Taking stock: Q3 2023 equity market outlook

U.S. stocks climbed a wall of worry to deliver a positive first half. Fundamental Equities CIO Tony DeSpirito looks ahead to a new era for stock investors.
Tony DeSpirito
Grow with equities

Equity strategies for today

Get started with these investment ideas from BlackRock’s active equity platform to help your clients reach their goals.

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Look beyond traditional fixed income and equities

Chart BMCIX

3 Source: Morningstar, as of 3/31/2023.High Yield Bond and Emerging Markets 
Category represent fixed income mutual funds and US Fund High Yield Bond Morningstar and ETFs in the Emerging Markets
category, respectively. Largest fixed income seeking Morningstar categories by AUM - Emerging Markets, and High Yield Bonds $238B. SEC yield is a standard calculation of yield introduced by the SEC in order to provide a fairer comparison among funds.
This yield reflects the interest earned after deducting the fund's expenses during the most recent 30-day period by the average
investor in the fund. Negative 30-Day SEC yield results when accrued expenses of the past 30 days exceed the income collected
during the past 30 days.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Click here for standardized performance. BlackRock provides compensation in connection with obtaining or using third-party ratings and rankings.

The BlackRock High Equity Income Fund (BMCIX) seeks to deliver attractive monthly yield/income by combining value-oriented, high-dividend paying U.S. stocks with an options-based income strategy.

Invest in a large cap value strategy built for diverse markets

Chart MADVX

1 Source: Morningstar as of 3/31/2023. Morningstar Category: US Fund Large Value. Rankings are based on total
return excluding sales charges, independently calculated and not combined to create an overall ranking. Equity Dividend Fund was ranked.
1 Year 414/1,229; 3 Year 734/1,155; 5 Year 483/1,099; 10 Year 410/819; 15yr 208/595. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Click here for standardized performance. BlackRock provides compensation in connection with obtaining or using third-party ratings
and rankings.

2 Source: Morningstar. All data is from PM team inception (August 2014) and through 3/31/2023. Past performance is
no guarantee of future results. Index performance is for illustrative purposes only. You cannot invest directly in the index.

The BlackRock Equity Dividend Fund (MADVX) outperformed 61% of peers over the last 15 years.1 The BlackRock Equity Dividend team invests in U.S. large cap value companies with a greater potential for dividend growth, and seeks lower volatility equity returns, trading at attractive prices.

Invest abroad with International Dividend

Chart BISIX

4 The figures shown relate to past performance. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future results and should not be the sole factor of consideration when selecting a product or a strategyClick here for standardized performance. BlackRock provides compensation in connection with obtaining or using third-party ratings and ranking's. Index performance returns do not reflect any management fees, transaction costs or expenses. Indices are unmanaged and one cannot invest directly in an index. Inception Date: 30 June 2017. Sources: BlackRock, Bloomberg. Data shown to 31 March 2023 for the BlackRock International Dividend Fund (Institutional). The return of your investment may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations if your investment is made in a currency other than that used in the past performance calculation. Index returns are for illustrative purposes only.

*Dates shown for Escalation of China / US tensions, COVID – 19, Inflationary Environment are the largest draw down dates in each period

The BlackRock International Dividend Fund (BISIX) invests in high quality, higher dividend-paying companies that have historically provided less downside risk in market downturns.4

Capture value rallies with mid-caps

Chart MARFX

5 Source: Morningstar as of 3/31/2023. Since PM inception of 07/01/2017, the fund was ranked 21/362 funds in the 
Mid-Cap Value Morningstar Category. Rankings are based on total return excluding sales charges, independently calculated and not combined to 
create an overall ranking. BlackRock Mid-Cap Value was ranked 1 Year 68/405; 3 Year 55/393; 5 Year 16/372; 10 Year 60/272. Past 
performance is no guarantee of future results. Click here for standardized performance. BlackRock provides compensation in connection 
with obtaining or using third-party ratings and rankings.

6 Morningstar as of 3/31/2023. Since PM team inception (7/1/2017). Upside / Downside Capture shows whether a given
fund has outperformed—gained more or lost less than—a broad market benchmark during periods of market strength or weakness and by how 
much.

7 Source: BlackRock as of 3/31/2023. The price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple represents a stock’s share price (as of the latest market close) relative to its earnings per share for the company’s most recent fiscal year.

8 Source: BlackRock as of 3/31/2023. Active Share is a percentage of holdings in a portfolio that differs from the benchmark index.

The BlackRock Mid-Cap Value Fund (MARFX) is an active U.S. mid-cap value portfolio that invests in quality companies with attractive valuations, helping you capture the upside of value market rotations. MARFX is ranked in the 17th percentile in the Morningstar Mid-Cap Value category since PM inception.5

Explore active equity investment ideas

Sustained higher rates and elevated inflation calls advisors to rethink the way they have typically invested in equities over the past decade. Explore three areas of equity investing that can better position your clients’ portfolios for today.
Diamond
Quality
Higher quality equities tend to weather volatile environments better. Seek out companies with strong balance sheets, high cash flows, and low leverage.
International equities
International
International equities are gaining momentum as several factors such as a weaker dollar, China reopening and a lean towards value all benefit markets abroad.
Healthcare equities
Healthcare
Healthcare has been known for its quality holdings and stable cash flows, which has been able to provide greater downside protection amidst market uncertainty.

BlackRock's active equity mutual funds

Explore BlackRock’s full platform of active equity solutions to address your clients’ needs. 

Ticker Name Morningstar category Overall Morningstar Rating 1-yr Morningstar percentile ranking† 3-yr Morningstar percentile ranking† 5-yr Morningstar percentile ranking† 10-yr Morningstar percentile ranking†
U.S.              
MADVX Equity Dividend Large value 3 45 72 44 42
MAFOX Large Cap Focus Growth Large growth 3 71 78 57 26
MARFX Mid-Cap Value Mid cap value 4 42 34 8 29
CMGIX  Mid-Cap Growth  Mid cap growth 3 82 84 39 6
BIRIX Sustainable Large Cap Core Large blend 3 57 18 26 -
BDSIX Advantage Small Cap Core Small blend 3 78 79 45 -
International/Emerging Markets              
MADCX Emerging Markets Diversified EM 4 35 60 14 21
MAILX International Fund Foreign large blend 2 93 24 36 31
BISIX International Dividend Fund Foreign large blend 4 7 22 4 45
Megatrends              
SHSSX Health Sciences Opportunities Health 5 17 41 15 12
BGSIX Technology Opportunities Technology 4 66 53 30 18
Income              
BMCIX High Equity Income Derivative Income 4 42 10 29 14

Performance data represents past performance and does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate with market conditions and may be lower or higher when you sell your shares. Current performance may differ from the performance shown. For most recent month-end performance and standardized performance, click on the fund names above.

Expert insights from our active equity team

Read the latest from our BlackRock active portfolio managers and experts on what they’re seeing in the markets and advisor portfolios.