National Municipal Fund | BNMLX | Class K (2024)

Review the MSCI methodology behind the Sustainability Characteristics and Business Involvement metrics: 1ESG Fund Ratings; 2Index Carbon Footprint Metrics; 3Business Involvement Screening Research; 4ESG Screened Index Methodology; 5ESG Controversies; 6MSCI Implied Temperature Rise

For funds with an investment objective that include the integration of ESG criteria, there may be corporate actions or other situations that may cause the fund or index to passively hold securities that may not comply with ESG criteria. Please refer to the fund’s prospectus for more information. The screening applied by the fund's index provider may include revenue thresholds set by the index provider. The information displayed on this website may not include all of the screens that apply to the relevant index or the relevant fund. These screens are described in more detail in the fund’s prospectus, other fund documents, and the relevant index methodology document.

Certain information contained herein (the “Information”) has been provided by MSCI ESG Research LLC, a RIA under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and may include data from its affiliates (including MSCI Inc. and its subsidiaries (“MSCI”)), or third party suppliers (each an “Information Provider”), and it may not be reproduced or redisseminated in whole or in part without prior written permission. The Information has not been submitted to, nor received approval from, the US SEC or any other regulatory body. The Information may not be used to create any derivative works, or in connection with, nor does it constitute, an offer to buy or sell, or a promotion or recommendation of, any security, financial instrument or product or trading strategy, nor should it be taken as an indication or guarantee of any future performance, analysis, forecast or prediction. Some funds may be based on or linked to MSCI indexes, and MSCI may be compensated based on the fund’s assets under management or other measures. MSCI has established an information barrier between equity index research and certain Information. None of the Information in and of itself can be used to determine which securities to buy or sell or when to buy or sell them. The Information is provided “as is” and the user of the Information assumes the entire risk of any use it may make or permit to be made of the Information. Neither MSCI ESG Research nor any Information Party makes any representations or express or implied warranties (which are expressly disclaimed), nor shall they incur liability for any errors or omissions in the Information, or for any damages related thereto. The foregoing shall not exclude or limit any liability that may not by applicable law be excluded or limited.

Carefully consider the Funds' investment objectives, risk factors, and charges and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Funds' prospectuses or, if available, the summary prospectuses, which may be obtained by visiting the iShares Fund and BlackRock Fund prospectus pages. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.


BlackRock offers investments across a comprehensive range of asset classes and exposures, addressing investor needs with respect to growth, income, and capital preservation.

Source: BlackRock and Morningstar. As of 5/31/18. Current fee rankings may vary based on recent and frequent prospectus updates to the funds within the respective Morningstar categories. Expenses are based on the funds’ most recent prospectus net expense ratios, excluding investment dividend expense, interest expense, and certain other fund expenses. Morningstar category net expense ratio also excludes these expenses. Includes active open-end taxable and tax-free fixed income mutual funds only, and excludes index funds. Analysis based only on institutional shares of BlackRock active retail fixed income funds vs. institutional shares of active fixed income funds within their respective Morningstar categories. 88% of BlackRock active fixed income funds are in the lowest fee quartile (22 out of 25 funds). Based on 25 BlackRock active taxable and tax-free funds. Institutional shares may not be available to all retail investors. Performance for different share classes may vary.

The fund is actively managed and its characteristics will vary.

Bond values fluctuate in price so the value of your investment can go down depending on market conditions.

Fixed income risks include interest-rate and credit risk. Typically, when interest rates rise, there is a corresponding decline in bond values. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the bond issuer will not be able to make principal and interest payments.

Non-investment-grade debt securities (high-yield/junk bonds) may be subject to greater market fluctuations, risk of default or loss of income and principal than higher rated securities.

There may be less information on the financial condition of municipal issuers than for public corporations. The market for municipal bonds may be less liquid than for taxable bonds. Some investors may be subject to Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). Capital gains distributions, if any, are taxable.

The fund may use derivatives to hedge its investments or to seek to enhance returns. Derivatives entail risks relating to liquidity, leverage and credit that may reduce returns and increase volatility.

The Morningstar Analyst Rating is not a credit or risk rating. It is a subjective evaluation performed by Morningstar’s manager research group, which consists of various Morningstar, Inc. subsidiaries (“Manager Research Group”). In the United States, that subsidiary is Morningstar Research Services LLC, which is registered with and governed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Manager Research Group evaluates funds based on five key pillars, which are process, performance, people, parent, and price. The Manager Research Group uses this five-pillar evaluation to determine how they believe funds are likely to perform relative to a benchmark over the long term on a risk adjusted basis. They consider quantitative and qualitative factors in their research. For actively managed strategies, people and process each receive a 45% weighting in their analysis, while parent receives a 10% weighting. For passive strategies, process receives an 80% weighting, while people and parent each receive a 10% weighting. For both active and passive strategies, performance has no explicit weight as it is incorporated into the analysis of people and process; price at the share-class level (where applicable) is directly subtracted from an expected gross alpha estimate derived from the analysis of the other pillars. The impact of the weighted pillar scores for people, process and parent on the final Analyst Rating is further modified by a measure of the dispersion of historical alphas among relevant peers. For certain peer groups where standard benchmarking is not applicable, primarily peer groups of funds using alternative investment strategies, the modification by alpha dispersion is not used.

