Although overall global economic and financial conditions have generally improved over the past year, the period ended with high levels of market volatility and diminishing investor confidence sparked by the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, concerns over the strength of the economic recovery and uncertainty surrounding the future of interest rate policies. Additionally, as the period drew to a close, the increasing likelihood of more stringent financial market regulations added to the overall sense of investment uncertainty. Despite the uneven nature of recent market conditions, we continue to believe that the “Great Recession” likely ended at some point last summer, thanks primarily to massive fiscal and monetary stimulus, and that the global economy remains in recovery mode.

Global equity markets bottomed in early 2009 and since that time have moved unevenly higher as investors were lured back into the markets by depressed valuations, desire for higher yields and improvements in corporate earnings prospects. There have been several corrections along the way and volatility levels have remained elevated — reflections of mixed economic data, lingering deflation issues (especially in Europe) and uncertainty surrounding financial regulations. On balance, however, improving corporate revenues and profits and a positive macro backdrop helped push stock prices higher over the last twelve and six months. From a geographic perspective, US equities have outpaced their international counterparts in recent months, as the domestic economic recovery has been more pronounced and as credit-related issues have held European markets down.

Within fixed income markets, yields have been moving unevenly as improving economic conditions have been acting to push Treasury yields higher (and prices correspondingly lower), while concerns over ongoing deflation threats have acted as a counterweight. As the period drew to a close, Treasury yields were falling as investors flocked to the “safe haven” asset class in the face of escalating uncertainty. Over the course of the last twelve and six months, however, Treasuries underperformed other areas of the bond market, particularly the high yield sector, which has been benefiting from increased investor demand. Meanwhile, municipal bonds slightly outperformed taxable sectors over both the six- and twelve-month periods thanks to continued high demand levels, but have continued to face the headwinds of ongoing state and local budget problems. As in the taxable arena, high yield municipals have been outperforming the rest of the market.

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:

Global financial markets continue to show signs of improvement, but questions about the strength and sustainability of the recovery abound. 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. As always, we thank you for entrusting BlackRock with your investments, and we look forward to your continued partnership in the months and years ahead.