Wall Street remains volatile due to soft macroeconomic data and an intensifying trade war between the United States and China, the world’s top two economies. Chinese authorities have raised import tariffs to 125% to counter President Donald Trump’s aggressive duty increase on Chinese products, resulting in a 145% effective tariff. Investors are still concerned about the impact of the global trade war on the U.S. economy at a time when the inflation rate is already elevated.

According to the University of Michigan report, consumer sentiment for the month of April was 50.8, the lowest since June 2022, mostly due to concerns over rising inflation. The Producer Price Index (PPI) for final demand decreased by 0.4% in March, but the core PPI increased by 0.3%, which indicates ongoing price pressure.

Market participants now expect the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates in December as consumers' 12-month inflation expectations climbed to 6.7%, the highest reading since 1981, from 5.0% in March because of tariff effects on prices. The ongoing trade war along with high chances of increasing inflation has caused economic uncertainty.

Amid such puzzling market conditions, mutual fund investing can help those who wish to diversify their portfolio among various asset classes but lack professional expertise in managing funds. Mutual funds like BlackRock Global Equity Market Neutral Fund (BDMCX Quick QuoteBDMCX - Free Report) , BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund (BMCRX Quick QuoteBMCRX - Free Report) and BlackRock Large Cap Focus Value Fund (MRBVX Quick QuoteMRBVX - Free Report) should be good choices since they provide low-cost and uncomplicated equity funds that can help investors meet their goals.

These funds have wide exposure in sectors such as industrial cyclical, energy, non-durable, technology, finance and retail, which are expected to perform well in the long term.

Why Invest in BlackRock Mutual Funds?

BlackRock mutual funds can be the preferred choice for investors who wish to diversify their portfolio but lack the necessary expertise in managing their own funds. Blackrock, founded in New York in 1988, is one of the leading investment, advisory and risk-management solutions companies. The fund house has a reputation as a trusted partner and long-term financial success.

BlackRock was founded as a standalone investment management company that focuses on providing asset and risk-management services to its clients. It is the world's largest asset management company and in the first quarter of 2024, its assets under management hit a record high of $10.5 trillion. Its assets under management span various asset classes like equity, fixed income, cash management, alternative investment and real estate.

Blackrock has more than 19,000 employees in more than 38 countries. The company manages assets for clients in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa. Its clients include corporate, public and pension plans for various governments, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, foundations, charities, corporations, official institutions, sovereign wealth funds, banks, financial professionals, and individuals worldwide.

We have thus selected three Blackrock mutual funds that have not only preserved investors’ wealth but also generated excellent returns in the past. These funds boast a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy), have positive three-year and five-year annualized returns, minimum initial investments within $5000, and carry a low expense ratio.

Notably, mutual funds, in general, reduce transaction costs and diversify portfolios without an array of commission charges mostly associated with stock purchases (read more: Mutual Funds: Advantages, Disadvantages, and How They Make Investors Money).

BlackRock Global Equity Market Neutral Fund invests most of its assets in equity and derivative securities of companies that are economically tied to developed markets, irrespective of market capitalization. BDMCX advisors adopt a market-neutral strategy by taking both long and short positions in a variety of developed market equity instruments that are denominated in either U.S. dollars or foreign currencies.

Raffaele Savi has been the lead manager of BDMCX since Dec. 20, 2012. Most of the fund’s exposure is in companies like Netflix (0.8%), Citigroup (0.6%) and Procter & Gamble (0.4%) as of Jan. 31, 2025.

BDMCX’s three-year and five-year annualized returns are almost 13.5% and 8.3%, respectively. BDMCX has an annual expense ratio of 2.34%.

To see how this fund performed compared to its category and other 1, 2, and 3 Ranked Mutual Funds, please click here.

BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Growth Fund invests most of its assets along with borrowings, if any, in large-cap equity securities and derivatives such as futures contracts or options that have similar economic characteristics. BMCRX advisors consider large-cap companies as those with market cap within the range of companies listed on the Russell 1000 Growth Index at the time of purchase.

Raffaele Savi has been the lead manager of BMCRX since June 11, 2017. Most of the fund’s exposure was in companies like NVIDIA (10.3%), Apple (8.5%) and Microsoft (5.8%) as of Nov. 30, 2024.

BMCRX’s three-year and five-year annualized returns are almost 8.7% and 17.8%, respectively. BMCRX has an annual expense ratio of 1.12%.

BlackRock Large Cap Focus Value Fund seeks capital appreciation along with current income by investing most of its assets, along with borrowings, if any, in large-cap equity securities and derivatives that have similar economic characteristics to such securities. MRBVX advisors primarily choose to invest in equity securities of undervalued companies.

Tony DeSpirito has been the lead manager of MRBVX since Nov. 14, 2019. Most of the fund’s exposure was in companies like Wells Fargo (4.3%), Citi Group (4%) and First Citizens BancShares (3.6%) as of Dec. 31, 2024.

MRBVX’s three-year and five-year annualized returns are almost 6.7% and 16.6%, respectively. MRBVX has an annual expense ratio of 1.17%.

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