and conditions of redemption and such further terms and conditions as determined by the Trustees and set forth in the Trusts Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information with respect to such Shares and (2) be subject to the terms of the Declaration, as the same may be amended from time to time and shall have the same voting powers, provided that: (i) when expressly required by law, or when otherwise permitted by the Trustees acting in their sole discretion, Shares shall be voted by individual Portfolio and/or Class; and (ii) only Shares of the respective Portfolio or Portfolios or Class or Classes, as the case may be, affected by a matter shall be entitled to vote on such matter, and provided further that without affecting any provisions in the Declaration, Shares of each Portfolio shall be subject to the express right of the Trust to redeem Shares of such Portfolio or Class of such Portfolio at any time if the Trustees determine in their sole discretion and by majority vote that failure to so redeem may have adverse consequences to the holders of the Shares of such Portfolio or Class of such Portfolio, and upon such redemption the holders of the Shares so redeemed shall have no further right with respect thereto other than to receive payment of the redemption price; and
6. Each Share of each Portfolio issued for the purchase price established in its Prospectus will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
(signature page follows)
8
WITNESS my hand as of this 22nd day of January, 2020
/s/ Janey Ahn |
Janey Ahn, Secretary |
The Declaration establishing the Trust, a copy of which, together with all amendments thereto is on file in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, provides that the name of the Trust, BlackRock FundsSM, refers to the Trustees under the Declaration collectively as Trustees, but not as individuals or personally; and no Trustee, shareholder, officer, employee or agent of BlackRock FundsSM shall be held to any personal liability, nor shall resort be had to their private property for the satisfaction of any obligation or claim or otherwise in connection with the affairs of said Trust but the Trust Property only shall be liable.
9
Exhibit 8(n)
FIFTH AMENDED AND RESTATED
SECURITIES LENDING AGENCY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT, dated as of January 1, 2020, is entered into by and between BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A., a national banking association (BTC), and each registered investment company listed on Schedule A hereto (each, a Client), each acting on behalf of the funds listed on Schedule A hereto or otherwise party to the Securities Lending Agreement (as defined below) from time to time (collectively, the Funds).
WHEREAS, each Client is registered as an open-end investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act);
WHEREAS, BTC acts as the agent for each Client and its corresponding Funds for the purpose of lending Securities (as defined below) in the Accounts (as defined below) pursuant to a Fourth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement, dated as of January 1, 2019, and
WHEREAS, BTC and each Client desire to amend and restate such agreement on the terms set forth herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the mutual promises set forth herein, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. |
Definitions. |
Whenever used in this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires, the following words shall have the meanings set forth below. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meaning assigned to them in the applicable Securities Lending Agreement.
1.1 Account shall mean an account maintained under the supervision of the applicable Funds custodian or any sub-custodian on behalf of such Fund.
1.2 Approved Investment shall mean any type of investment permitted for Cash Collateral under the Securities Lending Guidelines.
1.3 Authorized Person shall be any officer of the Client and any other person, whether or not any such person is an officer or employee of the Client, duly authorized by resolutions of the Client to give Oral Instructions and/or Written Instructions on behalf of the Client, such persons to be designated in a Certificate which contains a specimen signature of such person.
1.4 Book-Entry System shall mean the Federal Reserve/Treasury book-entry system for receiving and delivering Government Securities (as defined herein), its successors or equivalent and nominees.
1.5 Borrower shall mean any entity which is permitted to borrow Securities
from the Client pursuant to then applicable law, regulation, and/or interpretation and pursuant to the Securities Lending Guidelines, and which has a valid Securities Lending Agreement in place with BTC.
1.6 Business Day shall mean, with respect to a Fund for which Securities loans are outstanding pursuant to this Agreement, a day on which both such Fund and BTC are open for business.
1.7 Cash Collateral shall mean either Fed funds or New York Clearing House funds or their equivalent if denominated in U.S. dollars, or the equivalent if the Cash Collateral is denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars, as applicable for a particular loan of Securities.
1.8 Cash Management Costs shall mean the expenses incurred in connection with the management and investment of a Funds Cash Collateral, including fees and expenses payable to BTC, BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA) or any other affiliate of BTC as a result of the investment of Cash Collateral in any joint account, fund or similar vehicle.
1.9 Certificate shall mean any notice, instruction, schedule or other instrument in writing, authorized or required by this Agreement to be given to BTC, which is actually received by BTC and signed on behalf of the Client by an Authorized Person or a person reasonably believed by BTC to be an Authorized Person.
1.10 Collateral shall mean Cash Collateral and Non-Cash Collateral, as applicable.
1.11 Collateral Account shall mean an account established and maintained by the Custodian for the purpose of holding Collateral, which in the case of Non-Cash Collateral may be an Account or other account established for the purpose of holding Non-Cash Collateral. A Collateral Account may include a joint account as permitted by the Securities Lending Guidelines.
1.12 Custodian shall mean State Street Bank and Trust Company, a trust company organized and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or such other company that may from time to time be retained as custodian by the Client with respect to one or more Funds.
1.13 Depository shall mean the Depository Trust Company, Euroclear, and any other securities depository, sub-depository or clearing agency (and their respective successors and nominees) authorized under applicable law or regulation to act as a securities depository, sub- depository or clearing agency, including any foreign securities depository or sub-depository for the Client.
1.14 Distributions means interest, dividends and other payments and distributions, including non-cash distributions, received with respect to Collateral and Approved Investments.
1.15 Government Security shall mean book-entry Treasury securities (as defined in Subpart 0 of Treasury Department Circular No. 300, 31 C.F.R. 306) and any other securities issued or guaranteed by the United States government or any agency or instrumentality of the United States government.
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1.16 Letter of Credit shall mean an unconditional and irrevocable letter of credit in favor of BTC as agent for a Fund issued by a bank other than the Borrower, the creditworthiness of which has been deemed to be acceptable by BTC and which meets any applicable requirements in the Securities Lending Guidelines.
1.17 Non-Cash Collateral means Government Securities and Letters of Credit plus such other non-cash collateral as may be then permitted by applicable law, regulation and/or interpretation, and the Securities Lending Guidelines.
1.18 Oral Instructions shall mean verbal instructions actually received by BTC from an Authorized Person or from a person reasonably believed by BTC to be an Authorized Person.
