The global economic recovery continues, although global and US economic statistics show that the pace of economic growth has slowed. The sovereign debt crisis in Europe, slowing growth in China and concerns over the possibility that the United States and other developed markets are heading for a double-dip recession have all acted to depress investor sentiment. Despite broadening evidence of a slowdown in global economic activity, market volatility has normalized from the extreme levels seen in recent months. In the United States, economic data continues to be mixed, but it is our view that the preponderance of data suggests that the recovery is continuing. The critical issue for investors remains the question of whether the economy will experience a double-dip recession. We are on the optimistic side of this debate and would point out that while the recovery has been slow, we have made significant progress.

Global equity markets have moved unevenly higher since bottoming out in early 2009 as investors were enticed by depressed valuations, improved corporate earnings, and their desire for higher yields. Several significant downturns, however, have occurred — primarily as a result of mixed economic data and concerns about the possibility of prolonged deflation (especially in Europe). As the period drew to a close, equity markets lost ground on weaker-than-expected economic data, most notably from the United States. International equities posted negative returns on both a six- and 12-month basis while US equities posted negative returns over the six months, but were still showing positive returns on a 12-month basis as the domestic economic recovery had been more pronounced and credit-related issues held European markets down. Within the United States, smaller cap stocks continue to outperform large caps year-to-date.

In fixed income markets, yields have fluctuated significantly over the past year as economic data has been mixed. Risk aversion and credit issues have kept interest rates low and US Treasury yields have fallen significantly as investors favored “safe haven” assets. As the period drew to a close, Treasuries modestly outperformed the spread sectors of the market (those driven by changes in credit risk). Corporate credit spreads benefited from the low rate environment and high yield fixed income remains attractive due to low default rates and better-than-expected results on European bank stress tests. Meanwhile, tax-exempt municipal bonds slightly outperformed US investment grade bonds on a 12-month basis, but underperformed year-to-date as investors rotated to the relative safety of Treasuries.

Regarding cash investments, yields on money market securities remain near all-time lows (producing returns only marginally above zero percent), with the Federal Open Market Committee reiterating that economic circumstances are likely to necessitate an accommodative interest rate stance for an “extended period.”

Against this backdrop, the major market averages posted the following returns:

          Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Index performance shown for illustrative purposes only. You cannot invest directly in an index.

Although conditions have improved over the past couple of years, investors across the globe continue to face uncertainty about the future direction of economic growth. Through periods of uncertainty, as ever, BlackRock’s full resources are dedicated to the management of our clients’ assets. For additional market perspective and investment insight, visit www.blackrock.com/shareholdermagazine, where you’ll find the most recent issue of our award-winning Shareholder^® magazine, as well as its quarterly companion newsletter, Shareholder Perspectives. We thank you for entrusting BlackRock with your investments, and we look forward to your continued partnership in the months and years ahead.

Sincerely,