BlackRock Event Driven Equity Profits from Corporate Change
BALPX capitalizes on mergers, executive turnover and other events.


Coloring outside the lines isn’t just for kids in school—adding some color to the edges of your core portfolio can brighten returns. Investors adopted that strategy in 2021, pouring a record of nearly $4 billion in new money into so-called event-driven funds, or funds that invest in companies undergoing fundamental changes, such as a merger or acquisition. BlackRock Event Driven Equity (BALPX) received $2.3 billion of the inflow.
Event-driven funds typically have little relation to stock and bond market ups and downs, so that even in down markets they tend to remain flat or lose less than standard stock or bond fund peers, says Morningstar analyst Bobby Blue. If you’re looking for diversification, a small allocation to an event-driven fund can hedge against volatility elsewhere.
The BlackRock fund is a standout. So far in 2022, the S&P 500 index is down 5.5%. Over the same period, the fund has gained a flat-ish 0.1%.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Mark McKenna, the fund’s lead manager, works with a team of 12 other analysts. The team leverages BlackRock’s extensive network and resources to gain direct access to company executives in order to better understand the changes afoot at their firm.
Those changes can include a range of company events. So-called “hard” events may refer to announced takeovers, for example, or company spin-offs. The fund holds shares in Danaher, for instance, which acquired General Electric’s biopharma business in March 2020. “Soft” events might include management changes or a stock being added or taken out of a particular index. Coty earned a spot in the fund in part because of new initiatives, including a product line revitalization.
McKenna also devotes a small portion of the fund to distressed credit opportunities—specialty finance events, according to Blue, in which a company negotiates directly with BlackRock for financing, whether through a bond underwriting or holding IOUs directly for a short period.
The fund’s hefty expense ratio of 1.57% is still less than the category average of 1.96%. Though the fund charges a load, it trades fee-free at several brokerage firms, including Fidelity and Schwab.
Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — free
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
Rivan joined Kiplinger on Leap Day 2016 as a reporter for Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. A Michigan native, she graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014 and from there freelanced as a local copy editor and proofreader, and served as a research assistant to a local Detroit journalist. Her work has been featured in the Ann Arbor Observer and Sage Business Researcher. She is currently assistant editor, personal finance at The Washington Post.
-
10 Best High-Yield Savings Accounts to Grow Your Tax Refund
If you're getting a tax refund this year and want to grow it, here are the best high-yield savings accounts to make it happen.
By Sean Jackson Published
-
TurboTax: Features, Pricing and Filing Options
Is TurboTax worth it in 2025? Explore the pros, cons, pricing tiers and standout features of this popular tax software to see if it fits your filing needs.
By Carla Ayers Published
-
Stock Market Today: Markets Celebrate Trump's Tariff Détente
Consumer discretionary stocks led the 11 S&P 500 sector groups well into the green.
By David Dittman Published
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Swing Higher After Early Slump
Negative earnings reactions for Nike, FedEx and Micron kept pressure on the main indexes, though.
By Karee Venema Published
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Struggle After Big Fed Gains
An unexpected rise in existing home sales couldn't save stocks on Thursday.
By Karee Venema Published
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Enjoy a Fed Day Relief Rally
The question now is whether Jerome Powell and other policymakers can get the balance right given all the new noise.
By David Dittman Published
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Skid Into Another Risk-Off Turn
The promise of the AI revolution can't overcome flickering hopes for a "Fed put."
By David Dittman Published
-
Stock Market Today: Dow Adds 353 Points Despite Soft Retail Sales
Investors and traders shake off another set of shaky economic numbers and send 10 of 11 sectors higher on Monday.
By David Dittman Published
-
Stock Market Today: Dow Jumps 674 Points in Friday's Relief Rally
The gains weren't limited to stocks, though, with gold futures closing above the $3,000 per ounce mark for the first time.
By Karee Venema Published
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Drop on Trump's EU Tariff Threats
The White House said alcohol imports from the European Union could soon face tariffs of 200%.
By Karee Venema Published