Asset Classes (continued)

Alternatives

Alternatives AUM totaled $104.9 billion at year-end 2011, down $4.8 billion, largely due to net outflows of $3.8 billion. Net inflows of $2.4 billion into single­-strategy hedge funds were largely offset by outflows from other core alternatives products. Commodities net inflows of $1.8 billion were offset by net outflows of $5.6 billion from active and passive currency strategies. Net market valuation declines of $0.9 billion also dampened results. We continued to make significant investments in our alternatives platform in 2011, including the addition of three new hedge funds, a suite of new alternative mutual funds and direct private equity as well as the formation of a strategic relationship with NTR plc to launch renewable power products. We believe that as alternatives become more mainstream and investors adapt their asset allocation strategies to best meet their investment objectives, they will further increase their use of alternative investments to complement core holdings. With highly regarded alternative investment experts armed with industry-­leading access to information, insights and deal flow, and a multi-­faceted risk management process, BlackRock is well positioned to capitalize on this trend and has been recognized for achievements in the alternatives space.

Institutional investors represented 73%, or $76.5 billion, of alternatives AUM with retail and high net worth investors comprising an additional 9%, or $9.1 billion, at December 31, 2011. iShares commodities products represented the remaining $19.3 billion, or 18%, of AUM at year end. The geographic mix was well diversified, with 56% of AUM managed for clients in the Americas, 22% for clients in EMEA and 22% for clients in Asia­-Pacific.

The BlackRock Alternative Investors ("BAI") group coordinates our alternative investment efforts, including product management, business development and client service. Our alternatives products fall into two main categories: core, which includes hedge funds, funds of funds and real estate offerings, and currency and commodities. The products offered under the BAI umbrella are described below.

Hedge funds ended the year with $28.0 billion of AUM, up $1.3 billion as $2.0 billion of net inflows into multi­-strategy and global macro hedge funds were partially offset by market valuation declines of $0.5 billion. Hedge fund AUM includes a variety of single-­strategy, multi­-strategy and global macro hedge funds as well as portable alpha, distressed and opportunistic offerings. Products include both open-end hedge funds and similar products, and closed­-end funds created to take advantage of specific opportunities over a defined, often longer-­term investment horizon.

Funds of funds AUM decreased $1.2 billion, or 5%, to $22.8 billion at December 31, 2011, including $17.6 billion in funds of hedge funds and hybrid vehicles and $5.2 billion in private equity funds of funds. Declines were driven by net outflows of $1.7 billion, partially offset by $0.5 billion of market valuation gains. Performance was strong and a growing number of institutional clients worldwide sought our expertise in customized accounts and commingled vehicles.

Real estate AUM totaled $12.8 billion in a variety of real estate debt and equity products. AUM decreased $0.1 billion as $0.3 billion of net outflows were largely offset by $0.2 billion of market valuation gains. Market performance was positive overall, with gains for U.S. funds and separate accounts only partly offset by valuation declines in U.K. funds and international separate accounts. Offerings include high-yield debt and core, value-­added and opportunistic equity portfolios.

Currency and commodities AUM totaled $41.3 billion at year-end 2011, down $4.8 billion during the year, reflecting $3.8 billion of net outflows, primarily in active currency and currency overlays, and $1.0 billion of market valuation declines. These products include a range of active and passive products primarily managed through institutional separate accounts. Our iShares commodities products represented $19.2 billion of AUM and were not eligible for performance fees.

Cash Management and Securities Lending

Cash management AUM totaled $254.7 billion at December 31, 2011, down $24.5 billion, or 9%, from year-end 2010. Cash management products include taxable and tax­-exempt money market funds and customized separate accounts. Portfolios may be denominated in U.S. dollars, euros or British pounds.

Eighty-four percent of cash AUM was managed for institutions and 16% for retail and high net worth investors. The investor base was also predominantly domestic, with 70% of AUM managed for investors in the Americas and 30% for clients in other regions, mostly EMEA. We suffered net outflows during the year, as investors sought higher yields in bank deposits, direct money market investments and longer-­term assets. Among institutional investors, we saw the movement of unprecedented levels of cash to U.S.-domiciled bank accounts, partially due to the unlimited guarantee from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") on bank deposits. Additionally, retail investors looked to different asset classes in search of higher yields as cash rates remained low. We expect flows in cash management to remain volatile due to continued global market uncertainty, persistent low interest rates and potential regulatory changes.

The cash management team also invests the cash we receive as collateral for securities on loan in other portfolios. Securities lending, which is offered as a potential source of incremental returns on long­-term portfolios, is managed by a dedicated team, supported by quantitative analysis, proprietary technology and disciplined risk management. Fees for securities lending can be structured as a share of earnings and/or a percentage of the value of the cash collateral. The value of the securities on loan and the revenue earned is captured in the corresponding asset class being managed. The value of the collateral is not included in AUM.

Outstanding loan balances ended the year at approximately $120 billion, up from $104 billion at year-end 2010. The majority of the increase occurred during the second quarter, and balances remained relatively stable through the remainder of the year. Demand generally strengthened in the latter part of the year, as equity market volatility rose in response to the European debt crisis. The strong rally in December raised notional values on loans and offset any decline in end­-user borrowing due to falling volatility. The proportion of securities commanding premium lending fees grew slowly through the year and started 2012 above the 2011 average.

