BlackRock, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. It also provides global risk management and advisory services. The firm manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. It also launches and manages open-end and closed-end mutual funds, offshore funds, unit trusts, and alternative investment vehicles including structured funds. The firm launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and real estate mutual funds. It also launches equity, fixed income, balanced, currency, commodity, and multi-asset exchange traded funds. The firm also launches and manages hedge funds. It invests in the public equity, fixed income, real estate, currency, commodity, and alternative markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, SMID-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap companies. It also invests in dividend-paying equity securities. The firm invests in investment grade municipal securities, government securities including securities issued or guaranteed by a government or a government agency or instrumentality, corporate bonds, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a focus on bottom-up and top-down approach to make its investments. The firm employs liquidity, asset allocation, balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies to make its investments. In real estate sector, it seeks to invest in Poland and Germany. The firm benchmarks the performance of its portfolios against various S&P, Russell, Barclays, MSCI, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch indices. BlackRock, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York City with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London, United Kingdom; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong; Greenwich, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; Toronto, Canada; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Francisco, California.

BlackRock appears to be a high-quality business, but the market is already pricing in a very high level of expectations. Profitability is strong: ROA, ROE, ROI, and operating margin are above the industry median, while net margin and EBITDA confirm sustainable operational efficiency. Revenue, EBITDA, operating income, and net income have generally increased compared with earlier periods, supporting the assessment of the company as financially resilient and scalable. The balance sheet also looks acceptable: debt/equity is below the industry median, current liquidity is high, and shareholders’ equity has grown over recent periods. However, there are also weaknesses: the quick ratio is zero, which points to the specifics of the current asset structure and calls for caution when assessing short-term liquidity. The main limiting factor is the very expensive valuation on P/E, P/S, P/B, and especially P/FCF, which are notably above the sector median. This means that even with a good-quality business, the potential for further re-rating is limited, and any pause in earnings growth could quickly compress the multiples. The dividend yield is low and is not a strong driver of revaluation, so the investment case here relies more on quality and scale than on yield. Long-term debt remains substantial in absolute terms, and total liabilities are high, although for a business like this it does not look critical. Overall, the fundamentals support a premium to the sector, but do not justify an aggressive increase in the target because the current price already reflects strong metrics and high profitability. For an investor, this is a story of a high-quality leader with solid financial performance, but limited upside due to an expensive valuation.

BlackRock, Inc.

Сильный индекс, незначительно вырос. Быки крепко уверены в своих позициях.

Strong index, slightly up. The bulls are very confident in their positions.

Сильный индекс, незначительно вырос. Рынок не поддерживает быков.

Strong index, slightly up. The market does not support the bulls.

Сильный индекс, значительно упал. Отток средств из лонгов на высоком уровне.

Strong index, significantly down. Outflow of funds from longs at a high level.

BlackRock demonstrates strong profitability and a resilient balance sheet, but trades at a notable premium to the sector, so upside potential is limited.

