Financial Times

BlackRock fires opening salvo in US buffered ETF price war

BlackRock enters US buffered ETF market with lower fees, attracting significant inflows despite calmer markets. Competition expected to drive fees down.

BlackRock has launched two iShares funds in the US buffered ETF market with significantly lower annual fees of 50bp.
US buffered ETFs attracted $11.1bn in inflows in 2022 and have already attracted $4.6bn year to date.
BlackRock's entry into the market is expected to put pressure on fees, potentially settling below 40bp in the longer term.
The largest providers in the US buffered ETF category are Innovator Capital Management and First Trust.
Investors in BlackRock's buffered ETFs will not receive regular dividend income, unlike other providers.

Charting the Global Economy: Central Banks Hold as Prices Cool

Central banks around the world are pausing tightening campaigns as inflation eases and economies slow. Inflation-targeting regimes are keeping their own houses in order, while the US Fed's key inflation gauges fell to the slowest annual paces since late 2021.

Factbox: Turkey earthquake and some of the worst natural disasters of this century

Two massive earthquakes on Monday have devastated cities and towns across Turkey and Syria, with death toll of over 16,000. This is one of the worst natural disasters this century, alongside the 2004 Sumatran Tsunami, 2010 Haiti earthquake and 2008 Cyclone Nargis.

Take Five: Strap in for no landing

A raft of U.S. data and European inflation numbers will give guidance on how the world's top central banks will navigate the way ahead, including the hotly debated "no landing" scenario. Reports on U.S. durable goods orders, home prices, manufacturing and consumer confidence threaten to cement expec

Read next