The Bid

The pace of technological change has taken a giant leap forward and created opportunities for investors. ChatGPT has been compared to the invention of the internet, robots are being introduced to workforce. And agricultural technology is being more widely implemented to try to solve for a growing global population. Jeff Spiegel, US Head of BlackRock, Megatrend International and Sector ETFs, will h...

The Metaverse has evolved from a virtual gaming space to something that now encompasses a much broader range of applications, including commerce, education, socializing, and entertainment. Peggy Johnson, CEO of Augmented Reality Company, Magic Leap provides insights on how mixed reality and artificial intelligence will shape the metaverse and the challenges and opportunities that arise from this t...

Tom Donilon, Chairman of the BlackRock Investment Institute and former National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama returns to this special post-Davos edition of The Bid to provide his take on the geopolitical issues that are shaping the global investment landscape in 2023. Sources: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and General Mark A. Milley Press Conference Following Ukraine Defens...

As investors have said a relieved goodbye to 2022, where we saw high inflation, market volatility, supply chain shocks, labor market shifts, and interest rate hikes, what can stock pickers look forward to in 2023? To help us answer that question, host Oscar Pulido welcomes back a Bid regular, BlackRock's CIO of US Fundamental Equities, Tony DeSpirito. This material is intended for information purp...

In the final episode of our 3 part retirement mini-series, Gargi Chaudhuri, Head of iShares Investment Strategy and Markets Coverage, sits down for a fireside chat at the BlackRock Retirement Savings Summit to give her views on how the markets might be shaping up for 2023 and what retirement investors should be considering right now. Sources: Statistica CPI Report October 2022; Schwab “2022 (401)k...

In part 2 of our 3-part retirement mini-series, Anne Ackerley, Head of BlackRock’s Retirement Group moderates a live panel at the recent BlackRock Retirement Savings Summit, speaking to three leaders who are actively working to bridge the gender and race gap with regard to retirement savings. Source: Mercer 2022 “Stepping Up For Equity” Source: Hou, Wenliang, “Social Security is a Great Equalizer....

How confident are you feeling about your own retirement? In part one of a three-part Retirement mini-series, Anne Ackerley, BlackRock’s Head of Retirement Group joins Stephanie Linker, Head of BlackRock’s Retirement Group Marketing to discuss some of the challenges facing retirement investors today. Sources: BlackRock’s Read on Retirement Survey 2022; World Economic Forum blog by Stephanie Lane “T...

Maersk CEO Soren Skou sits down with host Mark Wiedman to talk about how the global shipping giant is leading the shipping industry’s transition to net zero by bringing down their scope 3 emissions and making their ships greener and more efficient.   Editor’s Note: This episode was recorded in October 2022, prior to the December 12, 2022 announcement that Soren Skou will be stepping down...

Did you know that construction, buildings, are responsible for nearly 40% of global CO2 emissions? That includes the emissions that come from processing the raw materials like cement or steel, and, even bigger, the emissions that come from operating and powering those buildings during their whole lifetime. Jan Jenisch, CEO of Holcim, a global leader in building materials, sat down with host Mark W...

In 2022, the economy experienced volatile and decelerating growth as well as high inflation, leading economists to believe that gradual easing of inflation is unlikely as central banks are set to over tighten policy. So what does 2023 have in store for investors? Wei Li, BlackRock’s Global Chief Investment Strategist, and Vivek Paul Head of Portfolio Research join Oscar Pulido to look ahead t...

Funding new drug development is challenging. Trials are expensive, complex, and lengthy, and only a fraction of the therapeutics that go into clinical trials will ever come out the other side approved. Sara Shores welcomes Dr. Andrew Lo, economist, professor at MIT and co-founder of QLS Advisors, a Quantitative Life Sciences Company working to accelerate the pace of change in biomedicine. Sources...

What does the road to low-carbon trucking look like? Volvo Group CEO Martin Lundstedt joins host Mark Wiedman to talk about how the company is helping transform the future of transport with their fully electric heavy-duty trucks and why “partnership is the new leadership” to get the sector to reach its net zero goals.   This material is intended for information purposes only, and does no...

Gas supplies from Russia have been significantly reduced due to the war in Ukraine. OPEC has announced oil production cuts and both Europe and the U.S. have stubbornly high inflation that central banks are trying to control. With winter fast approaching, what impact will that have on the economies globally and when will it ease? Gargi Chaudhuri, Head of iShares Investment Strategy and Alex Brazier...