Franklin Templeton, Inc. BEN is deepening its presence in European alternatives as its real estate investment arm, Clarion Partners, LLC (“Clarion”), agrees to acquire a majority stake in Stoneshield Capital (Stoneshield). The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.
Stoneshield is a specialized European real estate platform focused on living and student housing, digital infrastructure, hospitality and critical infrastructure. Its presence across Spain, Portugal, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Luxembourg expands Clarion’s European footprint and strengthens its exposure to specialized real asset markets.
The deal brings Stoneshield’s $9 billion in assets under management (AUM) onto Clarion’s platform, taking its European AUM to $13 billion and total AUM to $82 billion. The transaction comes as BEN continues to expand its alternatives business, which recorded a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.7% in alternative AUM over the five years ended fiscal 2025. Growth continued in the first nine months of fiscal 2026, driven by demand for private credit, infrastructure, real estate and other alternative investments. The transaction will bring Franklin’s total alternatives AUM to more than $300 billion, further expanding its scale in private markets.
The acquisition will strengthen BEN’s European alternatives platform by adding complementary real estate and infrastructure capabilities. Stoneshield’s exposure to living and student housing, hospitality, digital infrastructure and critical infrastructure will expand its investment offerings and create additional opportunities across institutional and wealth-management channels. Its presence across multiple European markets can also help Franklin broaden distribution, attract new capital, grow fee-earning AUM and support long-term fee revenue growth.
Franklin has been expanding its alternatives platform through acquisitions and strategic partnerships. The 2025 acquisition of Apera strengthened its European private-credit capabilities and helped push alternative-credit AUM above $90 billion. Earlier acquisitions of Alcentra and Lexington Partners added private debt and secondaries capabilities, while partnerships with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, DigitalBridge and Actis expanded its infrastructure business. These investments have helped the company diversify its alternatives platform beyond traditional asset management.
With the Stoneshield acquisition, Franklin will add another established platform to its growing alternatives business. The deal will increase AUM, broaden its European real estate capabilities and provide additional investment strategies for institutional and wealth-management clients. Continued expansion in alternatives remains an important part of Franklin’s strategy to diversify its asset-management business and drive long-term fee revenue growth.
How Are Other Asset Managers Scaling Their Alternatives Platforms?
Similar to BEN, other asset managers like BlackRock BLK and T. Rowe Price TROW are expanding their alternatives platforms through acquisitions, partnerships and new product launches.
BlackRock has strengthened its alternatives platform through strategic acquisitions, including Global Infrastructure Partners, HPS Investment Partners, Preqin, ElmTree Funds and SpiderRock. These deals have expanded its presence in infrastructure, private credit and alternative investments, while supporting fundraising, cross-selling and higher-margin revenue growth. The initiatives are expected to diversify BlackRock’s business further and support long-term growth.
T. Rowe Price is similarly expanding its alternatives platform through new products, partnerships and acquisitions. In March 2026, it introduced the T. Rowe Price OHA Flexible Credit Income Fund in partnership with OHA. Its partnership with Goldman Sachs also led to the July 2026 launch of the T. Rowe Price Goldman Sachs Private Markets Fund. Earlier acquisitions of OHA and Retiree strengthened T. Rowe Price’s alternative investment capabilities, while its focus on private credit and private markets is expected to support AUM and revenue growth.
BEN’s Price Performance & Zacks Rank
Over the past year, BEN shares have gained 41.1% against the industry’s 7.8% decline.
The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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Franklin's Arm Set to Expand Alternative Platform With Stoneshield Deal

Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLF) where we have detected an approximate $444.1 million dollar inflow -- that's a 0.8% increase week over week in outstanding units (from 944,445,427 to 952,195,427). Among the largest underlying components of XLF, in trading today American Express Co. (Symbol: AXP) is down about 0.9%, Blackrock Inc (Symbol: BLK) is down about 0.8%, and Standard and Poors Global Inc (Symbol: SPGI) is lower by about 1.1%. For a complete list of holdings, visit the XLF Holdings page » The chart below shows the one year price performance of XLF, versus its 200 day moving average:
Looking at the chart above, XLF's low point in its 52 week range is $47.67 per share, with $58.60 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $57.22. Comparing the most recent share price to the 200 day moving average can also be a useful technical analysis technique -- learn more about the 200 day moving average ».
Exchange traded funds (ETFs) trade just like stocks, but instead of ''shares'' investors are actually buying and selling ''units''. These ''units'' can be traded back and forth just like stocks, but can also be created or destroyed to accommodate investor demand. Each week we monitor the week-over-week change in shares outstanding data, to keep a lookout for those ETFs experiencing notable inflows (many new units created) or outflows (many old units destroyed). Creation of new units will mean the underlying holdings of the ETF need to be purchased, while destruction of units involves selling underlying holdings, so large flows can also impact the individual components held within ETFs.
Further XLF Research:

