Blackrock Funds

08/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/29/2024 12:00

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company - Form 497K

BlackRock Global Equity Market Neutral Fund -- K
AUGUST 28, 2024
Summary Prospectus
BlackRock FundsSM|Class K Shares
BlackRock Global Equity Market Neutral Fund
Class K: BGCKX
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund's prospectus (including amendments and supplements), reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund, including the Fund's statement of additional information, online at https://www.blackrock.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) 537-4942 or by sending an e-mail request to [email protected], or from your financial professional. The Fund's prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated August 28, 2024, as amended and supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into (legally made a part of) this Summary Prospectus.
This Summary Prospectus contains information you should know before investing, including information about risks. Please read it before you invest and keep it for future reference.
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Summary Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Not FDIC Insured ● May Lose Value ● No Bank Guarantee
Summary Prospectus
Key Facts About BlackRock Global Equity Market Neutral Fund
Investment Objective
The investment objective of BlackRock Global Equity Market Neutral Fund (the "Fund"), a series of BlackRock FundsSM(the "Trust"), to seek total return over the long term.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Class K Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to your financial professional or your selected securities dealer, broker, investment adviser, service provider or industry professional (including BlackRock Advisors, LLC ("BlackRock") and its affiliates) (each, a "Financial Intermediary"), which are not reflected in the table and example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investment)
Class K
Shares
Management Fee1
1.24
%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
None
Other Expenses
0.20
%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses2
0.01
%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses2
1.45
%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1,3
(0.15
)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1,3
1.30
%
1
As described in the "Management of the Fund" section of the Fund's prospectus beginning on page 31, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund's assets estimated to be attributable to investments in other equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates that have a contractual management fee, through June 30, 2026. In addition, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive its management fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Fund pays to BlackRock indirectly through its investment in money market funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates, through June 30, 2026. The contractual agreements may be terminated upon 90 days' notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
2
The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratio of expenses to average net assets given in the Fund's most recent annual report, which do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.
3
As described in the "Management of the Fund" section of the Fund's prospectus beginning on page 31, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) as a percentage of average daily net assets to 1.29% of average daily net assets through June 30, 2026. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days' notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
Example:
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class K Shares
$132
$444
$778
$1,722
Portfolio Turnover:
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 27% of the average value of its portfolio.
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Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its total assets in equity instruments and related derivative instruments issued by, or tied economically to, companies located in developed markets. The Fund determines that an investment is tied economically to a developed market if such investment satisfies one or more of the following conditions: 1) the issuer's primary trading market is in a developed market; 2) the issuer is organized under the laws of, derives at least 50% of its revenue from, or has at least 50% of its assets in developed markets; 3) the investment is included in an index representative of developed markets; and 4) the investment is exposed to the economic risks and returns of developed markets. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers of any market capitalization and in securities denominated in either U.S. dollars or foreign currencies.
The Fund intends to be market-neutral, which means that the Fund seeks to produce returns that have a low correlation to the returns of the equity markets in which the Fund invests. The Fund pursues this market-neutral strategy by taking both long and short positions in a variety of developed market equity instruments. The Fund expects to maintain long and short positions primarily through the use of swap agreements and other derivative instruments, such as futures, and may invest in such instruments without limitation. Although the Fund intends to maintain an overall long position in its portfolio investments, the Fund generally expects to maintain significant short positions in equity securities and equity-related instruments. In certain circumstances, these short positions may approach or reach the size of the overall long position. A long position arises where the Fund holds a security in its portfolio or maintains a position through a derivative instrument that provides economic exposure similar to direct ownership of the security. The Fund will have a short position where it sells a security it does not own by delivery of a borrowed security or has entered into a derivative instrument that provides economic exposure similar to a short sale of the security. The Fund looks to identify overvalued, undervalued or mispriced stocks and other equity instruments through proprietary ranking techniques. The Fund takes long positions primarily in securities that BlackRock has identified as attractive and short positions in such securities that BlackRock has identified as overvalued or poised for underperformance.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund anticipates it will allocate a substantial amount (approximately 40% or more - unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by BlackRock, in which case the Fund would invest at least 30%) of its total assets in securities (or derivatives with similar economic characteristics) of (i) foreign government issuers, (ii) issuers organized or located outside the United States, (iii) issuers whose securities primarily trade in a market located outside the United States, or (iv) issuers doing a substantial amount of business outside the United States, which the Fund considers to be companies that derive at least 50% of their revenue or profits from business outside the United States or have at least 50% of their sales or assets outside the United States. The Fund will allocate its assets among various regions and countries, including the United States (but in no less than three different countries). For temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may deviate very substantially from the allocation described above.
The Fund may utilize derivative instruments as a significant part of its strategy.