BlackRock employs a conservative investment style for cash and securities lending collateral that emphasizes quality, liquidity and superior client service through all market cycles. Disciplined risk management, including a rigorous credit surveillance process, is an integral part of the investment process. BlackRock's Cash Management Risk Committee has established risk limits, such as aggregate issuer exposure limits and maturity limits, across many of the products BlackRock manages, including all of its cash management products. In the ordinary course of our business, there may be instances when a portfolio may exceed an internal risk limit or when an internal risk limit may be changed. No such instances, individually or in the aggregate, have been material to the Company. To the extent that daily evaluation/reporting of the profile of the portfolios identifies that a limit has been exceeded, the relevant portfolio will be adjusted. To the extent a portfolio manager would like to obtain a temporary waiver of a risk limit, the portfolio manager must obtain approval from the credit research team, which is independent from the cash management portfolio managers. While a risk limit may be waived, such temporary waivers are infrequent.

© Copyright 2012 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved.

This is an interactive electronic version of the BlackRock 2011 Annual Report to Shareholders. The contents of this version are qualified in their entirety by reference to the printed version. A reproduction of the printed version is available in PDF here.

*IMPORTANT NOTES
Opinions

Opinions expressed throughout this annual report are those of BlackRock, Inc. as of March 2012 and are subject to change.

BGI Transaction

On December 1, 2009, BlackRock acquired from Barclays Bank PLC all of the outstanding equity interests of subsidiaries of Barclays conducting the business of Barclays Global Investors ("BGI") (the "BGI Transaction").

Adjusted and As Adjusted Results

Diluted earnings per share, operating income, operating margin, operating cash flow and net income are presented on an "as adjusted" basis. See pages 28-30 of the PDF for Explanation of Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.

Other Revenue

On the Financial Highlights page Other Revenue includes BlackRock Solutions and advisory, Cash management base fees, Investment advisory performance fees, Distribution fees and Other revenue.

Operating Margin Peer Average

Source: SNL, as of December 31, 2011; Market-cap weighted peer average includes: BEN, IVZ, TROW, LM, AMG, FII, EV, WDR, JNS, CLMS, CNS, GBL and PZN.

Performance Data

Past performance is not indicative of future results. The performance information shown is based on preliminarily available data. The performance information for actively managed accounts reflects U.S. open-end and closed-end mutual funds and similar EMEA-based products with respect to peer median comparisons, and actively managed institutional and high net worth separate accounts and funds located globally with respect to benchmark comparisons, as determined using objectively based internal parameters, using the most current verified information available as of December 31, 2011.

Accounts terminated prior to December 31, 2011 are not included. In addition, accounts that have not been verified as of January 30, 2012 have not been included. If such terminated and other accounts had been included, the performance information may have differed substantially from that shown. The performance information does not include funds or accounts that are not measured against a benchmark, any benchmark-based alternatives product, private equity products, CDOs, or liquidation accounts managed by BlackRock's FMA group.

Comparisons are based on gross-of-fee performance for U.S. retail, institutional and high net worth separate accounts and EMEA institutional separate accounts and net-of-fee performance for EMEA based retail products. The performance tracking information for institutional index accounts is based on gross-of-fee performance as of December 31, 2011, and includes all institutional accounts and all iShares funds globally using an index strategy. AUM information is based on AUM for each account or fund in the asset class shown without adjustment for overlapping management of the same account or fund as of December 31, 2011. The information reported may differ slightly from that reported previously due to the increased number of accounts that have been verified since the last performance disclosure. BlackRock does not consider these differences to be material.

The source of performance information and peer medians is BlackRock and is based in part on data from Lipper Inc. for U.S. funds and Morningstar, Inc. for non-U.S. funds. Fund performance reflects the reinvestment of dividends and distributions, but does not reflect sales charges. S&P 500® Index is a widely recognized, unmanaged index of common stock prices of industrial, utility, transportation and financial companies in U.S. markets.

Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Index is an unmanaged index considered representative of the U.S. investment-grade, fixed rate bond market.

Net New Business and Net Inflows

Unless stated otherwise, 2011 net new business and net inflows figures are before giving effect to a total of $28.3 billion in BGI merger-related outflows. These outflows reflect manager concentration considerations prior to third quarter 2011 and outflows from scientific active equity performance prior to second quarter 2011. BGI merger-related outflows totaled $121.0 billion in 2010 and $2.9 billion in 2009. Total merger-related outflows since the December 2009 BGI transaction represent less than 9% of acquired assets under management.

Market Share of U.S. Long-Term Mutual Fund Flows

Source: SimFund, as of December 31, 2011; Data is for U.S. long-term open-end mutual funds and excludes ETFs and funds of funds.

BlackRock Data Points

Debt ratings, AUM, ETPs offered, number of countries and employee data as of December 31, 2011. All other data reflect full-year 2011 results unless otherwise noted. BLK Total Return Performance vs. Peers - Source: SNL. Reflects full year 2011 results and assumes reinvestment of all dividends. Market-cap weighted peer average includes: BEN, IVZ, TROW, LM, AMG, FII, EV, WDR, JNS, CL MS, CN S, GBL and PZN.