XLF, AXP, BLK, SPGI: Large Inflows Detected at ETF

Key Points
Founder Jeff Bezos remains the company's largest shareholder.
His Amazon stake accounts for the bulk of his wealth.
The shares haven't kept up with the overall market this year.
It's hard to remember that Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) started as an online bookseller in 1994. Thanks to co-founder and then-CEO Jeff Bezos' vision, it quickly grew to sell virtually everything imaginable online. Today, it has added physical stores, devices, a streaming service, advertising services, and a cloud-computing platform.
Bezos remains Amazon's largest shareholder, which should give investors confidence. Still, looking closer at the holdings and the company, should you follow his lead and make the stock part of your core long-term holdings?
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
The co-founder retains a large ownership
Bezos' vast fortune has been estimated at $280 billion. His Amazon shares make up the vast majority of his net worth.
The founder owned 950.4 million shares at the end of February, according to Amazon's annual proxy filing. That works out to a $245.7 billion value for his stake, based on the current share price.
Aside from accounting for the largest portion of his net worth, Bezos owned 8.8% of Amazon's outstanding shares, as of the end of February. Vanguard Group and BlackRock are the next-largest shareholders, at 7.2% and 5.9%, respectively.
Should you follow suit?
While not running the day-to-day operations as CEO, Bezos clearly believes in the company's future. After all, what better way to express confidence than with your wallet? He also retains a role with Amazon as executive chair.
While the shares have handsomely rewarded shareholders over the years, they have trailed the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) this year. Year to date, through Sept. 4, Amazon's stock gained 12%, while the index, including dividends, returned 13.7%.
However, Amazon's long-term future looks bright. Some investors have been put off by management's decision to invest heavily, particularly in areas like data centers, to meet growing demand for generative artificial intelligence. However, given the vast growth potential and Amazon's No. 1 market position in cloud computing via its Amazon Web Services (AWS) business, it looks like an astute investment.
AWS is already growing quickly, with a 36.8% year-over-year gain in second-quarter sales to $42.2 billion. It's also the company's largest profit generator, accounting for 60.5% of operating income.
Looking at the entire company, Amazon's second-quarter sales grew 20% year over year to $200.6 billion. Operating income increased by more than 43% to $27.5 billion.
You shouldn't invest solely based on someone's holdings, even someone as astute as Bezos. However, given management's commitment to long-term growth and patient investing, Amazon belongs in your portfolio. It may not make you a billionaire, but it should allow you to grow your wealth over time.
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Jeff Bezos Remains Amazon's Largest Individual Shareholder With Roughly 900 Million Shares. Here's Why That Stake Still Anchors the Stock.

BlackRock (BLK) closed the most recent trading day at $1,095.37, moving -2.4% from the previous trading session. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.58%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 1.18%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.32%.
Coming into today, shares of the investment firm had lost 0.81% in the past month. In that same time, the Finance sector gained 0.23%, while the S&P 500 lost 0.36%.
The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of BlackRock in its forthcoming earnings report. In that report, analysts expect BlackRock to post earnings of $14.24 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 23.29%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $7.44 billion, up 14.26% from the prior-year quarter.
In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $55.86 per share and a revenue of $28.8 billion, indicating changes of +16.16% and +18.92%, respectively, from the former year.
Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for BlackRock. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential.
Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.41% upward. As of now, BlackRock holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Looking at valuation, BlackRock is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 20.09. This indicates a premium in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 12.11.
One should further note that BLK currently holds a PEG ratio of 1.24. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. As the market closed yesterday, the Financial - Investment Management industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.21.
The Financial - Investment Management industry is part of the Finance sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 102, this industry ranks in the top 42% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.
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BlackRock (BLK) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors

