BlackRock

Unlike competing financial services firms, the asset manager has agreed to undergo a racial audit.

The firm will enlist law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to review the issue and other incidents to surface in recent weeks.

The firm has been locked in a contest with runner-up Vanguard for flows, with the latter winning last year for the first time since 2013.

The asset manager said it's particularly interested in how firms are behaving in the communities in which they operate, be it locally or via their supply chains.

Over the past year, the lineup of stock and bond funds notched an average gain of more than 25%.

The strategy has become the least-loved of the smart beta universe after failing to protect against market swings last year.

“This looks like pockets of frothiness, some irrationality undoubtedly, some nonsense undoubtedly," said BlackRock Vice Chairman Philipp Hildebrand.

BlackRock’s CEO joins a chorus of corporate voices reconsidering their roles in the political process in the wake of the Jan. 6 unrest.

Pressure is mounting for firms to respond to last week’s violence at the Capitol.

The firm is the latest in a line of big money managers making a late entry into the $5.6 trillion ETF market.

The flood follows a strong Democratic showing in last week’s runoff elections in Georgia, which tipped the Senate’s control to President-elect Biden’s party.

“The expectation of sustained volatility in the medium term has re-invigorated hedge fund appeal,” BlackRock and Juniper Place said in their report.

The top 20 to debut last year by total assets include only three products from BlackRock and none from Vanguard or State Street.

Steady inflows showcase the buy-and-hold ethos of the typical Vanguard investor — financial advisors and wealth managers, an expert says.

Complicating socially conscious investing is the fact the SEC doesn’t regulate how the category’s labeling is applied.

The fund giants voted for 99% of U.S. directors proposed by the energy, utility, banking and automotive companies reviewed by nonprofit research group Majority Action.

Funds from the biggest three issuers account for more than 80% of the industry's total assets.

While some industry employees are eager for the normalcy of their offices, others are more reluctant as experts predict another rise in virus cases.

The industry’s largest money manager experienced record inflows to sustainable products in the first six months of the year.

BlackRock’s CEO said he fears big ideas and impromptu “water-cooler moments” will be lost as businesses operate remotely via video conference calls.