When consistent with the Fund's investment objective, the Fund's investments may include short-term investments, such as cash and cash equivalents, U.S. Government and agency securities, money market funds (including funds that may be affiliated with or sponsored or managed by BlackRock), commercial paper, certificates of deposit and other bank deposits and bankers' acceptances.
Equity instruments consist of:
Common stock
Depositary receipts
Derivative securities or instruments such as futures, options, forward contracts and swaps (including, but not limited to, total return swaps, some of which may be referred to as contracts for difference), the value of which is based on a common stock or group of common stocks. A contract for difference offers exposure to price changes in an underlying security without ownership of such security, typically by providing investors the ability to trade on margin.
The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities to achieve its primary investment strategies.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Risk is inherent in all investing. The value of your investment in the Fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly from day to day and over time. You may lose part or all of your investment in the Fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. The following is a
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summary description of the principal risks of investing in the Fund. The relative significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.
Equity Securities Risk - Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company's financial condition and overall market and economic conditions.
Foreign Securities Risk - Foreign investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. These risks include:
The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories, which may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business and may be subject to only limited or no regulatory oversight.
Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund's portfolio.
The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position.
The governments of certain countries, or the U.S. Government with respect to certain countries, may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions through capital controls and/or sanctions on foreign investments in the capital markets or certain industries in those countries, which may prohibit or restrict the ability to own or transfer currency, securities, derivatives or other assets.
Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as does the United States and may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws.
Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets may result in delays in payment for or delivery of securities not typically associated with settlement and clearance of U.S. investments.
The Fund's claims to recover foreign withholding taxes may not be successful, and if the likelihood of recovery of foreign withholding taxes materially decreases, due to, for example, a change in tax regulation or approach in the foreign country, accruals in the Fund's net asset value for such refunds may be written down partially or in full, which will adversely affect the Fund's net asset value.
The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns in, or rising government debt levels of, several European countries as well as acts of war in the region. These events may spread to other countries in Europe and may affect the value and liquidity of certain of the Fund's investments.
Derivatives Risk - The Fund's use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund's returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including:
Leverage Risk - The Fund's use of derivatives can magnify the Fund's gains and losses. Relatively small market movements may result in large changes in the value of a derivatives position and can result in losses that greatly exceed the amount originally invested.
Market Risk - Some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than other securities. The Fund could also suffer losses related to its derivatives positions as a result of unanticipated market movements, which losses are potentially unlimited. Finally, BlackRock may not be able to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Fund's derivatives positions to lose value.
Counterparty Risk - Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will be unable or unwilling to fulfill its contractual obligation, and the related risks of having concentrated exposure to such a counterparty.
Illiquidity Risk - The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately.
Operational Risk - The use of derivatives includes the risk of potential operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, systems failures, inadequate controls and human error.
Legal Risk - The risk of insufficient documentation, insufficient capacity or authority of counterparty, or legality or enforceability of a contract.
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Volatility and Correlation Risk - Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund's use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets.
Valuation Risk - Valuation for derivatives may not be readily available in the market. Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them.
Hedging Risk - Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund's hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences.
Tax Risk - Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments, including swap agreements and commodity-linked derivative instruments, are currently unclear and may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. Such treatment may be less favorable than that given to a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments.
Risks Specific to Certain Derivatives Used by the Fund
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts- Forward foreign currency exchange transactions are OTC contracts to purchase or sell a specified amount of a specified currency or multinational currency unit at a price and future date set at the time of the contract. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts do not eliminate fluctuations in the value of non-U.S. securities but rather allow the Fund to establish a fixed rate of exchange for a future point in time. This strategy can have the effect of reducing returns and minimizing opportunities for gain.
Futures - Futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that obligate a purchaser to take delivery, and a seller to make delivery, of a specific amount of an asset at a specified future date at a specified price. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts and options are: (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Fund and the price of the futures contract or option; (b) the possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a futures contract and the resulting inability to close a futures contract when desired; (c) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (d) the investment adviser's inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; and (e) the possibility that the counterparty will default in the performance of its obligations.
Swaps - Swap agreements, including total return swaps that may be referred to as contracts for difference, are two-party contracts entered into for periods ranging from a few days to more than one year. In a standard "swap" transaction, two parties agree to exchange the value(s) or cash flow(s) of one asset for another over a certain period of time. Swap agreements involve the risk that the party with whom the Fund has entered into the swap will default on its obligation to pay the Fund and the risk that the Fund will not be able to meet its obligations to pay the other party to the agreement. Swap agreements may also involve the risk that there is an imperfect correlation between the return on the Fund's obligation to its counterparty and the return on the referenced asset. In addition, swap agreements are subject to market and illiquidity risk, leverage risk and hedging risk. The income tax treatment of swap agreements is unsettled and may be subject to future legislation, regulation or administrative pronouncements issued by the Internal Revenue Service. If future guidance limits the Fund's ability to use derivatives, the Fund may have to find other ways of achieving its investment objective. The Fund expects to settle or close out swap positions from time to time so that the value of any "in-the-money" swap positions with a single counterparty (and other securities issued by that counterparty) will not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets. While this is intended to limit counterparty risk, it is also likely to result in the Fund realizing and distributing to its shareholders more ordinary income and less long-term capital gains, which may be taxable at more favorable rates than ordinary income.
