Principal
Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund primarily intends to invest in equity securities or other financial
instruments that are components of, or have characteristics similar to, the securities included in the MSCI All Country World Index (the “MSCI ACWI Index”). The
MSCI ACWI Index is a capitalization-weighted index of equity securities from a broad range of industries chosen for market size, liquidity and industry group representation. The equity securities in which the Fund invests primarily
consist of common stock, but may also include preferred stock. From time to time, the Fund may invest in shares of companies through “new issues” or initial public offerings (“IPOs”). The Fund may invest in issuers of any capitalization. The Fund may also purchase convertible securities.
The Fund may use derivatives, including options, futures, swaps (including, but not
limited to, total return swaps, some of which may be referred to as contracts for difference) and forward contracts, both to seek to increase the return of the Fund and to hedge (or protect) the value of its assets against adverse movements in currency exchange rates,
interest rates and movements in the securities markets. In order to manage cash flows into or out of the Fund
effectively, the Fund may buy and sell financial futures contracts or options on such contracts. Derivatives are financial instruments whose value is derived from another security, a currency or an index, including but not limited to the MSCI
ACWI Index.
The Fund will invest in securities of issuers from a variety of countries, including those in emerging markets. The Fund
may also invest in equity securities issued by emerging growth companies, which are companies of any market
capitalization without a long or consistent history of earnings but that Fund management believes have the potential for earnings growth over an extended period of time.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund anticipates it will allocate a substantial amount (approximately 40% or more —
unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by Fund management, in which case the Fund would invest at least 30%) of its total assets in foreign securities, which may include securities (i) of foreign government issuers, (ii) of
issuers organized or located outside the United States, (iii) of issuers which primarily trade in a market located outside the United States, or (iv) of issuers doing a substantial amount of business outside the United States, which the Fund
considers to be companies that derive at least 50% of their revenue or profits from business outside the United States or have at least 50% of their sales or assets outside the United States. The Fund will allocate its assets among various
regions and countries, including the United States (but in no fewer than three different countries).
The Fund seeks to pursue its investment objective by investing in securities in a disciplined manner, by using
proprietary return forecast models that incorporate quantitative analysis. These forecast models are designed to identify aspects of mispricing across stocks which the Fund can seek to capture by over- and under-weighting particular
equity securities while seeking to control incremental risk. BlackRock then constructs and rebalances the portfolio by integrating its investment insights with the model-based optimization process.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Risk is inherent in all investing. The value of your investment in the Fund, as well as
the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly from day to day and over time. You may lose part or all of your investment in the Fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. The following is a
summary description of the principal risks of investing in the Fund. The relative significance of each risk factor below may change over time and you should review each risk factor carefully.
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Equity Securities Risk — Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s
financial condition and overall market and economic conditions.
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Foreign Securities Risk — Foreign investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances
that the Fund will lose money. These risks include:
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The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities
depositories, which may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business and may be subject to only limited or no regulatory oversight.
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Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s
portfolio.
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The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the
United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position.
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The governments of certain countries, or the U.S. Government with respect to certain countries, may prohibit or impose
substantial restrictions through capital controls and/or sanctions on foreign investments in the capital