1.19 Rebate shall mean the amount payable by a Fund to a Borrower in connection with Securities loans at any time collateralized by Cash Collateral.
1.20 Securities Lending Agreement shall mean with respect to any Borrower, the agreement pursuant to which BTC lends securities on behalf of its customers (including the Funds) to such Borrower, as amended from time to time, which agreement shall meet any applicable requirements in the Securities Lending Guidelines. The Securities Lending Agreement may be in the form of a master agreement covering a series of Securities lending transactions from multiple lenders, including the Client.
1.21 Securities Lending Guidelines shall mean guidelines governing the Clients Securities lending program adopted by the Client and provided to BTC from time to time. The Securities Lending Guidelines may address any aspect of the Clients Securities lending program, including without limitation the kinds of Securities that may be lent, permissible forms of Collateral, permissible Approved Investments, the selection of Borrowers, and regular reporting to the Client.
1.22 Securities Loan Fee shall mean the amount payable by a Borrower to BTC, as agent for the Funds, pursuant to the applicable Securities Lending Agreement in connection with Securities loans, if any, collateralized by Non-Cash Collateral.
1.23 Security shall mean any Government Securities, non-U.S. securities, U.S. common stock and other equity securities, bonds, debentures, corporate debt securities, notes, mortgages, other obligations and financial assets, and any certificates, warrants or other instruments representing rights to receive, purchase, or subscribe for the same, or evidencing or representing any other rights or interests therein, which are available for lending pursuant to this Agreement.
1.24 Written Instructions shall mean written communications actually received by BTC from an Authorized Person or from a person reasonably believed by BTC to be an Authorized Person by letter, memorandum, telegram, cable, telex, telecopy facsimile, computer, video (CRT) terminal or other on-line system, or any other method whereby BTC is able to verify with a reasonable degree of certainty the identity of the sender.
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2. |
Appointment; Scope of Agency Authority. |
2.1 Appointment. The Client, on behalf of its Funds, hereby appoints BTC as its agent to lend Securities in the Accounts to Borrowers from time to time as hereinafter set forth, and BTC hereby accepts appointment as such agent and agrees to so act.
2.2 Securities Subject to Lending. Unless the Client provides BTC with Written Instructions to the contrary or otherwise agreed by the Client and BTC, all Securities maintained in the Accounts shall be available for lending pursuant to this Agreement.
2.3 Securities Lending Agreement.
(a) Attached hereto as Exhibit A are the standard forms of Securities Lending Agreements in effect between BTC and the Borrowers as of the date hereof. BTC shall provide the Client with any proposed material amendments or changes, and notify the Client of any such amendments or changes, to any form of Securities Lending Agreement to be used prior to their effectiveness. The Client may elect, without penalty, to terminate any Borrower if it opposes the change.
(b) BTC is hereby authorized to lend Securities in the Accounts to Borrowers pursuant to the Securities Lending Agreements, this Agreement and the Securities Lending Guidelines.
2.4 Loan Opportunities. The Client, on behalf of its Funds, acknowledges and agrees that BTC shall have the right to decline to make any loans of Securities under any Securities Lending Agreement, to discontinue lending or to terminate any loans of Securities under any Securities Lending Agreement in its sole discretion. The Client, on behalf of its Funds, agrees that it shall have no claim against BTC based on, or relating to, loans made for other customers, or loan opportunities refused hereunder, whether or not BTC has made fewer or more loans for any other customer than for a Fund, and whether or not any loan for another customer, or the opportunity refused, could have resulted in loans made hereunder.
2.5 Use of Book-Entry System and Depositories. The Client, on behalf of its Funds, hereby authorizes BTC on a continuous and on-going basis, to deposit in the Book-Entry System and any Depositories all Securities eligible for deposit therein and to utilize the Book-Entry System and Depositories to the extent possible in connection with its receipt and delivery of Securities, Collateral, Approved Investments and monies under this Agreement. Where Securities, Non-Cash Collateral and Approved Investments eligible for deposit in the Book-Entry System or a Depository are transferred to the applicable Account or Collateral Account, BTC shall identify or cause to be identified as belonging to the applicable Fund a quantity of Securities in a fungible bulk of Securities shown on BTCs account on the books of the Book-Entry System or the applicable Depository. Securities, Collateral and Approved Investments deposited in the Book-Entry System or a Depository will be commingled in accounts which include assets held by BTC for customers, including but not limited to accounts in which BTC acts in a fiduciary or agency capacity, as well as assets held by or on behalf of other clients or participants of the Book-Entry System or Depository.
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2.6 Use of Third-Party Service Providers. The Client, on behalf of its Funds, hereby acknowledges and agrees that BTC may utilize third-party service providers to perform or analyze the functions described herein, including service providers in which BTC may have an ownership interest. As permitted by Section 5.8 below, these services may require the transmission, use or sharing of data created in Securities lending transactions involving the Funds. BTC shall bear the cost of any such service providers out of its portion of the proceeds from Securities lending.
2.7 Further Action. The Client authorizes and empowers BTC to execute in the Clients name all agreements and documents as may be necessary or appropriate in BTCs judgment to carry out the purposes of this Agreement.
3. |
Representations and Warranties. |
3.1 Clients Representations. The Client hereby represents and warrants to BTC, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing and to be reaffirmed on any day that a Securities loan hereunder is outstanding, that:
(a) This Agreement and the Securities Lending Guidelines have been approved by the Board of Directors or Board of Trustees, as applicable, of the Client (the Board); this Agreement is, and, if properly entered into under the terms of this Agreement and the Securities Lending Guidelines, each Securities loan and Approved Investment will be, legally and validly entered into by the Client, on behalf of its Funds, does not, and will not, violate any statute, regulation, rule, order or judgment binding on the Fund, or any provision of the Clients charter or by-laws, or any agreement binding on the Client or affecting its property, and is enforceable against the Client and each of its Funds in accordance with its terms, except as may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws, or by equitable principles relating to or limiting creditors rights generally;
(b) The person executing this Agreement and all Authorized Persons acting on behalf of the Client or any Fund has and have been duly and properly authorized to do so;
(c) Each Fund is lending Securities as principal for its own account and it will not transfer, assign or encumber its interest in, or rights with respect to, any Securities loans; and
(d) All Securities available for lending pursuant to this Agreement are free and clear of all liens, claims, security interests and encumbrances that would preclude their being lent as contemplated by this Agreement. The Client shall promptly notify BTC in the manner agreed between the parties from time to time when any Securities are no longer subject to the representations contained in this sub-paragraph (d).