To the extent derivatives are utilized to implement the Fund's investment strategies, the transactions may involve the risks described below with respect to investments in equity securities and short sales of securities.
Short Sales Risk - Because making short sales in securities that it does not own exposes the Fund to the risks associated with those securities, such short sales involve speculative exposure risk. The Fund will incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the security sold short. Short sale transactions involve leverage because they can provide investment exposure in an amount exceeding the initial investment.
Model Risk - The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than as forecasted due to the factors incorporated into the models and the weighting of each factor, changes from historical trends, and issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, but not limited to, software issues and
5
other technological issues). There is no guarantee that BlackRock's use of these models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund.
The information and data used in the models may be supplied by third parties. Inaccurate or incomplete data may limit the effectiveness of the models. In addition, some of the data that BlackRock uses may be historical data, which may not accurately predict future market movement. There is a risk that the models will not be successful in selecting investments or in determining the weighting of investment positions that will enable the Fund to achieve its investment objective.
Depositary Receipts Risk - Depositary receipts are generally subject to the same risks as the foreign securities that they evidence or into which they may be converted. In addition to investment risks associated with the underlying issuer, depositary receipts expose the Fund to additional risks associated with the non-uniform terms that apply to depositary receipt programs, credit exposure to the depository bank and to the sponsors and other parties with whom the depository bank establishes the programs, currency risk and the risk of an illiquid market for depositary receipts. The issuers of unsponsored depositary receipts are not obligated to disclose information that is, in the United States, considered material. Therefore, there may be less information available regarding these issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the depositary receipts. While depositary receipts provide an alternative to directly purchasing underlying foreign securities in their respective markets and currencies, they continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities, including political, economic, and currency risk.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk - The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance.
Indexed Securities Risk - Indexed securities provide a potential return based on a particular index of value or interest rates. The Fund's return on these securities will be subject to risk with respect to the value of the particular index. These securities are subject to leverage risk and correlation risk. Certain indexed securities have greater sensitivity to changes in interest rates or index levels than other securities, and the Fund's investment in such instruments may decline significantly in value if interest rates or index levels move in a way Fund management does not anticipate.
Leverage Risk - Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet the applicable requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act"), and the rules thereunder. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund's portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage.
Market Risk and Selection Risk - Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. The value of a security or other asset may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, exchange, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues like pandemics or epidemics, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by using proprietary models that incorporate quantitative analysis and is subject to "Model Risk" as described above. This means you may lose money.
An outbreak of an infectious coronavirus (COVID-19) that was first detected in December 2019 developed into a global pandemic that has resulted in numerous disruptions in the market and has had significant economic impact leaving general concern and uncertainty. Although vaccines have been developed and approved for use by various governments, the duration of the pandemic and its effects cannot be predicted with certainty. The impact of this coronavirus, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the market in general ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time.
Mid Cap Securities Risk - The securities of mid cap companies generally trade in lower volumes and are generally subject to greater and less predictable price changes than the securities of larger capitalization companies.
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Money Market Securities Risk - If market conditions improve while the Fund has invested some or all of its assets in high quality money market securities, this strategy could result in reducing the potential gain from the market upswing, thus reducing the Fund's opportunity to achieve its investment objective.
Risk of Investing in the United States - Certain changes in the U.S. economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Treasury Obligations Risk - Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary during the period shareholders own shares of the Fund. In addition, notwithstanding that U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, circumstances could arise that could prevent the timely payment of interest or principal, such as reaching the legislative "debt ceiling." Such non-payment could result in losses to the Fund and substantial negative consequences for the U.S. economy and the global financial system.
Performance Information
The information shows you how the Fund's performance has varied year by year and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Class K Shares commenced operations on March 28, 2016. As a result, the returns shown below for Class K Shares prior to March 28, 2016 are those of the Fund's Institutional Shares, which are not offered in this prospectus. The performance of Class K Shares would be substantially similar to Institutional Shares because Class K Shares and Institutional Shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities and performance would differ only to the extent that Class K Shares and Institutional Shares have different expenses. The actual returns of Class K Shares would have been higher than those of Institutional Shares because Class K Shares have lower expenses than Institutional Shares. The table compares the Fund's performance to that of the MSCI World Index and the ICE BofA 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index. The ICE BofA 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index is relevant to the Fund because it has characteristics similar to the Fund's investment strategies. To the extent that dividends and distributions have been paid by the Fund, the performance information for the Fund in the chart and table assumes reinvestment of the dividends and distributions. As with all such investments, past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future results. The table includes all applicable fees. If BlackRock and its affiliates had not waived or reimbursed certain Fund expenses during these periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower. Updated information on the Fund's performance, including its current net asset value, can be obtained by visiting www.blackrock.com or can be obtained by phone at (800) 882-0052.
Class K Shares
ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
BlackRock Global Equity Market Neutral Fund
As of 12/31
During the ten-year period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 6.74% (quarter ended December 31, 2023) and the lowest return for a quarter was -4.90% (quarter ended June 30, 2016). The year-to-date return as of June 30, 2024 was 16.43%.
For the periods ended 12/31/23
Average Annual Total Returns
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
BlackRock Global Equity Market Neutral Fund - Class K Shares
Return Before Taxes
14.63
%
3.73
%
2.61
%
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For the periods ended 12/31/23
Average Annual Total Returns
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Return After Taxes on Distributions
11.33
%
2.50
%
1.91
%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
8.65
%
2.35
%
1.74
%
MSCI World Index1
(Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
23.79
%
12.80
%
8.60
%
ICE BofA 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index2
(Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
5.02
%
1.88
%
1.25
%
1
The Fund has added this broad-based index in response to new regulatory requirements.
2
On March 1, 2021, the Fund began to track the 4pm pricing variant of the ICE BofA 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (the "Index"). Historical Index data prior to March 1, 2021 is for the 3pm pricing variant of the Index. Index data on and after March 1, 2021 is for the 4pm pricing variant of the Index.
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Investment Manager
The Fund's investment manager is BlackRock Advisors, LLC (previously defined as "BlackRock"). The Fund's sub-adviser is BlackRock International Limited (the "Sub-Adviser"). Where applicable, "BlackRock" refers also to the Sub-Adviser.
Portfolio Managers
Portfolio Manager
Portfolio Manager
of the Fund Since
Title
Raffaele Savi
2012
Senior Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc.
Kevin Franklin
2012
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc.
Richard Mathieson
2016
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Class K Shares of the Fund are available only to (i) certain employee benefit plans, such as health savings accounts, and certain employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs and SARSEPs) (collectively, "Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans"), (ii) collective trust funds, investment companies and other pooled investment vehicles, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary (as defined below) that has entered into an agreement with the Fund's distributor to purchase such shares, (iii) "Institutional Investors," which include, but are not limited to, endowments, foundations, family offices, banks and bank trusts, local, city, and state governmental institutions, corporations and insurance company separate accounts, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Fund's distributor to purchase such shares, (iv) clients of private banks that purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Fund's distributor to sell such shares, (v) fee-based advisory platforms of a Financial Intermediary that (a) has specifically acknowledged in a written agreement with the Fund's distributor and/or its affiliate(s) that the Financial Intermediary shall offer such shares to fee-based advisory clients through an omnibus account held at the Fund or (b) transacts in the Fund's shares through another intermediary that has executed such an agreement and (vi) any other investors who met the eligibility criteria for BlackRock Shares or Class K Shares prior to August 15, 2016 and have continually held Class K Shares of the Fund in the same account since August 15, 2016.
You may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund each day the New York Stock Exchange is open. Purchase orders may also be placed by calling (800) 537-4942, by mail (c/o BlackRock, P.O. Box 534429, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15253-4429), or online at www.blackrock.com. Institutional Investors are subject to a $5 million minimum initial investment requirement. Other investors, including Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans, have no minimum initial investment requirement. There is no minimum investment amount for additional purchases.
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Tax Information
Different income tax rules apply depending on whether you are invested through a qualified tax-exempt plan described in section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. If you are invested through such a plan (and Fund shares are not "debt-financed property" to the plan), then the dividends paid by the Fund and the gain realized from a redemption or exchange of Fund shares will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes until you withdraw or receive distributions from the plan. If you are not invested through such a plan, then the Fund's dividends and gain from a redemption or exchange may be subject to U.S. federal income taxes and may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are a tax-exempt investor.
Payments to Broker/Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary, the Fund and BlackRock Investments, LLC, the Fund's distributor or its affiliates may pay the Financial Intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Financial Intermediary and your individual financial professional to recommend the Fund over another investment.
Class K Shares are only available through a Financial Intermediary if the Financial Intermediary will not receive from Fund assets, or the Fund's distributor's or an affiliate's resources, any commission payments, shareholder servicing fees (including sub-transfer agent and networking fees), or distribution fees (including Rule 12b-1 fees) with respect to assets invested in Class K Shares.
Ask your individual financial professional or visit your Financial Intermediary's website for more information.
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INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT FILE # 811-05742
SPRO-GEMN-K-0824