2022 has been a year to forget as far as investing goes, and in this episode of The Bid, host Will Su brings together two investors from different generations to examine the factors shaping the outlook for the U.S. stock market from their different vantage points and experience. Joining Will are Tony DeSpirito, CIO of U.S. Fundamental Equities, and Caroline Bottinelli, Co-Portfolio Manager from ou...

How can carbon capture transform the oil and gas industry?  On this episode of “The real leaders of net zero,” CEO and President of Occidental Petroleum Vicki Hollub joins guest host, Mark McCombe, Chief Client Officer at BlackRock, to talk about the oil and gas company’s net zero strategy and its commitment to be net zero by 2040 and the important role carbon management could play in achievi...

The U.S. labor force has shrunk and not recovered since the start of the pandemic, and there are more jobs available than can be filled, so how is that affecting the economies current inflation woes? Jean Boivin, Head of the BlackRock Investment Institute joins host Oscar Pulido to connect the dots. This material is intended for information purposes only, and does not constitute investment advice,...

In 2019, Repsol was the first oil and gas company in the world to announce its commitment to be net zero by 2050.  Why did they make that decision? What's their plan to get there? On this episode of our series, The Real Leaders of Net Zero, Repsol CEO Josu Jon Imaz joins host Mark Wiedman to talk upstream and downstream, electrification versus decarbonization, and why technology is the bigges...

Blackrock CEO, Larry Fink, introduces the 100th episode of The Bid where iShares’ Gargi Pal Chaudhuri sits down for a candid conversation with finance expert and entrepreneur Lauren Simmons. Lauren was the youngest woman on Wall Street and went from being a financial analyst to one of the most sought-after personal finance experts for celebrities and entrepreneurs. She is also taking part in the i...

Is the Fed caught between a rock and a hard place? It faces a stark choice between reducing inflation while maintaining economic growth, Blackrock Investment Institute’s Alex Brazier recently wrote a piece on our new blog series Macro Take and sits down with host Oscar Pulido to break down the issues facing supply chains.   Read Alex's blog post here: https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/insig...

With inflation at the highest level in decades and volatility continuing to surge, equity investors are questioning their next moves. Tony DeSpirito, BlackRock's CIO of U.S. Fundamental Equities, looks at how inflation is impacting the economy and underappreciated opportunities. This material is for informational purposes and is prepared by BlackRock, is not intended to be relied upon as a forecas...

Has the multi-decade period of stable growth and low inflation come to an end in 2022? The BlackRock Investment Institute believes the world is now facing greater economic and market volatility. Jean Boivin, Head of the BlackRock Investment Institute (BII) , Vivek Paul, Head of Portfolio Research for the BlackRock Investment Institute and Wei Li, Global Chief Investment Strategist for Blackro...

ENEL CEO, Francesco Starace, has been at the helm of the Italian power giant ENEL since 2014 and is a driving force behind Europe’s move to sustainable energy. Mr. Starace joins host Mark Wiedman and “The real leaders of net zero miniseries” to discuss how during his tenure he has overseen the expansion of clean energy using economies of scale from digitalization and improved materials. Francesco...

On this episode of our ‘The real leaders of net zero' miniseries, Dow CEO Jim Fitterling talks with BlackRock’s Mark Wiedman about how Dow is decarbonizing its production processes and why the circular economy can help rid our planet of plastic waste. This material is for informational purposes and is prepared by BlackRock, is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment ad...

Megatrends are allowing people to build long term exposure to exponential growth. Jeff Spiegel, US Head of BlackRock Megatrend, International and Sector ETFs and Tanya Chanda, Senior Investment Strategist on the BlackRock Megatrend team, explore how megatrends are being impacted by supply chain disruptions, robot labor and millennial spending.  This material is for informational purposes...

Global ETF inflows continue to break records. Salim Ramji, BlackRock's Global Head of ETFs and Index Investments, breaks down why millions of first-time investors are turning to ETFs and Samara Cohen, BlackRock's Chief Investment Officer of ETFs and Index Investments, explains the changing role of ETFs.   1 Blackrock, Nov 31st '20 - Nov 31st '21 2 BlackRock “Second Annual iShares Report on In...