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%.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Be a smarter, better informed investor.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free 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.
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.
-
The Seven Best-Paying Side Gigs For Retirees
If you're worried you won't have enough saved for a comfortable retirement, or that life after work will be boring, these well-paid roles could be the answer.
-
$40,000 CD vs $40,000 High-Yield Savings Account - 3 Things Savers Should Consider Now
Both options offer risk-free methods to grow your savings. Learn how much you can earn with each, how they differ and which one suits you best.
-
Markets Are Quiet Ahead of Fed Day: Stock Market Today
Investors, traders and speculators appear to be on hold amid an unusually fraught Fed meeting.
-
Stocks Rise to Start Fed Week: Stock Market Today
The Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 hit new record closing highs as Wall Street awaits the Fed's next rate cut.
-
S&P 500 Slips Ahead of Fed Week: Stock Market Today
All eyes are on the Federal Reserve ahead of next week's critical policy meeting.
-
Dow Gains 617 Points as Rate Cuts Near: Stock Market Today
Wednesday's economic data didn't shift Wall Street's expectations that the Fed is preparing for a rate cut at next week's meeting.
-
S&P 500 Hits New High After Oracle Earnings: Stock Market Today
Another down day for Apple held the Dow Jones Industrial Average back, though.
-
Stocks Grind Up to New All-Time Highs: Stock Market Today
UnitedHealth stock led the Dow Jones Industrial Average amid increasing signs the labor market has not been well for months.
-
Markets Prepare for August Inflation Data: Stock Market Today
Apple CEO Tim Cook is still important, but price action this week is as much about incoming inflation data ahead of next week's Fed meeting.
-
Stocks Slip as Job Growth Stalls: Stock Market Today
The August jobs report came in much weaker than expected, while the unemployment rate ticked higher.