3.2 BTCs Representations. BTC hereby represents and warrants to the Client, which representations and warranties shall be deemed to be continuing and to be reaffirmed on any day that a Securities loan hereunder is outstanding, that:
(a) This Agreement is legally and validly entered into by BTC, does not and will not, violate any statute, regulation, rule, order or judgment binding on BTC, or any
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provision of BTCs charter or by-laws, or any agreement binding on BTC or affecting its property, and is enforceable against BTC in accordance with its terms, except as may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws, or by equitable principles relating to or limiting creditors rights generally;
(b) Both the person or persons executing this Agreement on behalf of BTC and all persons acting on BTCs behalf pursuant to this Agreement have been duly and properly authorized to do so; and
(c) It will comply with all laws, rules and regulations, including without limitation the conditions of any exemptive orders granted to the Client by the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to securities lending transactions, if required, applicable to the Securities lending transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
4. |
Securities Lending Transactions. |
4.1 Compliance with Securities Lending Guidelines. BTC hereby acknowledges receipt of the current Securities Lending Guidelines. The Client shall promptly notify BTC of any changes to the Securities Lending Guidelines. BTC acknowledges and agrees that it shall only lend Securities on behalf of the Funds in accordance with the conditions of the Securities Lending Guidelines applicable to the Funds lending agent.
4.2 Loan Initiation. From time to time BTC may lend Securities to Borrowers and deliver such Securities against receipt of Collateral in accordance with the applicable Securities Lending Agreement and the Securities Lending Guidelines. If instructed by the Client in writing, BTC shall refrain from lending a particular Security or from making loans to a particular Borrower.
4.3 Receipt of Collateral; Approved Investments.
(a) With respect to any Securities loan entered into on behalf of a Fund, BTC shall require that the Borrower deliver and maintain Collateral that is equal at all times during the term of the loan to at least the market value of the Securities loaned and any accrued interest thereon. If Cash Collateral is received, BTC is hereby authorized and directed, without obtaining any further approval from the Fund, to invest and reinvest all or substantially all of the Cash Collateral received in any Approved Investments, including in the name of and on behalf of the Fund to redeem, withdraw or sell the same, and to receive distributions in the name of and on behalf of the Fund in accordance with the Securities Lending Guidelines. The Client hereby agrees to execute all necessary documents and take all necessary actions reasonably requested by BTC in order to permit BTC to so act with regard to Approved Investments. BTC shall instruct the Custodian to credit all Collateral, Approved Investments and Distributions received with respect to Collateral and Approved Investments to the applicable Collateral Account or Account, as the case may be, and mark its books and records to identify the Funds ownership thereof as appropriate.
(b) All Approved Investments shall be for the account and risk of the Fund. To the extent any loss arising out of Approved Investments results in a deficiency in the amount of Collateral available for return to a Borrower pursuant to the Securities Lending Agreement, the Fund agrees to pay BTC on demand cash in an amount equal to such deficiency.
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(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, all Collateral, Approved Investments and Distributions credited to the applicable Collateral Account or Account, as the case may be, shall be controlled by, and subject only to the instructions of, BTC, and BTC shall not be required to comply with any instructions of the Client with respect to the same.
4.4 Distributions on Loaned Securities. Except as provided in the next sentence, all amounts received from the Borrower equivalent to all interest, dividends, and other distributions which the owner of the loaned Securities is entitled to receive (such equivalent, a Loan Substitute Payment) shall be credited to the Funds Account on the date such amounts are delivered by the Borrower to the Custodian. Any non-cash distribution on loaned Securities which is in the nature of a stock split or a stock dividend shall be added to the applicable loan (and shall be considered to constitute loaned Securities) as of the date such non-cash distribution is declared payable whether or not it has been received by the Borrower, provided that any such addition shall be conditional upon the actual receipt of such non-cash distribution and may be reversed by the Custodian to the extent that such non-cash distribution is not received.
4.5 Mark to Market. BTC shall on each Business Day mark to market in U.S. dollars the value of all Collateral (other than Cash Collateral) and Securities loaned hereunder and accordingly receive and release Collateral in accordance with the applicable Securities Lending Agreement.
4.6 Collateral Substitutions. BTC may accept substitutions of Collateral in accordance with the applicable Securities Lending Agreement and the Securities Lending Guidelines and shall credit all such substitutions to the Collateral Account; provided, however, that unless other Collateral has been mutually agreed upon in writing by BTC and the Fund (including by means of the Securities Lending Guidelines), no other Collateral may be substituted for Cash Collateral.
4.7 Termination of Loans. In addition to BTCs authority to terminate a loan of Securities pursuant to the terms of the applicable Securities Lending Agreement as described in Section 2.4 above, BTC shall terminate any Securities loan to a Borrower in accordance with the applicable Securities Lending Agreement promptly:
(a) upon receipt by BTC of Oral Instructions or Written Instructions instructing it to terminate a Securities loan; provided that the Client may require that each Security must be returned to the Fund by no later than the date which is the standard settlement date for trades of such Security entered into on the date such Oral Instruction or Written Instruction is received by BTC;
(b) upon receipt by BTC of Oral Instructions or Written Instructions pursuant to the Securities Lending Guidelines to no longer lend to a particular Borrower;
(c) upon receipt of written notice from the Client terminating this Agreement with respect to one or more Funds in accordance with Section 6; or
(d) as contemplated by the Securities Lending Guidelines.
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4.8 Securities Loan Fee. BTC shall receive, hold and administer any applicable Securities Loan Fee paid by any Borrower pursuant to a Securities Lending Agreement and credit all such amounts received to the applicable Account of the lending Fund.
4.9 Borrowers Financial Condition. BTC has delivered to any investment adviser to the Funds, each Borrowers most recent statements required to be furnished to customers by Rule 17a-5(c) of the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as have been made available to BTC pursuant to the Securities Lending Agreements. BTC shall promptly deliver to any investment adviser for the Funds all statements and financial information subsequently delivered to BTC and required to be furnished to BTC under the Securities Lending Agreements.
