BlackRock to close or combine some money-market funds - WSJ

(Reuters) - BlackRock Inc , the world's largest money manager, will close or consolidate some money-market funds as the company responds to recent regulatory reforms, the Wall Street Journal reported.

BlackRock is considering changing its fund lineup to comply with rules adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in July, the company said in a letter to clients on Monday, according to the report.

The SEC adopted reforms requiring "prime" money funds used by institutional investors to float their values, instead of letting them maintain a stable value at $1 per share.

The goal is to prevent investors from getting spooked by the prospect of funds breaking the buck, or their net asset value falling below $1 per share.

 

BlackRock has about 50 money-market funds, and the changes will affect more than $200 billion in client assets and will leave it with about 30 funds, the Journal reported.

(Reporting by Amrutha Gayathri in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)