Key Points
In the first seven months of 2026, investors pushed $1.23 trillion into exchange-traded funds.
When ETFs were first introduced, they largely tracked major indexes and competed on cost.
Actively managed ETFs have increasingly helped Wall Street turn ETFs into a bigger profit engine.
In July, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) took in $193 billion. That pushed the year-to-date total to $1.23 trillion, a record for that seven-month period. But there was an important underlying shift taking place that investors need to be aware of. It's good news for companies like BlackRock (NYSE: BLK), but it could be bad news for individual investors who keep buying ETFs. Here's what you need to know.
Exchange-traded funds are cheap to own, right?
The first exchange-traded fund ever created tracked the S&P 500 index. It made total sense to use the S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), since it is basically considered "the market" by most investors. The unique structure of ETFs allowed the fund, SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: SPY), to offer a shockingly low expense ratio of just 0.09%.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Most mutual funds at the time had expense ratios that were far higher than that. Even index-based mutual funds tended to be more expensive to own.
Early on, all of the ETFs created tracked large, well-known indexes. And the goal was to have low expense ratios. In fact, there was a race to have the lowest costs, with Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) eventually offering access to the S&P 500 index for a tiny 0.03% expense ratio. On an absolute basis, that's not much different from the 0.09% of SPDR S&P 500 ETF, but on a percentage basis, the difference is huge.
Wall Street gives the market what it wants
The problem is that there are only so many big indexes to copy. So Wall Street, seeing an opportunity to sell a new product, began creating bespoke indexes around which it could build new ETFs. All sorts of sector-specific ETFs were launched, and ETFs based on "factors" too. There was a Herculean effort among finance giants to slice and dice the market just to create new ETFs.
But those ETFs often require more "work" to operate. So, expense ratios were higher. For example, Vanguard Utilities Index ETF (NYSEMKT: VPU) has an expense ratio of 0.09%. But it's just an index of utility stocks, so how much extra work is really needed to create it compared to an S&P 500 index ETF? The answer doesn't matter; investors have to pay more for it either way. And Wall Street generates more fee income.
The next obvious step was for Wall Street to create actively managed ETFs. Basically, these are mutual funds with an ETF structure, but they charge higher fees than index-based ETFs. For example, the recently launched iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF (NASDAQ: IALT) has an expense ratio of 0.99%. That's basically what an actively managed mutual fund would charge, meaning BlackRock, one of the largest ETF sponsors, has found a way to materially increase its fee income through the ETF structure. To be fair, iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF is a pretty complex ETF, but investors shouldn't ignore the trajectory that expense ratios have taken.
And that brings the story back to how much money is going into ETFs more broadly. While the entire ETF category is seeing huge inflows, much of the growth is coming from actively managed ETFs, which are more expensive to own. And the shift is material, with active ETFs benefiting from a 75% year-over-year increase in inflows through the first seven months of 2026, to $466 billion. The fee mix is moving in Wall Street's favor.
Don't assume an ETF is cheap
At one point, an investor could just assume that ETFs were the cheapest option available to them for a given investment approach. That's no longer the case. Wall Street's business is to maximize profits, so this progression shouldn't be surprising. However, if you don't see the progression for what it is, you may end up paying more than you expect for the asset management services you are receiving. So, it is probably more important than ever for investors to check ETF expense ratios before making the final buy decision.
Should you buy stock in BlackRock right now?
Before you buy stock in BlackRock, consider this:
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Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $421,997!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,413,876!*
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Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends BlackRock and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

ETF Inflows Set a Record in July. The Fee Mix Moved at the Same Time.

