BlackRock misses profit estimates as market turbulence spooks investors

July 15 (Reuters) – BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) posted a bigger-than-expected fall in quarterly profit on Friday as the turmoil in the global markets shrank the world’s largest asset manager’s fee income.

The current macroeconomic environment, ridden with worries of surging inflation, geopolitical turmoil and rate hikes, has only added to the pressures of fund managers, as a large part of their business is dependent on market conditions.

Moreover, the pullback in the pandemic-era stimulus from the U.S. Federal Reserve has hit the risk appetite of investors who have rejigged porfolios this year towards safe-haven and fixed-income products, with equity markets tumbling on recession fears.

BlackRock’s shares, which have shed nearly 36% so far this year, were down 1.7% in premarket trading after results.

“Investors are simultaneously navigating high inflation, rising rates and the worst start to the year for both stocks and bonds in half a century,” said Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink said in a statement.

More rate hikes by the U.S. central bank to combat decades-high inflation could further impact asset managers as investors refrain from large investments. They are also facing tough comparisons to last year, when easy monetary policy and cheap borrowing led to frenzied investment activity.

BlackRock’s assets under management (AUM) fell 11% to $8.49 trillion compared to last year, well below the $10 trillion milestone from the fourth quarter of 2021.

Revenue in the quarter for BlackRock fell 6% to $4.53 billion, while total net inflows stood at $90 billion.

Adjusted profit fell to $1.12 billion, or $7.36 per share, for the three months ended June 30, from $1.61 billion, or $10.45 per share, a year earlier.

Analysts on average had expected the asset manager to report a profit of $7.90 per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

The company bought back shares worth $500 million in the quarter.

Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru and Carolina Mandl in New York; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli

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