4.10 Transfer Taxes and Necessary Costs. All transfer taxes and necessary costs with respect to the transfer of the loaned Securities by the Fund to the Borrower and the Borrower to the Fund upon the termination of the loan shall be paid by the Borrower in accordance with the applicable Securities Lending Agreement.
4.11 BTCs Obligation. Except as specifically set forth herein, or in any applicable Securities Lending Agreement, BTC shall have no duty or obligation to take action to effect payment by a Borrower of any amounts owed by such Borrower pursuant to the Securities Lending Agreement.
4.12 Loans to Affiliated Borrowers. The Client and BTC have obtained an exemptive order from the Securities and Exchange Commission that permits BTC to lend Securities on behalf of the Funds to Affiliated Borrowers, provided that such loans are made in accordance with the conditions and procedures outlined in the exemptive order. BTC shall only make loans to Affiliated Borrowers in accordance with such conditions and procedures, as they may be amended from time to time, and only so long as they remain applicable, and in accordance with the Securities Lending Guidelines.
5. |
Concerning BTC. |
5.1 Standard of Care: Indemnification.
(a) BTC shall not be liable for any costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims (including reasonable attorneys and accountants fees) incurred by the Fund, except to the extent those costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims result from BTCs material breach of this Agreement or BTCs negligence, willful misconduct, bad faith, or reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder.
Neither the Client nor BTC shall have any obligation hereunder for costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims (including reasonable attorneys and accountants fees), which are sustained or incurred by reason of any action or inaction by the Book-Entry System or any Depository or their respective successors or nominees. In no event shall either party be liable to the other for special, punitive or consequential damages, arising under or in connection with this Agreement, even if previously informed of the possibility of such damages.
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(b) The Client, on behalf of its Funds, agrees to indemnify BTC and to hold it harmless from and against any and all costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims (including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) which BTC may sustain or incur or which may be asserted against BTC by reason of or as a result of any action taken or omitted by BTC in connection with or arising out of BTCs operating under and in compliance with this Agreement, except those costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims arising out of BTCs negligence, bad faith, willful misconduct, or reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder. Actions taken or omitted in reasonable reliance upon Oral Instructions or Written Instructions, any Certificate, or upon any information, order, indenture, stock certificate, power of attorney, assignment, affidavit or other instrument reasonably believed by BTC to be genuine or bearing the signature of a person or persons reasonably believed by BTC to be genuine or bearing the signature of a person or persons reasonably believed to be authorized to sign, countersign or execute the same, shall be presumed to have been taken or omitted in good faith.
(c) BTC shall indemnify and hold harmless the Client and each of its Funds, the Clients Board and its agents, and BFA or BlackRock Advisors, LLC, as applicable, each an investment adviser for the Funds, from any and all loss, liability, costs, damages, actions, and claims (Loss) to the extent that any such Loss arises out of the material breach of this Agreement by or negligent acts or omissions, bad faith or willful misconduct of BTC, its officers, directors or employees or any of its agents or subcustodians in connection with the Securities lending activities undertaken pursuant to this Agreement, provided that BTCs indemnification obligation with respect to the acts or omissions of its subcustodians shall not exceed the indemnification provided by the applicable subcustodian to BTC.
(d) Prior to lending on behalf of any Fund, BTC shall have obtained a Guaranty and Indemnity from an entity, the creditworthiness of which is reasonably satisfactory to the Board of the Client, in favor of such Fund or Funds pursuant to which the guarantor will indemnify the Funds for losses due to a Borrower default on terms that are consistent in all material respects with the existing Guaranty and Indemnity by BlackRock, Inc. The Client and/or its Funds, at their expense, may obtain further indemnification against losses due to a Borrower default from a third party to which BTC is not a party.
5.2 No Obligation to Inquire. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, BTC shall be under no obligation to inquire into, and shall not be liable for, the validity of the issue of any Securities or Approved Investments credited to any Account or Collateral Account.
5.3 Advice of Counsel. BTC may, with respect to questions of law, apply for and obtain the advice and opinion of counsel which may be counsel to the Client, provided that the foregoing shall not be deemed to be a waiver by the Client of any conflict of such counsel.
5.4 No Collection Obligations. BTC shall be under no obligation or duty to take action to effect collection from the issuer of any amounts payable in respect of Securities or Approved Investments if the issuer of such Securities or Approved Investments is in default, or if payment is refused after due demand and presentation.
5.5 Pricing Methods. BTC is authorized to utilize any recognized pricing information service or any other means of valuation specified in the applicable Securities Lending
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Agreement (Pricing Methods) in order to perform its valuation responsibilities with respect to loaned Securities, Collateral and Approved Investments, and the Fund agrees to hold BTC harmless from and against any loss or damage suffered or incurred as a result of errors or omissions of any such Pricing Methods.