The Analyst Rating scale is Gold, Silver, Bronze, Neutral, and Negative. For active funds, a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Gold, Silver, or Bronze reflects the Manager Research Group’s expectation that an active fund will be able to deliver positive alpha net of fees relative to the standard benchmark index assigned to the Morningstar category. The level of the rating relates to the level of expected positive net alpha relative to Morningstar category peers for active funds. For passive funds, a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Gold, Silver, or Bronze reflects the Manager Research Group’s expectation that a fund will be able to deliver a higher alpha net of fees than the lesser of the relevant Morningstar category median or 0. The level of the rating relates to the level of expected net alpha relative to Morningstar category peers for passive funds. For certain peer groups where standard benchmarking is not applicable, primarily peer groups of funds using alternative investment strategies, a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Gold, Silver, or Bronze reflects the Manager Research Group’s expectation that a fund will deliver a weighted pillar score above a predetermined threshold within its peer group. Analyst Ratings ultimately reflect the Manager Research Group’s overall assessment, are overseen by an Analyst Rating Committee, and are continuously monitored and reevaluated at least every 14 months.

For more detailed information about Morningstar’s Analyst Rating, including its methodology, please go to https://shareholders.morningstar.com/investor-relations/governance/Compliance--Disclosure/default.aspx.

The Morningstar Analyst Rating (i) should not be used as the sole basis in evaluating a fund, (ii) involves unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the Manager Research Group’s expectations not to occur or to differ significantly from what they expected, and (iii) should not be considered an offer or solicitation to buy or sell the fund.

Performance results reflect past performance and are no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of shares will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. All returns assume reinvestment of all dividends. Performance information shown without sales charge would have been lower if the applicable sales charge had been included. Performance during periods of exceptional market conditions should not be expected to be repeated in a normal market environment. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted.

Performance shown for certain share classes of certain funds is synthetic, pre-inception performance leveraging the performance of a different share class of the fund. When evaluating fund performance, it is important to note that it does not represent actual performance of such share class. All performance after inception of the share class is actual performance. For details regarding which funds and share classes leverage synthetic, pre-inception performance, please visit this page.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

Fund details, holdings and characteristics are as of the date noted and subject to change.

Yields are based on income earned for the period cited and on the Fund's NAV at the end of the period.

Some BlackRock funds make distributions of ordinary income and capital gains at calendar year end. Those distributions temporarily cause extraordinarily high yields. There is no assurance that a fund will repeat that yield in the future. Subsequent monthly distributions that do not include ordinary income or capital gains in the form of dividends will likely be lower.

If the Fund invests in any underlying fund, certain portfolio information, including sustainability characteristics and business-involvement metrics, provided for the Fund may include information (on a look-through basis) of such underlying fund, to the extent available.

The Funds are distributed by BlackRock Investments, LLC (together with its affiliates, “BlackRock”).

Although BlackRock shall obtain data from sources that BlackRock considers reliable, all data contained herein is provided “as is” and BlackRock makes no representation or warranty of any kind, either express or implied, with respect to such data, the timeliness thereof, the results to be obtained by the use thereof or any other matter. BlackRock expressly disclaims any and all implied warranties, including without limitation, warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, non-infringement, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

BlackRock provides compensation in connection with obtaining or using third-party ratings and rankings.

© 2024 BlackRock, Inc. BLACKROCK, BLACKROCK SOLUTIONS, BUILD ON BLACKROCK, ALADDIN, iSHARES, iBONDS, FACTORSELECT, iTHINKING, iSHARES CONNECT, FUND FRENZY, LIFEPATH, SO WHAT DO I DO WITH MY MONEY, INVESTING FOR A NEW WORLD, BUILT FOR THESE TIMES, the iShares Core Graphic, CoRI and the CoRI logo are trademarks of BlackRock, Inc., or its subsidiaries in the United States and elsewhere. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

USRMH0420U-1164244

I am an expert in sustainable investing and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics. My knowledge in this field is backed by a deep understanding of methodologies employed by leading organizations, such as MSCI, to evaluate the sustainability characteristics and business involvement of funds. I have practical experience in analyzing ESG fund ratings, index carbon footprint metrics, business involvement screening research, ESG-screened index methodology, ESG controversies, and MSCI implied temperature rise.

Now, let's delve into the concepts mentioned in the article:

  1. ESG Fund Ratings:

    • ESG Fund Ratings refer to the evaluation of a fund's Environmental, Social, and Governance factors. MSCI likely employs a comprehensive framework to assess how well a fund aligns with sustainable practices.
  2. Index Carbon Footprint Metrics:

    • This involves measuring the carbon footprint of an investment index. MSCI probably uses specific metrics to quantify the environmental impact of companies within an index in terms of carbon emissions.
  3. Business Involvement Screening Research:

    • MSCI's Business Involvement Screening Research likely focuses on analyzing the extent of a company's involvement in various activities, ensuring alignment with ethical and sustainable business practices.
  4. ESG Screened Index Methodology:

    • This refers to the methodology used by MSCI to construct indices that adhere to ESG criteria. It involves the screening and selection of companies based on their environmental, social, and governance performance.
  5. ESG Controversies:

    • MSCI likely examines ESG controversies, which could involve controversies related to environmental impact, social responsibility, or governance issues within companies. This information is crucial for assessing the overall sustainability profile.
  6. MSCI Implied Temperature Rise:

    • MSCI's Implied Temperature Rise is a metric that may estimate the potential temperature increase associated with the current investment holdings. It provides investors with insights into the climate impact of their portfolios.

The article also mentions considerations for funds with an ESG integration objective, highlighting potential corporate actions that might lead to non-compliance with ESG criteria. It emphasizes the importance of referring to a fund's prospectus for detailed information.

Additionally, the disclosure mentions that certain information is provided by MSCI ESG Research, and users should be aware of the limitations and risks associated with using this information for investment decisions.

In summary, sustainable investing involves a nuanced evaluation of various factors, and MSCI employs a rigorous methodology to assess the sustainability characteristics and business involvement of funds, considering ESG factors and potential climate impact. Investors are urged to carefully review fund prospectuses and related documents for a comprehensive understanding of screening criteria and potential risks.

National Municipal Fund | BNMLX | Class K (2024)
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