Key Points
Berkshire Hathaway, after a lull, is showing some interest in putting its hoard of idle cash to work.
The conglomerate isn’t just considering new stocks for its equity portfolio.
Such a strategic shift makes sense because stocks carry a lot of risk relative to their long-term rewards.
Any prediction about any company's future acquisitions should be taken with a big grain of salt. This one is no different. Nobody truly knows what the future holds.
There are certainly reasonable, well-supported guesses about what's likely to transpire, though.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Enter Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA) (NYSE: BRKB).
Although you may know it best for its portfolio of stocks handpicked by iconic investor Warren Buffett, that's not all Berkshire is. The conglomerate wholly owns a few dozen businesses, including GEICO Insurance, Duracell batteries, Shaw flooring, Pilot travel centers, Clayton Homes, and more. It also recently completed its acquisition of homebuilder Taylor Morrison, and in January closed on the purchase of OxyChem from previous owner Occidental Petroleum.
And the timing of these two recent outright purchases is telling. While it's certainly not unheard of for Berkshire to take a publicly traded company private, it is relatively rare. Now it's happened twice in less than a year, a period in which Buffett, as well as current Chief Executive Officer Greg Abel, have indicated there just aren't many stocks out there worth their price. (The one clear exception has been Alphabet, which is now Berkshire Hathaway's third-biggest stock holding.)
In light of how little has changed in equity markets in the meantime, it's a reasonably good bet that Abel is considering more acquisitions of undervalued companies rather than new positions in publicly traded ones. In fact, it's possible that at least one more could be announced before the end of 2026.
Private is making more and more sense compared to public
Outside of its insurance and energy businesses (where adopting a new name is relatively easy), the last major whole acquisition Berkshire made was its 2016 purchase of the aforementioned Duracell battery brand from Procter & Gamble. So again, outright acquisitions are relatively rare for Berkshire Hathaway.
One of Berkshire Hathaway's more compelling investment attributes, however, is its flexibility. It can focus on picking stocks when it makes sense. When it doesn't make sense, though, the conglomerate can change tack and opt for complete ownership.
And it's recently done so, and for good reason. On an inflation-adjusted basis, the market as a whole is very expensive right now. It would also be naïve to overlook that nearly every sliver of the market is at least somewhat affected by the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution that could live up to every lofty expectations, collapse, or end up somewhere in between these two extremes. The danger to investors is simply not knowing how any AI upheaval might shake out.
It's not just Berkshire Hathaway showing heightened interest in opportunities outside the conventional equity market, by the way. Hedge fund Pershing Square's (NYSE: PS) chief Bill Ackman is creating a new venture fund specifically meant to offer ordinary investors access to private companies planning to go public, while BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) is working on a way of adding modest exposure to privately owned businesses within workers' 401(k) plans. At the same time, interest in private credit and private equity investments through publicly traded companies such as Main Street Capital (NYSE: MAIN) and Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE: BEP) (NYSE: BEPC) continues to grow.
All this underscores a certain level of disillusionment with stocks as a whole. Greg Abel's likely seeing and feeling the same.
Then there's the possibility that the stock market itself may be entering a prolonged period of subpar returns. A recent outlook from brokerage firm Charles Schwab suggests large-cap stocks as a whole are only going to produce an average annual return of about 6% through 2036, less than half the average during the past decade, jibing with a prediction from mutual fund powerhouse Vanguard.
Given that outright ownership of entire companies means all of their cash flow trickles up to the parent organization's bottom line -- which isn't the case with stock ownership -- it's conceivable that wholly owning a cash-generating enterprise will bear more fruit for the foreseeable future than being a stockholder of most publicly traded companies.
Possible picks
As for which company (or companies) Abel might choose to wholly acquire next, that's even tougher to predict than whether he'll make any such deal at all. There are a handful of arguable prospects, though.
One of these possible targets is GATX (NYSE: GATX), which leases out its fleet of railroad cars. Although the stock's still within sight of April's record high, it's also reasonably valued at only about 17 times this year's projected per-share profits. Its business is also growing well despite economic headwinds and would mesh well enough with Berkshire's current railroad holding, BNSF. GATX is also simply affordable, with a market cap of a little more than $6 billion.
Or, if Abel wanted to stick with a well-proven approach, Berkshire could shell out roughly $23 billion of the $365.5 billion in cash it's currently sitting on and scoop up insurer Markel Group (NYSE: MKL) while its stock is down. It would certainly be a good cultural fit, as Markel is much like Berkshire Hathaway in that it owns a combination of handpicked publicly traded and privately held companies. It's even occasionally called a "Baby Berkshire."
If Berkshire were willing to think bigger, however, don't rule out a deal for Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW). Although it would cost a hefty $77 billion or more, it would be an outstanding fit.
ITW is a decentralized conglomerate itself, and a successful one because it makes a point of remaining that way, leaving managers alone to let them run their businesses. It's also the kind of reliable cash cow that Buffett loves, with 63 consecutive years of per-share dividend growth.
Just be careful about any such speculations. If a complete acquisition is in the cards, we're not likely to guess it right.
But that's OK -- current Berkshire Hathaway shareholders don't need to worry too much about which deal Abel is likely to make next. Even if it's an acquisition of a publicly traded company at a premium valuation, Berkshire's investors will be the ultimate beneficiaries of any such deal.
Should you buy stock in Berkshire Hathaway right now?
Before you buy stock in Berkshire Hathaway, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Berkshire Hathaway wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $421,997!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,413,876!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 978% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 213% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 6, 2026.
Charles Schwab is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. James Brumley has positions in Alphabet and Procter & Gamble. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Berkshire Hathaway, BlackRock, and Markel Group. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Renewable, Brookfield Renewable Partners, Charles Schwab, Illinois Tool Works, and Occidental Petroleum and recommends the following options: short September 2026 $95 calls on Charles Schwab. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Prediction: Greg Abel Announces Another Whole-Company Acquisition Before Year-End