5.6 BTCs Fee as Securities Lending Agent, etc.
(a) In connection with each Securities loan hereunder, the Fund shall, subject to Section 5.6(f), pay to BTC a percentage (the BTC Fee Percentage) of the net amount earned from Securities lending activities, consisting of income earned on the investment and reinvestment of Cash Collateral plus any Securities Loan Fees paid by the Borrowers. The net amount to be paid to BTC shall be computed after deducting (x) any Rebate due to the Borrowers under the applicable Securities Lending Agreement with the Borrowers and (y) Cash Management Costs. BTC has agreed to cap Cash Management Costs on an annualized basis to 0.04% of the daily value of the Cash Collateral; such cap, which may be raised or reduced upon mutual agreement between BTC and the Board of the Client, may be effected through caps of expenses incurred by a joint account, fund or similar vehicle in which Cash Collateral is invested or, to the extent such cap does not reduce Cash Management Costs to the agreed-upon percentage, through a waiver of fees received by BTC pursuant to this Agreement. The BTC Fee Percentage shall be such percentage as may from time to time be agreed upon by the Client, the Clients Board and BTC and shall be set forth in writing. As of the date of this Agreement, the BTC Fee Percentage is:
(i) |
25% for the Funds that are identified as U.S. Equity Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client; |
(ii) |
18% for the Funds that are identified as International Equity Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client; |
(iii) |
18% for the Funds that are identified as Funds of Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client; and |
(iv) |
18% for the Funds that are identified as Fixed Income Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client. |
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if at any point during a calendar year, the aggregate gross revenues earned by the Funds identified on Schedule A as Multi-Asset Complex Open-End Funds Group A (the Group A Funds) and the funds identified on Schedule B hereto (and any future funds in the Multi-Asset Complex), prior to payment of compensation to the applicable lending agent, exceed $29,780,000 (the Multi-Asset Complex Breakpoint), the BTC Fee Percentage shall be reduced to:
(i) |
20% for the Group A Funds that are identified as U.S. Equity Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client; |
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(ii) |
15% for the Group A Funds that are identified as International Equity Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client; |
(iii) |
15% for the Group A Funds that are identified as Funds of Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client; and |
(iv) |
15% for the Group A Funds that are identified as Fixed Income Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client, |
in allocating net income after gross revenues for the calendar year equal the Multi-Asset Complex Breakpoint. The adjusted allocation shall become effective on incremental gross income starting on the next business day after the Multi-Asset Complex Breakpoint is reached. The Multi-Asset Complex refers to all of the Funds currently or in the future overseen by a board of directors/trustees consisting of the same individuals who comprise the members of the boards of directors/trustees of the Group A Funds listed on Schedule A and the funds listed on Schedule B.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if at any point during a calendar year, the aggregate gross revenues earned by the Funds in the Fixed-Income Complex identified on Schedule A as Fixed-Income Complex Open-End Funds Group B (the Group B Funds) and the funds on Schedule C hereto (and any future funds in the Fixed-Income Complex), prior to payment of compensation to the applicable lending agent, exceed $3,150,000 (the Fixed-Income Complex Breakpoint), the BTC Fee Percentage shall be reduced to:
(i) |
20% for the Group B Funds that are identified as U.S. Equity Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client; |
(ii) |
15% for the Group B Funds that are identified as International Equity Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client; |
(iii) |
15% for the Group B Funds that are identified as Funds of Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client; and |
(iv) |
15% for the Group B Funds that are identified as Fixed Income Funds in accordance with a methodology agreed to between BTC and the Client, |
in allocating net income after gross revenues for the calendar year equal the Fixed-Income Complex Breakpoint. The adjusted allocation shall become effective on incremental gross income starting on the next business day after the Fixed-Income Complex Breakpoint is reached. The Fixed-Income Complex refers to all of the Funds currently or in the future overseen by a board
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of directors/trustees consisting of the same individuals who comprise the members of the boards of directors/trustees of the Group B Funds listed on Schedule A and the funds listed on Schedule C.
(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the fee calculated for a Fund and the Client pursuant to the above would result in an effective fee split of less than 70% of the sum of such Funds securities lending income (after deducting any Rebate due to the Borrowers under the applicable Securities Lending Agreement with the Borrowers) and Cash Management Costs for any day (the Effective Fee Split Floor), then BTCs fees for such day shall be reduced to the extent necessary to provide such Fund with the Effective Fee Split Floor.
(e) BTC is authorized on a monthly basis to charge the fee owed to it by a Fund under this Section 5.6 against the applicable Account. Such fee shall be charged and paid at the end of each month. Subject to Section 5.6(f), BTC shall simultaneously therewith direct the Custodian to pay to the applicable Fund the net amount earned from Securities lending activities, as described in Sections 5.6(a) through (d), which is not paid to BTC as its fee.
(f) BTC shall be responsible for all transaction fees and all other operational costs relating to Securities lending activities, other than Cash Management Costs and extraordinary expenses (e.g., litigation and indemnification expenses), each to be borne by the respective Fund.
5.7 Reliance on Certificates and Instructions. The Client agrees to furnish to BTC a new Certificate whenever any then Authorized Person ceases to be an Authorized Person or additional Authorized Persons are appointed and authorized. BTC shall be entitled to rely, and shall be fully protected in acting, upon any Certificate, any information contained on any schedule hereto as may be amended in accordance with the terms hereof, and any Written or Oral Instruction actually received by BTC and reasonably believed by BTC to be duly authorized and delivered. The Client agrees to forward to BTC Written Instructions confirming Oral Instructions in such manner so that such Written Instructions are received by BTC by the close of business of the same day that such Oral Instructions are given to BTC. The Client agrees that the fact that such confirming Written Instructions are not received on a timely basis or that contrary instructions are received by BTC shall in no way affect the validity or enforceability of the transactions authorized by the Client. BTC shall use reasonable efforts to report any subsequently received contrary instructions. In this regard, the records of BTC shall be presumed to reflect accurately any Oral Instructions given by an Authorized Person or a person reasonably believed by BTC to be an Authorized Person.
5.8 Disclosure of Information. BTC may not disclose or supply any information regarding the Client or Fund unless required by any law or governmental regulation now or hereafter in effect or requested to do so by the Client; provided that BTC may disclose or supply information regarding the Client and/or Fund and any transactions authorized by this Agreement as necessary in the sole discretion of BTC in order to facilitate, effect or continue any Securities loans hereunder or to assist in the analysis of the performance of the Securities lending program.
5.9 Reports. BTC shall furnish the Client and the Fund with reports relating to loans hereunder and other information requested by the Client and shall provide such reports to the Clients Board upon request or as may be required by the Securities Lending Guidelines.
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5.10 Force Majeure. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, in no event shall a party to this Agreement be liable to the other party or any third party for losses resulting from (i) any acts of God, fires, floods, or other disturbances of nature, epidemics, strikes, riots, nationalization, expropriation, currency restrictions, terrorist activity, or insurrection, or (ii) other happenings or events beyond the reasonable control or anticipation of the party affected, provided that (A) the affected party has in place appropriate business continuity procedures, systems and facilities and (B) the affected party uses its best efforts to avoid or remove the cause of such losses.
5.11 No Implied Duties.
(a) BTC shall have no duties or responsibilities whatsoever except such duties and responsibilities as are specifically set forth in this Agreement and in the applicable Securities Lending Agreement, and no covenant or obligation shall be implied against BTC in connection with this Agreement.
(b) Neither the Client nor any of its Funds shall have any duties or responsibilities whatsoever except such duties and responsibilities as are specifically set forth in this Agreement, and no covenant or obligation shall be implied against the Client or any of its Funds in connection with this Agreement.
(c) Nothing in this Agreement shall be understood to imply that in performing the functions described herein, BTC is acting in the capacity of an investment adviser or is providing advice as to the value of Securities or as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing, or selling Securities.
