BlackRock investments in China: Consumers' Research warning consumers, governments (2024)

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FIRST ON FOX - Consumers' Research, an educational nonprofit that shares consumer information, on Thursday morning sent a letter to 10 governors warning them of the investment management company BlackRock's ties to China.

Consumers' Research executive director Will Hild sent the letter to the governors of Washington, Florida, New York, Nevada, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia – the 10 states with the top 10 state pension fund investments with BlackRock – to "raise awareness among American consumers that BlackRock is taking their money and betting on China."

"BlackRock’s funneling of billions in U.S. capital to China carries with it risks not present in other markets, risks that threaten the large wagers the company is putting on steep returns from the Middle Kingdom," Hild wrote.

"…Chinese firms are not held to the same transparency standards as their western counterparts, so foreign investors are often hard pressed to appreciate the true risk profile of what they’re investing in," he added.

Hild urged governors to "do their due diligence in educating themselves and their staff on the multiple risks posed by BlackRock’s extensive investments in Chinese companies, both from an ethical standpoint as well as the fiduciary responsibility owed to U.S. pension holders and retirees."

A BlackRock spokesperson told FOX Business that the U.S. and China "have a large and interconnected economic relationship."

"We recognize that our stakeholders have differing views on China — BlackRock takes those concerns seriously," the spokesperson said. "We seek to balance the concerns of our stakeholders with our role as a global investor and fiduciary working for our clients as we navigate this very complicated relationship between the US and China. Our approach to Chinese-related investments is consistent with U.S. foreign policy."

Consumers' Research also issued a "Consumer Warning" on Thursday morning highlighting some of BlackRock's work in China, noting that the investment company, which has about $10 trillion under its management, first opened its Beijing office in 2008.

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After introducing mutual funds into China, the company told its clients to invest in the country, pushing billions of dollars into the world's second-largest economy. It is the first foreign-owned, asset management company based outside of China that has received approval from Chinese President Xi Jinping to start a mutual fund business in the country, according to Reuters.

In 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said he continues to believe "China will be one of the biggest opportunities for BlackRock over the long term, both for asset managers and investors, despite the uncertainty and decoupling of global systems we’re seeing today."

BlackRock investments in China: Consumers' Research warning consumers, governments (2)

Larry Fink, chief executive officer ofBlackRock Inc., speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York, on Wednesday, April 19, 2017. (Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg) (Getty Images)

While a good relationship with China may be lucrative for the company, Consumers' Research says BlackRock has "turned a blind eye to the CCP’s malign behavior and worse, sending American pensions to China to support it."

"Despite China’s status as a significant threat to American security, BlackRock has poured large capital investments into companies closely linked to the Chinese military," the Consumer Warning reads. "BlackRock has shown that its relationship with the CCP is more important than America’s national security interests."

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While it is illegal for U.S. investors to own direct shares of Chinese firms, "investors in BlackRock’s funds own shares of shell companies set up in the places like the Cayman Islands that have profit sharing agreements with Chinese companies," the Consumer Warning reads.

The warning also notes that under a 2017 Chinese law introduced by President Xi Jinpingstates that the country's companies must comply with government requests for intelligence information. Additionally, Chinese companies are not subject to the same reporting requirements as U.S. companies.

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BlackRock added in its statement that the assets it manages are not BlackRock's but belong to its clients.

"Our obligation as an asset manager and a fiduciary is to manage those assets consistent with our clients’ preferences. It is their choice where their assets are invested," the spokesperson said. "BlackRock supports our clients in making informed investment decisions by providing clear and current disclosure of all material risks associated with different investment products and markets."

BlackRock investments in China: Consumers' Research warning consumers, governments (3)

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the Global Trade in Services Summit of the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) via video in Beijing. (Li Tao/Xinhua via AP)

The spokesperson continued: " As China's financial services industry matures, a more robust regulatory and legal framework will be essential to building even more trust and confidence of global investors, and Chinese savers. BlackRock is committed to continually pushing for improved standards, governance, and accounting transparency from all companies and countries wherever they are operating in the world. Our approach to China will be no different."

Consumers' Research is recommending that retail investors with exposure to BlackRock "consider the risks" associated with its services; BlackRock employees consider contacting their human resources department to see if BlackRock manages their company's 401(k) accounts or pensions funds; and those with state or municipal pension contact state officials to do the same.

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The letter comes after the U.S.-China Economic Security Review Commission issued its annual report to Congress recognizing the Chinese Communist Party's "undeniable success" in its 100th year of existence but warning that "CCP leaders publicly express confidence that China will prevail in an ideological and civilizational clash with the United States and other democracies."

A summary of the report also acknowledges that China is facing a number of economic challenges, including "growing debt, income inequality, demographic decline, and technological dependence on the United States."

BlackRock investments in China: Consumers' Research warning consumers, governments (2024)

FAQs

Is BlackRock tied to the government? ›

In 2020, BlackRock reprised its role as the U.S. government's financial guru, managing the Federal Reserve's $120 billion per month bond-buying program as part of its pandemic relief program.

What is the criticism of BlackRock? ›

BlackRock has faced criticism from many sides in the debate on low-carbon fuels, with environmentalists protesting it does too little to press for change at fossil fuel portfolio companies, and Republican U.S. politicians accusing it of boycotting energy stocks.

What does BlackRock have to do with China? ›

New York-based BlackRock is the first foreign-owned company allowed by Beijing to operate a wholly-owned business in China's burgeoning mutual fund industry.

Why does BlackRock invest in China? ›

"BlackRock is committed to helping more Chinese investors achieve their financial goals by bringing them a broader suite of investment products and solutions, including ETF and index investments," the company said in a statement to Reuters.

Why do people not like BlackRock? ›

BlackRock is also driving climate injustice around the world through its investments in companies whose operations threaten Indigenous communities on their lands through industrial activity and intimidation, abuse of Indigenous territorial rights, and displacement of communities from their ancestral homes.

Why does BlackRock own everything? ›

BlackRock has evolved from a small startup to a global conglomerate. This market giant invests in experimenting in all areas, and as a result, it owns shares and voting rights in several of Europe's largest firms, including those in energy, oil and gas, and, of course, banking.

Is BlackRock an ethical company? ›

Our reputation for integrity is one of our most important assets. We hold ourselves to standards that not only meet those required by the laws and regulations that apply to us, but also to our principles, which are rooted in exceeding our clients' expectations.

Does BlackRock have a good reputation? ›

BlackRock Awards and Recognition

BlackRock is an extremely well-known firm. It has many awards to its name, despite the some public controversy that exists surrounding the firm.

Who owns the largest share of BlackRock? ›

The Vanguard Group, Inc.

Does BlackRock own China? ›

The initiative saw BlackRock become the first foreign-owned company to operate a wholly owned business in China's mutual fund industry.

Is BlackRock the most powerful company in the world? ›

BlackRock was formed by founder and CEO Larry Fink in 1988 in New York City as a risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager. Now, it is the world's largest asset manager with $10 trillion currently in its portfolio.

Why do companies want to invest in China? ›

China continues to offer huge market growth potential, has a skilled labor pool and unparalleled infrastructure, and is investing in its capabilities as a manufacturing base for industries of the future. Investing in China is not always easy, but there is no other country that can replace it.

Which country is the biggest investor in China? ›

Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in 2021 were UDS 1.58 trillion, up 64 per cent from the exceptionally low level in 2020.
...
FDI STOCKS BY COUNTRY AND BY INDUSTRY.
Main Investing Countries2019, in %
The Mainland of China69.7
Singapore5.5
South Korea4.0
Virgin Islands3.6
4 more rows

Does BlackRock own Russian companies? ›

Since then, BlackRock has earned more than $1.3bn in dividends for its clients through its shareholdings in 10 of Russia's most important companies, the Bureau's analysis of Bloomberg data has found.

What is the biggest company in the world BlackRock? ›

Founded in 1988, initially as a risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with US$10 trillion in assets under management as of January 2022. BlackRock operates globally with 70 offices in 30 countries, and clients in 100 countries.

Does BlackRock rule the world? ›

BlackRock and Vanguard do not “own” all the biggest corporations in the world. They invest trillions of dollars into leading companies on behalf of their clients, who ultimately own the shares.

Who controls BlackRock? ›

Reflects change since 5 pm ET of prior trading day. Larry Fink is the founder, CEO and chairman of powerhouse investment management firm BlackRock, one of the world's largest asset managers. He and seven partners founded BlackRock in 1988.

Is BlackRock being investigated? ›

Austin, TX, August 5, 2022 — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is among 19 state attorneys general pressing financial titan BlackRock for clarity on its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment policies.

Does BlackRock own Disney? ›

The top shareholders of Disney are Robert A. Iger, Christine M. McCarthy, Alan N. Braverman, Vanguard Group Inc., BlackRock Inc.

Does BlackRock own Google? ›

Institutional ownership of GOOGL stands at $4.7 billion shares or 77.96% of shares outstanding. This is in-line with the Internet Software/Services industry average.
...
Top 10 Owners of Alphabet Inc.
StockholderBlackRock Fund Advisors
Shares owned266,421,733
Total value ($)26,333,124,090
Shares bought / sold+4,625,433
9 more columns

Does BlackRock own Amazon? ›

BlackRock holds 6% of Amazon's shares which makes it its third-largest shareholder. BlackRock owns 29 million Amazon shares, representing 29 million shareholder votes. The market value of BlackRock's stake in Amazon was $96 billion as of December 2021.

Is BlackRock owned by Starbucks? ›

BlackRock holds 7% of Starbucks's shares which makes it its second-largest shareholder. BlackRock owns 82 million Starbucks shares, representing 82 million shareholder votes. The market value of BlackRock's stake in Starbucks was $10 billion as of December 2021.

What percentage of Apple is owned by BlackRock? ›

2023-02-07 - BlackRock Inc. has filed an SC 13G/A form with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing ownership of 1,029,178,566 shares of Apple Inc (US:AAPL). This represents 6.5 percent ownership of the company.

How many banks does BlackRock own? ›

As of 31 December 2020, the Official Institutions Group has $579bn in assets under management (AUM) on behalf of 109 clients globally. This includes: 45 Central Banks.

Is BlackRock the largest money manager in the world? ›

BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, on Friday said it is making the investment in Human Interest Inc., a San Francisco company that has offered 401(k) plans since 2015.

What is BlackRock most known for? ›

BlackRock is one of the world's leading providers of investment, advisory and risk management solutions. We are a fiduciary to our clients. We're investing for the future on behalf of our clients, inspiring our employees, and supporting our local communities.

Is Microsoft owned by BlackRock? ›

Institutional investors hold a majority ownership of MSFT through the 72.73% of the outstanding shares that they control.
...
Top 10 Owners of Microsoft Corp.
StockholderBlackRock Fund Advisors
Stake4.57%
Shares owned340,444,313
Total value ($)84,365,505,205
Shares bought / sold+7,070,687
9 more columns

Who is bigger Vanguard or BlackRock? ›

As of 2022, Vanguard has more than $8 trillion in assets under management (AUM), second only to BlackRock, Inc ($9.5 trillion AUM). 4 Headquartered in Pennsylvania, Vanguard is the largest mutual funds issuer in the world and the second-largest issuer of exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

How much of Goldman Sachs is owned by BlackRock? ›

2023-02-07 - BlackRock Inc. has filed an SC 13G/A form with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing ownership of 23,301,183 shares of Goldman Sachs Group Inc (US:GS). This represents 6.9 percent ownership of the company.

Does BlackRock support China? ›

BlackRock Inc., the largest money management corporation not only in America but the world, has emerged as a big promoter of social and environmental investing and of sending billions of U.S. dollars to China.

Does Apple own BlackRock? ›

Those three are The Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and Berkshire Hathaway.
...
Apple largest institutional shareholders.
Share of common stock1Percentage of ownership
The Vanguard Group338,533,9887.72%
BlackRock Inc296,598,3496.77%
1 more row

Why is BlackRock buying houses? ›

BlackRock is invested in several programs that are providing financing to build new homes and add to U.S. housing supply. Most recently, we began investing in new construction, purpose-built for-rent housing developments that add supply to the market and address the increasing demand we see for this property type.

Does BlackRock own Tesla? ›

And next up is BlackRock, another giant in the ETF industry. The company owns 171 million shares of Tesla, accounting for 5.4% of the company's shares outstanding.

How much of CNN does BlackRock own? ›

Twelve percent of CNN.

What are the 2 companies that own everything? ›

“In other words, these two investment companies, Vanguard and BlackRock, hold a monopoly in all industries in the world and they, in turn, are owned by the richest families in the world, some of whom are royalty and who have been very rich since before the Industrial Revolution.”

Why is investing in China risky? ›

Some of the risks associated with investing in China include its communist structure, regulatory differences, and insider trading. Investment opportunities in China include U.S. corporations that have a presence in the country, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Why is the US doing business with China? ›

It supports US jobs.

While expanding foreign trade can disrupt US employment, trade with China also creates and supports a significant number of American jobs. Exports to China support over 1 million US jobs, and Chinese companies invested in the United States employ over 160,000 workers.

Why do American companies move to China? ›

“The reason for that is simple. It's because China is on track, still to be the world's largest economy by 2030. And corporations ultimately want to be where their markets are going to be.” The sheer size of the Chinese market has long made it the most valuable asset for U.S. multinationals operating in the country.

Who is China's biggest buyer? ›

List of largest trading partners of China
RankCountry / TerritoryTotal trade
-ASEAN975.3
1European Union847.3
2United States759.4
3South Korea362.2
18 more rows

Does Warren Buffett invest in China? ›

Buffett's firm invested in the Shenzhen-based company in 2008, paying $230 million for a 10% stake. The shares have risen dramatically since then—including an almost seven-fold move between 2020 and 2021—but they fell around 28% last year.

Where does most of China's wealth come from? ›

Manufacturing, services and agriculture are the largest sectors of the Chinese economy – employing the majority of the population and making the largest contributions to GDP.

What brands are owned by BlackRock? ›

BlackRock's top three holdings are Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). BLK owns $141 billion of AAPL stock, $120.8 billion of MSFT, and $65.8 billion of AMZN. BlackRock, however, has decreased its positions in all three of those companies by millions of shares.

Which us Bank has the most exposure to Russia? ›

Only a handful of U.S. banks have quantified their Russia exposure. In addition to Citi, Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS. N) reported $293 million in net exposure to Russia, as well as a total of $414 million of market exposure as of December 2021, according to its most recent filing. Bank of New York Mellon Corp (BK.

What major companies does BlackRock own? ›

BlackRock
  • Top 5 stock holdings are AAPL, MSFT, AMZN, UNH, GOOGL, and represent 12.14% of BlackRock's stock portfolio.
  • Added to shares of these 10 stocks: GOOGL (+$35B), GOOG (+$31B), TSLA (+$15B), MSFT (+$2.3B), PLD (+$1.9B), PANW (+$1.6B), HD (+$1.4B), UNH (+$1.4B), NLY (+$1.1B), NDAQ (+$1.1B).

Who owns the most assets in the world? ›

Rankings by Total Assets
RankProfileRegion
1.AT&TNorth America
2.SoftBank Group CorporationAsia
3.Royal Dutch Shell plcEurope
4.Microsoft CorporationNorth America
92 more rows

How many homes does BlackRock own? ›

Of those 15 million single-family rentals, institutional investors own about 300,000; most of the rest are owned by individual landlords. Of that 300,000, the real-estate rental company Invitation Homes—in which BlackRock is an investor—owns about 80,000.

Who is bigger BlackRock or fidelity? ›

BlackRock Funds top the list in terms of assets held by a single fund family, followed by other familiar names such as Vanguard, Charles Schwab, State Street Global Advisors, and Fidelity Investments.

Who controls BlackRock investments? ›

Laurence D. Fink is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock. He and seven partners founded BlackRock in 1988, and under his leadership, the firm has grown into a global leader in investment and technology solutions.

Who is BlackRock regulated by? ›

Issued by BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

What is BlackRock owned by? ›

Top 5 stock holdings are AAPL, MSFT, AMZN, UNH, GOOGL, and represent 12.14% of BlackRock's stock portfolio.

Is Google owned by BlackRock? ›

The top individual insider shareholders of Google are Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Sundar Pichai, and the top institutional shareholders are Vanguard Group Inc., BlackRock Inc.

Who are the 7 owners of BlackRock? ›

BlackRock was founded in 1988 by Larry Fink, Robert S. Kapito, Susan Wagner, Barbara Novick, Ben Golub, Hugh Frater, Ralph Schlosstein, and Keith Anderson to provide institutional clients with asset management services from a risk management perspective.

Who is the largest shareholder of BlackRock? ›

The Vanguard Group, Inc.

Why is BlackRock so powerful? ›

It runs a massive technology platform that oversees at least $21.6 trillion in assets. In 1999, BlackRock started selling Aladdin, which analyses and tracks investors' portfolios and can help professional money managers spot risks. Today, it is a juggernaut widely used in the money management industry and beyond.

Who owns controlling interest in BlackRock? ›

Who owns BlackRock? BlackRock is not owned by a single individual or company. Instead, its shares are owned by a large number of individual and institutional investors. The biggest institutional shareholders such as The Vanguard Group and State Street are merely custodians of the stock for their clients.

Is BlackRock a good company? ›

As of February 27, 2023, BlackRock Inc had a $102.6 billion market capitalization, putting it in the 99th percentile of companies in the Investment Management & Fund Operators industry. Currently, BlackRock Inc's price-earnings ratio is 20.1.

Does BlackRock own Walmart? ›

Institutional investors purchased a net $10.5 million shares of WMT during the quarter ended April 2019.
...
Top 10 Owners of Walmart Inc.
StockholderBlackRock Fund Advisors
Shares owned64,362,165
Total value ($)9,259,784,679
Shares bought / sold+1,534,077
Total change+2.44%
9 more columns

Does BlackRock own Pepsi? ›

For example, while there are more than 3,000 shareholders in Pepsi Co., Vanguard and Blackrock's holdings account for nearly one-third of all shares. Of the top 10 shareholders in Pepsi Co., the top three, Vanguard, Blackrock and State Street Corporation, own more shares than the remaining seven.

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