BlackRock’s AUM hits new record of $7.43 trillion

BlackRock's assets under management reached a new peak of $7.43 trillion as of Dec. 31, up 6.6% from three months earlier and up 24.3% from a year earlier.

BlackRock, the largest of the publicly traded managers tracked by Pensions & Investments, disclosed that the firm's net inflows of $429 billion in the year ended Dec. 31 also was a new record, according to its earnings report released Wednesday.

The previous high for annual net inflows was $367 billion in 2017, said Melissa Garville, a BlackRock spokeswoman, in an email.

The breakdown BlackRock's annual net inflows were iShares, $184 billion; institutional investors, $136 billion; and retail investors, $16 billion. Cash management net inflows were $93 billion.

BlackRock's total net inflows were $129 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $84 billion in the prior quarter.

Laurence D. Fink, BlackRock's chairman and CEO, told analysts in an earnings call that net flows were positive across all strategies in 2019, noting that areas of particular strength included fixed income; cash; LEAF, the firm's sustainable fund; and ETFs.