6. |
Termination. |
6.1 Termination. This Agreement may be terminated at any time with respect to one or more Funds by either party upon delivery to the other party of a written notice specifying the date of such termination, which shall be not less than 60 days after the date of receipt of such notice.
6.2 Cooperation. All parties shall take all commercially reasonable steps to cooperate to provide a smooth transition in the event of a termination.
6.3 Termination of Loans, etc. upon Termination of Agreement. Notwithstanding any such notice, this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect with respect to any loans of Securities that remain outstanding as of the date of termination; provided, however, that BTC shall promptly terminate all loans of Securities made pursuant to this Agreement and shall not make any further loans of Securities pursuant to this Agreement.
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7. |
Miscellaneous. |
7.1 Exclusivity. During the term of this Agreement, the Client agrees that it shall not enter into any other agreement with any third party whereby such third party is permitted to make loans on behalf of any Fund of any Securities held by BTC in an Account from time to time; provided, however, that nothing in this provision shall prevent the Client from terminating this Agreement and/or hiring a securities lending agent other than BTC. The parties agree that this provision does not prohibit the Client from maintaining this Agreement during any transition period to another securities lending agent.
7.2 Notices.
(a) Any notice or other instrument in writing, authorized or required by this Agreement to be given to BTC, shall be sufficiently given if addressed to BTC and received by it at its offices at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, Attention: Securities Lending Department, with a copy to the General Counsel or at such other place as BTC may from time to time designate in writing.
(b) Any notice or other instrument in writing, authorized or required by this Agreement to be given to the Client shall be sufficiently given if addressed to the Client and/or its Funds and received by Mutual Fund Administration, c/o BlackRock Fund Advisors, 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, California 94105, with a copy to: Legal Department, or at such other place as the Client may from time to time designate in writing.
7.3 Cumulative Rights and No Waiver. Each and every right granted to a party hereunder or under any other document delivered hereunder or in connection herewith, or allowed it by law or equity, shall be cumulative and may be exercised from time to time. No failure on the part of a party to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise by a party of any right preclude any other or future exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right.
7.4 Severability. In case any provision in or obligation under this Agreement shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions or obligations shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby, and if any provision is inapplicable to any person or circumstances, it shall nevertheless remain applicable to all other persons and circumstances.
7.5 Amendments. This Agreement may not be amended or modified in any manner except by a written agreement executed by all parties.
7.6 Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall extend to and shall be binding upon the parties hereto, and their respective successors and assigns; provided, however, that this Agreement shall not be assignable by either party without the written consent of the other.
7.7 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California without regard to conflict of laws principles thereof.
7.8 No Third Party Beneficiaries. In performing hereunder, BTC is acting solely on behalf of the Client and, except as specifically provided herein, no contractual or service relationship shall be deemed to be established hereby between BTC and any other person.
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7.9 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but such counterparts shall, together, constitute only one instrument.
7.10 Separate Agreement. Execution of this Agreement by more than one Client or on behalf of more than one Fund shall not create any contractual or other obligation between or among such Clients or Funds, and this Agreement shall constitute a separate agreement between BTC and each Client on behalf of each respective Fund. Every reference to Client or Fund shall be construed to be a reference solely to the particular Client or Fund that is a party to the relevant transaction. Each of the parties agrees that under no circumstances shall any rights, obligations, remedies or liabilities of a particular Client or Fund, or with respect to transactions to which a particular Client or Fund is a party, be deemed to constitute rights, obligations, remedies or liabilities applicable to any other Client or Fund or to transactions to which other Clients or Funds are parties, and BTC shall have no right to set off claims of any Client or Fund against property or liabilities of any other Client or Fund. All transactions are entered into in reliance on the fact that this Agreement constitutes a separate agreement between BTC and the Client or Fund.
7.11 SIPA Notice. THE PARTIES ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THE SECURITIES INVESTOR PROTECTION ACT OF 1970 (SIPA) OR THE DODD-FRANK ACT OF 2010 (DFA) MAY NOT PROTECT THE FUND WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES LOAN TRANSACTION AND THAT, THEREFORE, THE COLLATERAL DELIVERED BY AN APPROVED BORROWER TO THE FUND MAY CONSTITUTE THE ONLY SOURCE OF SATISFACTION OF THE OBLIGATION OF THE APPROVED BORROWER IN THE EVENT THE APPROVED BORROWER (OR ITS AGENT) FAILS TO RETURN THE SECURITIES. BTC SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSSES INCURRED OR LIABILITIES WHICH ARISE SOLELY DUE TO THE APPLICATION OF SIPA OR DFA TO THE SECURITIES LENDING TRANSACTIONS DESCRIBED HEREIN.
7.12 Survival of Indemnification. The indemnifications provided by a party hereunder shall be a continuing obligation of such party, its successors and assigns, notwithstanding the termination of any loans hereunder or of this Agreement.
7.13 No Personal Liability. It is understood and agreed that none of the interestholders, officers, agents or trustees of the Client or any of its Funds shall be personally liable hereunder. All persons contracting with or having a claim against the Client with respect to a Fund shall look solely to the assets of such Fund for payment of such contract or claim, and no Fund shall be liable for the obligations of any other Fund.
7.14 Business Trusts. With respect to a Client which is a business trust, BTC acknowledges and agrees that this Agreement is executed by such Client on behalf of the trustees of such Client as trustees and not individually; and no trustee, shareholder, officer, employee or agent of such business trust shall be held to any personal liability, nor shall resort be had to their property for the satisfaction of the Clients obligations under this Agreement, and such obligations are binding only upon the assets and property of such Client.
- 15 -
7.15 Series Trusts. The parties acknowledge that the Client is an investment company, whose assets may be allocated to two or more series. In such case, BTC agrees to seek satisfaction of all obligations of such Client hereunder solely out of the assets of the series on whose behalf the Transaction(s) giving to the obligations was entered into. If the Client establishes two or more series, the Client shall so indicate on Schedule A or otherwise give notice thereof and identify such series, and from such time the liability of such series shall be limited as set forth above, as though and to the same extent as if such series was a separate and distinct Client hereunder.
[End of Text]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respective officers, thereunto duly authorized, as of the day and year first above written.
EACH REGISTERED INVESTMENT COMPANY LISTED ON SCHEDULE A, on behalf of each of its series listed on Schedule A or as otherwise party to the Securities Lending Agreement from time to time | ||
By: |
|
|
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
BLACKROCK INSTITUTIONAL TRUST COMPANY, N.A. | ||
By: |
|
|
Name: | ||
Title: |
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Schedule A
Multi-Asset Complex Open-End Funds Group A
BlackRock ETF Trust*
BlackRock U.S. Equity Factor Rotation ETF
BlackRock FundsSM
iShares Developed Real Estate Index Fund
iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol EAFE Index Fund
iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA Index Fund
iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor Intl Index Fund
iShares Edge MSCI Multifactor USA Index Fund
iShares Municipal Bond Index Fund
iShares Russell Mid-Cap Index Fund
iShares Russell Small/Mid-Cap Index Fund
iShares Short-Term TIPS Bond Index Fund
iShares Total U.S. Stock Market Index Fund
BlackRock Funds III
BlackRock Cash Funds: Institutional
BlackRock Cash Funds: Treasury
BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic Retirement Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2025 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2030 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2035 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2040 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2045 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2050 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2055 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2060 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Dynamic 2065 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Index Retirement Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Index 2025 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Index 2030 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Index 2035 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Index 2040 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Index 2045 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Index 2050 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Index 2055 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Index 2060 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Index 2065 Fund
iShares MSCI Total International Index Fund
iShares Russell 1000 Large-Cap Index Fund
iShares S&P 500 Index Fund
iShares U.S. Aggregate Bond Index Fund
BlackRock Index Funds, Inc.
iShares MSCI EAFE International Index Fund
iShares Russell 2000 Small-Cap Index Fund
Schedule A to the Fourth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement
Master Investment Portfolio
Active Stock Master Portfolio
International Tilts Master Portfolio
Large Cap Index Master Portfolio
LifePath® Dynamic Retirement Master Portfolio
LifePath® Dynamic 2025 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Dynamic 2030 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Dynamic 2035 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Dynamic 2040 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Dynamic 2045 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Dynamic 2050 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Dynamic 2055 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Dynamic 2060 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Dynamic 2065 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Index Retirement Master Portfolio
LifePath® Index 2025 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Index 2030 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Index 2035 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Index 2040 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Index 2045 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Index 2050 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Index 2055 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Index 2060 Master Portfolio
LifePath® Index 2065 Master Portfolio
Money Market Master Portfolio
S&P 500 Index Master Portfolio
Total International ex U.S. Index Master Portfolio
Treasury Money Market Master Portfolio
U.S. Total Bond Index Master Portfolio
Quantitative Master Series LLC
Master Small Cap Index Series
Fixed-Income Complex Open-End Funds Group B
BlackRock Funds VI
BlackRock CoreAlpha Bond Fund
Master Investment Portfolio II
CoreAlpha Bond Master Portfolio
* |
Fund is an exchange-traded fund |
Schedule A to the Fourth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement
Schedule B
Multi-Asset Complex Open-End Funds*
BlackRock Advantage Global Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Asian Dragon Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Balanced Capital Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Basic Value Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Capital Appreciation Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Emerging Markets Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Equity Dividend Fund
BlackRock EuroFund
BlackRock Financial Institutions Series Trust
BlackRock Summit Cash Reserves Fund
BlackRock FundsSM
BlackRock Advantage Emerging Markets Fund
BlackRock Advantage ESG U.S. Equity Fund
BlackRock Advantage International Fund
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund
BlackRock Advantage Small Cap Core Fund
BlackRock Advantage Small Cap Growth Fund
BlackRock All-Cap Energy & Resources Portfolio
BlackRock China A Opportunities Fund
BlackRock Commodity Strategies Fund
BlackRock Emerging Markets Equity Strategies Fund
BlackRock Energy & Resources Portfolio
BlackRock Exchange Portfolio
BlackRock Global Long/Short Equity Fund
BlackRock Health Sciences Opportunities Portfolio
BlackRock High Equity Income Fund
BlackRock International Dividend Fund
BlackRock Liquid Environmentally Aware Fund
BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Portfolio
BlackRock Money Market Portfolio
BlackRock Real Estate Securities Fund
BlackRock Short Obligations Fund
BlackRock Tactical Opportunities Fund
BlackRock Technology Opportunities Fund
BlackRock Total Emerging Markets Fund
BlackRock Total Factor Fund
BlackRock Funds II
BlackRock 20/80 Target Allocation Fund
BlackRock 40/60 Target Allocation Fund
BlackRock 60/40 Target Allocation Fund
BlackRock 80/20 Target Allocation Fund
Schedule B to the Fourth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement
BlackRock Dynamic High Income Portfolio
BlackRock Global Dividend Portfolio
BlackRock LifePath® Smart Beta Retirement Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Smart Beta 2025 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Smart Beta 2030 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Smart Beta 2035 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Smart Beta 2040 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Smart Beta 2045 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Smart Beta 2050 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Smart Beta 2055 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Smart Beta 2060 Fund
BlackRock LifePath® Smart Beta 2065 Fund
BlackRock Managed Income Fund
BlackRock Multi-Asset Income Portfolio
BlackRock Global Allocation Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Large Cap Focus Growth Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Large Cap Series Funds, Inc.
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Core Fund
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Value Fund
BlackRock Event Driven Equity Fund
BlackRock Latin America Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Liquidity Funds
California Money Fund
Federal Trust Fund
FedFund
MuniCash
MuniFund
New York Money Fund
TempCash
TempFund
T-Fund
Treasury Trust Fund
BlackRock Long-Horizon Equity Fund
BlackRock Mid Cap Dividend Series, Inc.
BlackRock Mid Cap Dividend Fund
BlackRock Natural Resources Trust
BlackRock Series Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Core Portfolio
BlackRock Balanced Capital Portfolio
BlackRock Capital Appreciation Portfolio
BlackRock Global Allocation Portfolio
BlackRock Government Money Market Portfolio
BlackRock Series, Inc.
BlackRock International Fund
Schedule B to the Fourth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement
BlackRock Variable Series Funds, Inc.
BlackRock 60/40 Target Allocation ETF V.I. Fund
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Core V.I. Fund
BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Value V.I. Fund
BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market V.I. Fund
BlackRock Basic Value V.I. Fund
BlackRock Capital Appreciation V.I. Fund
BlackRock Equity Dividend V.I. Fund
BlackRock Global Allocation V.I. Fund
BlackRock Government Money Market V.I. Fund
BlackRock International Index V.I. Fund
BlackRock International V.I. Fund
BlackRock Large Cap Focus Growth V.I. Fund
BlackRock Managed Volatility V.I. Fund
BlackRock S&P 500 Index V.I. Fund
BlackRock Small Cap Index V.I. Fund
Funds For Institutions Series
BlackRock Premier Government Institutional Fund
BlackRock Select Treasury Strategies Institutional Fund
BlackRock Treasury Strategies Institutional Fund
FFI Government Fund
FFI Treasury Fund
Managed Account Series
BlackRock GA Disciplined Volatility Equity Fund
BlackRock GA Dynamic Equity Fund
Master Advantage U.S. Total Market LLC
Master Focus Growth LLC
Master Institutional Money Market LLC
Master Premier Government Institutional Portfolio
Master Treasury Strategies Institutional Portfolio
Master Large Cap Series LLC
Master Advantage Large Cap Core Portfolio
Master Advantage Large Cap Value Portfolio
Ready Assets Government Liquidity Fund
Ready Assets U.S. Treasury Money Fund
Retirement Series Trust
Retirement Reserves Money Fund
* |
Funds have alternative securities lending agency arrangement. |
Schedule B to the Fourth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement
Schedule C
Fixed-Income Complex Closed-End Funds*
BlackRock 2022 Global Income Opportunity Trust
BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust
BlackRock Core Bond Trust
BlackRock Corporate High Yield Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust
BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund
BlackRock Debt Strategies Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust
BlackRock Enhanced Capital and Income Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust
BlackRock Enhanced Global Dividend Trust
BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Strategies Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Trust
BlackRock Florida Municipal 2020 Term Trust
BlackRock Health Sciences Trust
BlackRock Income Trust, Inc.
BlackRock Investment Quality Municipal Trust, Inc.
BlackRock Limited Duration Income Trust
BlackRock Long-Term Municipal Advantage Trust
BlackRock Maryland Municipal Bond Trust
BlackRock Massachusetts Tax-Exempt Trust
BlackRock Multi-Sector Income Trust
BlackRock Multi-Sector Opportunities Trust
BlackRock Multi-Sector Opportunities Trust II
BlackRock Muni Intermediate Duration Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Muni New York Intermediate Duration Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniAssets Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Municipal 2020 Term Trust
BlackRock Municipal 2030 Target Term Trust
BlackRock Municipal Bond Trust
BlackRock Municipal Income Investment Quality Trust
BlackRock Municipal Income Investment Trust
BlackRock Municipal Income Quality Trust
BlackRock Municipal Income Trust
BlackRock Municipal Income Trust II
BlackRock MuniEnhanced Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniHoldings California Quality Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniHoldings Fund II, Inc.
BlackRock MuniHoldings Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniHoldings Investment Quality Fund
Schedule C to the Fourth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement
BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniHoldings New York Quality Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniHoldings Quality Fund II, Inc.
BlackRock MuniHoldings Quality Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniVest Fund II, Inc.
BlackRock MuniVest Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniYield Arizona Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniYield California Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniYield California Quality Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniYield Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniYield Investment Fund
BlackRock MuniYield Investment Quality Fund
BlackRock MuniYield Michigan Quality Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniYield New Jersey Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniYield New York Quality Fund, Inc.
BlackRock MuniYield Pennsylvania Quality Fund
BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund II, Inc.
BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund III, Inc.
BlackRock MuniYield Quality Fund, Inc.
BlackRock New York Municipal Bond Trust
BlackRock New York Municipal Income Quality Trust
BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust
BlackRock New York Municipal Income Trust II
BlackRock Resources & Commodities Strategy Trust
BlackRock Science and Technology Trust
BlackRock Science and Technology Trust II
BlackRock Taxable Municipal Bond Trust
BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust
BlackRock Virginia Municipal Bond Trust
The BlackRock Strategic Municipal Trust
Fixed-Income Complex Open-End Funds*
BlackRock Allocation Target Shares
BATS: Series A Portfolio
BATS: Series C Portfolio
BATS: Series E Portfolio
BATS: Series M Portfolio
BATS: Series P Portfolio
BATS: Series S Portfolio
BlackRock Bond Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Total Return Fund
BlackRock California Municipal Series Trust
BlackRock California Municipal Opportunities Fund
BlackRock Funds IV
BlackRock Global Long/Short Credit Fund
Schedule C to the Fourth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement
BlackRock Impact Bond Fund
BlackRock Systematic Multi-Strategy Fund
BlackRock Funds V
BlackRock Core Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Credit Strategies Income Fund
BlackRock Emerging Markets Bond Fund
BlackRock Emerging Markets Flexible Dynamic Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio
BlackRock GNMA Portfolio
BlackRock High Yield Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio
BlackRock U.S. Government Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Multi-State Municipal Series Trust
BlackRock New Jersey Municipal Bond Fund
BlackRock New York Municipal Opportunities Fund
BlackRock Pennsylvania Municipal Bond Fund
BlackRock Municipal Bond Fund, Inc.
BlackRock High Yield Municipal Fund
BlackRock National Municipal Fund
BlackRock Short-Term Municipal Fund
BlackRock Municipal Series Trust
BlackRock Strategic Municipal Opportunities Fund
BlackRock Series Fund II, Inc.
BlackRock High Yield Portfolio
BlackRock U.S. Government Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Strategic Global Bond Fund, Inc.
BlackRock Variable Series Funds II, Inc.
BlackRock High Yield V.I. Fund
BlackRock Total Return V.I. Fund
BlackRock U.S. Government Bond V.I. Fund
Managed Account Series II
BlackRock U.S. Mortgage Portfolio
Master Bond LLC
Master Total Return Portfolio
* |
Funds have alternative securities lending agency arrangement. |
Schedule C to the Fourth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement
Exhibit A
Form of Securities Lending Agreement
Exhibit 10(a)
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Post-Effective Amendment No. 989 to Registration Statement No. 33-26305 on Form N-1A of our report dated November 20, 2019, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights of the BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund of BlackRock FundsSM (the Fund), appearing in the Annual Report on Form N-CSR of the Fund for the year ended September 30, 2019, and to the references to us under the headings Financial Highlights and Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm in the Prospectuses and Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and Financial Statements in the Statement of Additional Information, which are part of such Registration Statement.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
January 24, 2020