Key Points
Bitcoin is coming off one of its best Augusts ever and could be ready for a year-end rally.
The crypto has grown exponentially over the past decade, consistently cranking out triple-digit gains.
Bitcoin is also a unique portfolio diversifier due to its lack of correlation with any major asset class.
Heading into the final quarter of 2026, crypto investors have some tough choices to make as they diversify their portfolios.
Should they double down on Hyperliquid (CRYPTO: HYPE), which is up a stunning 236% this year and now has the support of the Trump administration? Or should they look for another high-flying altcoin that might benefit from the passage of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act?
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Or there's a third option: They could go with a proven winner that's having a bit of an off-year in 2026, down 9%. I'm talking, of course, about Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), which is now coming off one of its best Augusts ever and could be primed for a final year-end rally.
Upside potential and downside protection
What makes Bitcoin stand out from every other cryptocurrency is its unique mix of upside potential and downside protection. As BlackRock recently noted, Bitcoin has a unique duality: It is both a "risk-on" and a "risk-off" asset.
In terms of upside potential, all you have to do is look at the numbers over the past decade. Bitcoin has delivered truly exponential gains over that time period. On Sept. 1, 2016, Bitcoin was trading at just $572. Today, it trades at just under $80,000.
Bitcoin has consistently delivered triple-digit returns over a sustained period. In fact, the outlier years are the ones when Bitcoin does not double in value. Case in point: In six of the past 10 years, Bitcoin has delivered returns of 92% or higher. No wonder Bitcoin's price growth has been off the charts.
In terms of downside protection, Bitcoin can serve as a unique portfolio diversifier. As BlackRock points out, Bitcoin has historically been uncorrelated with major asset classes. That has made it a phenomenal hedge, because Bitcoin can zig when other assets zag.
In addition, Bitcoin has proven its worth as a safe-haven asset during periods of extreme geopolitical and macroeconomic instability. For good reason, many investors think about Bitcoin as "digital gold." As former Fed Chair Jerome Powell has noted, Bitcoin could be a modern form of gold that can (theoretically) preserve its value over time.
How high can Bitcoin go?
Right now, Bitcoin is trading at just under $80,000. But plenty of investors think it could reach $100,000 this year. And, from there, the sky is the limit. Investment firm Bernstein, for example, thinks Bitcoin will hit $150,000 by mid-2027 and $300,000 by 2029.
Others have far loftier targets. For example, Cathie Wood of Ark Invest is convinced that Bitcoin could be trading above $1 million by the end of 2030.
With that in mind, Bitcoin is the one cryptocurrency that's at the top of my investment shopping list right now. It has a unique mix of upside potential and downside protection that can help it outperform in nearly any type of market environment.
Should you buy stock in Bitcoin right now?
Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $445,833!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,402,153!*
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*Stock Advisor returns as of September 5, 2026.
Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, BlackRock, and Hyperliquid. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Here's the 1 Crypto I'd Buy If I Could Pick Only One

Looking at options trading activity among components of the Russell 3000 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Blackrock Inc (Symbol: BLK), where a total volume of 7,591 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 759,100 underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 135% of BLK's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 562,425 shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $1030 strike call option expiring September 18, 2026, with 2,400 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 240,000 underlying shares of BLK. Below is a chart showing BLK's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $1030 strike highlighted in orange:
MongoDB Inc (Symbol: MDB) saw options trading volume of 24,460 contracts, representing approximately 2.4 million underlying shares or approximately 127.2% of MDB's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 1.9 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $390 strike call option expiring September 04, 2026, with 1,720 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 172,000 underlying shares of MDB. Below is a chart showing MDB's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $390 strike highlighted in orange:
And AST SpaceMobile Inc (Symbol: ASTS) options are showing a volume of 117,649 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 11.8 million underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 113.9% of ASTS's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 10.3 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $66 strike call option expiring September 04, 2026, with 8,078 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 807,800 underlying shares of ASTS. Below is a chart showing ASTS's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $66 strike highlighted in orange:
For the various different available expirations for BLK options, MDB options, or ASTS options, visit StockOptionsChannel.com.
Further BLK Research:

Noteworthy Friday Option Activity: BLK, MDB, ASTS

Key Points
With the stock market becoming less balanced and more difficult to navigate, investors are showing increasing interest in alternative investments.
Although some private equity and private credit investments are available in brokerage accounts and IRAs, investment manager BlackRock is bringing this option to accounts where such offerings remain relatively rare.
Your employer's 401(k) plan could soon have a brand-new, never-before-offered kind of investment option -- funds that hold a healthy dose of privately owned (as opposed to publicly traded) businesses.
That's the important takeaway from an announcement by investment manager BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) around the middle of this year. As the stock market's risks rise and its rewards shrink -- and as it grows more difficult to navigate -- BlackRock wants to give ordinary investors access to potentially better returns.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Here's what you need to know.
The how and why
Your retirement savings account's exposure to privately held businesses will still be relatively limited, for the record. Initially, only target-date mutual funds overseen by Great Gray Trust will hold stakes in these enterprises, and even then, only 5% to 20% of these funds' capital will be allocated to private investments. And investors will only be able to access this narrow selection of target-date funds if their 401(k) plan's sponsor and administrator agree that adding this option is in employees' best interest.
It shouldn't be terribly difficult to sell this idea to sponsors and administrators, however. BlackRock (which manages the iShares family of exchange-traded funds) notes that, on average, privately owned ventures return about 50 more basis points annually than stocks. Over the course of 40 years, that would make 401(k) account balances about 15% bigger than they'd otherwise be using nothing but conventional stock-based funds.
Demand is growing
Although this launch will be one of the first of its kind for 401(k) plans, access to private enterprises through publicly traded instruments is not unheard of. Business development companies like Main Street Capital (NYSE: MAIN) are a form of private equity and private credit, while Brookfield Asset Management's (NYSE: BAM) Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE: BEP) (NYSE: BEPC) offers its shareholders exposure to a basket of energy-related ventures that aren't accessible any other way. Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman is also planning a new venture fund that will offer ordinary, non-institutional investors access to companies that have not yet gone public, but eventually will.
Still, these options remain relatively rare.
That's clearly changing, though. Perhaps finally prompted by the recent initial public offering of Space Exploration Technologies -- you know it better as SpaceX -- which has made its earliest insiders considerably wealthier than its post-IPO investors, more people are clamoring for alternatives capable of delivering better returns. BlackRock's and Great Gray's offering will certainly bring that prospect to the table.
That said, it would also be naïve to ignore the fact that the stock market as a whole has become uncomfortably unbalanced. The S&P 500's 10 biggest companies collectively account for nearly 40% of its value, while nearly as much of the index's value is held by technology stocks. If only for the sake of better diversification, access to alternative investments (private or otherwise) have their obvious appeal.
Look for more of the same
Only time will tell how quickly BlackRock's concept becomes a common option for 401(k) plans. Don't be surprised to see measurable interest, though. In this same vein, don't be surprised to see other outfits introduce similar private investment offerings now that BlackRock is pushing the boundaries of the premise.
Should you buy stock in BlackRock right now?
Before you buy stock in BlackRock, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and BlackRock wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $446,157!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,377,357!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 983% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 212% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends BlackRock and Brookfield Asset Management. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Renewable and Brookfield Renewable Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

BlackRock Wants 5% to 20% of Your Target-Date Fund in Private Assets

In a study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages, for the underlying components of the S&P 500, Blackrock Inc (Symbol: BLK) has taken over the #27 spot from AutoZone, Inc. (Symbol: AZO), according to ETF Channel. Below is a chart of Blackrock Inc versus AutoZone, Inc. plotting their respective rank within the S&P 500 over time (BLK plotted in blue; AZO plotted in green):
Below is a three month price history chart comparing the stock performance of BLK vs. AZO:
BLK is currently trading up about 0.8%, while AZO is up about 0.6% midday Thursday.
Further BLK Research: