BlackRock launched the BlackRock Total Return ETF (Nasdaq: BRTR), providing ETF investors with access to the firm’s Total Return strategy. As a diversified core bond strategy, the ETF seeks to uncover alpha opportunities across the fixed income universe and deliver consistent, attractive returns across all market cycles.¹

This launch reinforces BlackRock’s commitment to delivering liquidity, tax efficiency, and alpha in the convenience of an ETF. Managed by Rick Rieder, CIO of Global Fixed Income at BlackRock and winner of the 2023 Morningstar Outstanding Portfolio Manager Award, David Rogal, and Chi Chen, BRTR has the same investment objective, benchmark, and portfolio managers as the Gold Rated BlackRock Total Return Mutual Fund. ²

“With over 60,000 global fixed income securities, it can be incredibly complex for the everyday investor to differentiate between the winners and losers,” said Rieder.³ “Through the ETF wrapper, we seek to take advantage of dispersion in markets, target durable alpha for our clients, and aim to deliver it in an efficient, transparent manner.”

BRTR leverages the scale of BlackRock’s $2.6 trillion Fundamental Fixed Income platform, with 89% of BlackRock’s actively managed taxable fixed income assets under management outperforming the benchmark or peer median over the last five years.⁴

Furthers BlackRock’s commitment to Active ETFs
Active ETFs currently have $500 billion in assets under management,⁵ with demand particularly strong among fee-based advisers who are using these products as building blocks for model portfolios.⁶ In addition, active ETFs are helping provide end investors with new access points to active management. In the third quarter of 2023, individual investors accounted for nearly 31% of all actively managed ETF volumes, up from 24% in 2022.⁷

“The rapid growth of active ETFs has proved that ETFs are no longer limited to index management,” said Dominik Rohe, Head of Americas ETF and Index Investments business at BlackRock. “Today’s launch represents iShares’ commitment to innovation and helping our clients achieve new sources of alpha in a more efficient and convenient way. More investors can now access BlackRock’s premier active management capabilities in an investment vehicle that best suits their needs.”

BRTR is the second active ETF managed by BlackRock’s Fundamental Fixed Income team, following the launch of the BlackRock Flexible Income ETF (BINC) in May. Since launch, BINC has gathered $330 million in flows.⁸

BlackRock has a strong foundation in active ETFs, with $13 billion in assets under management across 36 products.⁹ With over 1,000 ETFs and mutual funds in the U.S., BlackRock provides clients with a comprehensive and complementary set of portfolio tools across active and index strategies in their wrapper of choice.

Source: BlackRock