Latest news with #BX
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
CIX Joins tvN's 'Hashtag Travelog in Taoyuan' to Showcase the City's Unique Charm
TAOYUAN, TAIWAN - Media OutReach Newswire - 30 May 2025 - To strengthen international tourism—particularly from South Korea, a key source of visitors to Taiwan—the Taoyuan Department of Tourism has teamed up with South Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM and its popular channel tvN to create Hashtag Travelog in Taoyuan. This episode featuring K-pop sensation CIX takes viewers on an exciting journey through Taoyuan's culinary delights, rich culture, and scenic highlights. Hashtag Travelog is tvN's flagship travel series, known for uncovering eye-catching destinations worldwide through the lens of trending social media hashtags. In a first for the program, the show heads to Taoyuan in Taiwan, with CIX members BX, Seung Hun, Yong Hee, and Hyun Suk bringing new perspectives to their adventure. Since debuting in 2019 with their album HELLO, CIX has captivated a global fan base with their musical talent and charm, and amassed over 1.22 million Instagram followers. Their visit to Taoyuan exceeded expectations, with the group praising the city's diversity and finding delightful surprises at each stop. The group was eager to share their excitement at this memorable trip with fans around the world. In the Taoyuan edition of Hashtag Travelog, which has the theme of 'healing,' viewers will follow CIX as they stroll along the nostalgic Daxi Old Street, explore the Taoyuan Tea Museum, discover marine wonders at the local aquarium, and savor a wide array of local street snacks and authentic Hakka cuisine, with each stop certain to delight all the senses. Adding to the excitement, CIX shares their journey through Instagram Reels, providing a real-time window into Taoyuan's charm for fans across the globe. Acting Tourism Director-General Wang Li-chuan emphasizes the appeal of the region: 'Taoyuan brings together culinary delights, cultural depth, and natural beauty—making it a must-visit destination for global travelers. We're thrilled to collaborate with CJ ENM, tvN, and CIX to present Taoyuan's brilliance and charm to the world through their unique lens.' The official teaser can now be viewed on YouTube ( offering an early look at some of the program's most captivating moments. It will also be shown at major international travel expos in Korea to promote Taoyuan's distinctive appeal to travelers. The full episode premieres on May 28, 2025 (Wednesday) at 9:00 PM KST on the tvN SHOW (Channel 74) in Korea, and will air on tvN Asia on June 1 (Sunday) at 6:50 PM TWT, reaching viewers in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines—inviting everyone to explore Taoyuan with CIX. Rebroadcasts will follow on the tvN SHOW (Korea) on May 29 at 1:00 PM KST, and on tvN Asia (Southeast Asia) on June 1 at 11:50 PM, June 2 at 4:00 AM, 9:15 AM, 2:10 PM, and 8:00 PM TWT, with a final rebroadcast on June 5 at 11:50 AM.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
BlackRock vs. Blackstone: Which Asset Management Giant Has the Edge?
BlackRock BLK and Blackstone BX are leading U.S.-based asset management firms. While BLK focuses on public market investments and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), BX specializes in alternative assets like private equity and real estate. The asset management industry is currently benefiting from investors' shift toward higher-yielding investment vehicles like equity funds, alternative assets and long-term bond funds. Also, deregulation is expected to open up access to cryptocurrencies and the previously untapped retirement market. Further, the growing adoption of tokenized assets – the tokenization of traditional assets, such as real estate and equities, is attracting investor interest. Together, these trends are expected to drive continued growth in assets under management (AUM). In this evolving landscape, BLK and BX seem to be well-positioned to capitalize on these the question arises: which asset manager, BlackRock or Blackstone, deserves a place in your portfolio? Let's examine their fundamentals, financial performance and growth prospects to determine which stock presents a more compelling opportunity right now. BlackRock, one of the world's largest asset managers (total AUM of $11.58 trillion as of March 31, 2025), has been expanding its footprint in domestic and global markets through acquisitions. Since 2024, the company has acquired the remaining 75% stake in SpiderRock Advisors, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and London-based Preqin. Additionally, in December 2024, it announced a deal to acquire HPS Investment, which has almost $148 billion in AUM. These deals represent a strategic expansion of BlackRock's Aladdin technology business into the rapidly growing private markets data BlackRock has been focusing on diversifying its product suite and revenue mix, which, along with strategic acquisitions, has been contributing to its AUM's growth over the years. AUM witnessed a five-year (2019-2024) compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2%, with the uptrend persisting in the first quarter of 2025 amid macroeconomic headwinds. The momentum will likely continue as efforts to strengthen iShares unit (offering more than 1,400 ETFs globally) and ETF operations (it received approval for spot Bitcoin and ether ETFs), and increased focus on the active equity business are expected to offer efforts are likely to bolster BLK's revenue mix, reduce top-line concentration risk and allow it to serve a broader range of clients, aiding AUM growth. The company's GAAP revenues witnessed a CAGR of 7% over the last five years ended 2024, with momentum persisting in the first quarter of 2025. Moreover, the combination of HPS Investment, Preqin and GIP data with the company's alternative asset management platform, eFront, will drive solid revenue growth. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research However, the uncertainties surrounding the impact of tariff policies and geopolitical risks are likely to weigh on BlackRock's revenues to some extent. Blackstone, one of the world's largest alternative asset managers (total AUM of $1.17 trillion as of March 31, 2025), has been successfully raising money despite several near-term headwinds. Fundraising for the global private equity and real estate funds resulted in the company's 'dry powder' or the available capital of $177.2 billion as of March 31, 2025. With substantial investable capital, Blackstone is well-positioned to take advantage of market dislocations. The company maintains a strong long-term conviction in key sectors such as digital infrastructure, energy and power, life sciences, alternatives and the recovery in commercial real estate. Additionally, accelerating growth in India and Japan offers attractive opportunities, supporting a strategic deployment of in April, Wellington, Vanguard and Blackstone announced the formation of an alliance to develop simplified multi-asset investment solutions combining public and private markets. Aiming to broaden investor access to institutional-quality portfolios, the collaboration leverages each firm's strengths to address long-term diversification and return challenges in wealth and asset tighter credit markets, higher-for-longer interest rates, slower deal activity in private equity and real estate, reduced realizations adversely impacting performance fees and concerns about exit opportunities are expected to hamper Blackstone's near-term prospects. Additionally, the biggest factor influencing its financials will likely be the ongoing uncertain operating backdrop because of the Donald Trump administration's trade believes that deal activities are expected to remain muted for the time being as the tariff plans have led to heightened ambiguity. This has also resulted in caution in the IPO market. Hence, it will not be easy for Blackstone to record growth in transaction advisory revenues and net realized performance income in the near term. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLK's 2025 and 2026 earnings indicates a 2.9% and 12.5% growth for 2025 and 2026, respectively. Over the past week, earnings estimates for 2025 and 2026 have been revised upward. This indicates analysts' bullish sentiments. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Likewise, analysts are optimistic about BX's prospects. The consensus mark for 2025 and 2026 earnings suggests a 3% and 33.2% increase. Also, over the past seven days, earnings estimates for both years have been revised north. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research While 2025 started on a positive note, the operating backdrop gradually turned pessimistic as the year progressed because of Trump's trade policy ambiguity and its adverse impact on the economy and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. As such, this year, shares of BlackRock and Blackstone have declined. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Valuation-wise, BLK is currently trading at a price-to-book (P/B) of 3.10X, higher than its five-year median of 2.97X. The BX stock, on the other hand, is currently trading at a P/B of 5.37X, which is higher than its five-year median of 3.85X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Therefore, BlackRock is inexpensive compared to BX's return on equity (ROE) of 19.84% is above BLK's 15.57%. So, Blackstone uses shareholder funds more efficiently to generate profits than BlackRock. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research BlackRock appears to be the stronger pick for 2025 given its diversified growth strategy, robust AUM expansion and momentum in ETF and private market offerings. Strategic buyouts like GIP, Preqin and HPS Investment will enhance its data and alternatives platform, while the exposure to spot crypto ETFs and strong iShares presence position it well to capture evolving investor demand. Its consistent revenue and earnings growth also suggest resilience in uncertain macro while still a formidable player in alternatives, faces near-term headwinds from tighter credit conditions, muted deal activity and geopolitical uncertainties. Despite strong fundraising and sizable investable capital, deployment challenges may delay monetization. While its ROE outpaces BLK's, BlackRock's broader product suite and valuation advantage make it a more compelling buy for present, BLK carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), while BX has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Blackstone Inc. (BX) : Free Stock Analysis Report BlackRock (BLK) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
Globe and Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
BlackRock vs. Blackstone: Which Asset Management Giant Has the Edge?
BlackRock BLK and Blackstone BX are leading U.S.-based asset management firms. While BLK focuses on public market investments and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), BX specializes in alternative assets like private equity and real estate. The asset management industry is currently benefiting from investors' shift toward higher-yielding investment vehicles like equity funds, alternative assets and long-term bond funds. Also, deregulation is expected to open up access to cryptocurrencies and the previously untapped retirement market. Further, the growing adoption of tokenized assets – the tokenization of traditional assets, such as real estate and equities, is attracting investor interest. Together, these trends are expected to drive continued growth in assets under management (AUM). In this evolving landscape, BLK and BX seem to be well-positioned to capitalize on these tailwinds. Now the question arises: which asset manager, BlackRock or Blackstone, deserves a place in your portfolio? Let's examine their fundamentals, financial performance and growth prospects to determine which stock presents a more compelling opportunity right now. The Case for BlackRock BlackRock, one of the world's largest asset managers (total AUM of $11.58 trillion as of March 31, 2025), has been expanding its footprint in domestic and global markets through acquisitions. Since 2024, the company has acquired the remaining 75% stake in SpiderRock Advisors, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and London-based Preqin. Additionally, in December 2024, it announced a deal to acquire HPS Investment, which has almost $148 billion in AUM. These deals represent a strategic expansion of BlackRock's Aladdin technology business into the rapidly growing private markets data segment. Further, BlackRock has been focusing on diversifying its product suite and revenue mix, which, along with strategic acquisitions, has been contributing to its AUM's growth over the years. AUM witnessed a five-year (2019-2024) compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2%, with the uptrend persisting in the first quarter of 2025 amid macroeconomic headwinds. The momentum will likely continue as efforts to strengthen iShares unit (offering more than 1,400 ETFs globally) and ETF operations (it received approval for spot Bitcoin and ether ETFs), and increased focus on the active equity business are expected to offer support. These efforts are likely to bolster BLK's revenue mix, reduce top-line concentration risk and allow it to serve a broader range of clients, aiding AUM growth. The company's GAAP revenues witnessed a CAGR of 7% over the last five years ended 2024, with momentum persisting in the first quarter of 2025. Moreover, the combination of HPS Investment, Preqin and GIP data with the company's alternative asset management platform, eFront, will drive solid revenue growth. However, the uncertainties surrounding the impact of tariff policies and geopolitical risks are likely to weigh on BlackRock's revenues to some extent. The Case for Blackstone Blackstone, one of the world's largest alternative asset managers (total AUM of $1.17 trillion as of March 31, 2025), has been successfully raising money despite several near-term headwinds. Fundraising for the global private equity and real estate funds resulted in the company's 'dry powder' or the available capital of $177.2 billion as of March 31, 2025. With substantial investable capital, Blackstone is well-positioned to take advantage of market dislocations. The company maintains a strong long-term conviction in key sectors such as digital infrastructure, energy and power, life sciences, alternatives and the recovery in commercial real estate. Additionally, accelerating growth in India and Japan offers attractive opportunities, supporting a strategic deployment of capital. Further, in April, Wellington, Vanguard and Blackstone announced the formation of an alliance to develop simplified multi-asset investment solutions combining public and private markets. Aiming to broaden investor access to institutional-quality portfolios, the collaboration leverages each firm's strengths to address long-term diversification and return challenges in wealth and asset management. However, tighter credit markets, higher-for-longer interest rates, slower deal activity in private equity and real estate, reduced realizations adversely impacting performance fees and concerns about exit opportunities are expected to hamper Blackstone's near-term prospects. Additionally, the biggest factor influencing its financials will likely be the ongoing uncertain operating backdrop because of the Donald Trump administration's trade policy. Management believes that deal activities are expected to remain muted for the time being as the tariff plans have led to heightened ambiguity. This has also resulted in caution in the IPO market. Hence, it will not be easy for Blackstone to record growth in transaction advisory revenues and net realized performance income in the near term. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research How Do Earnings Estimates Compare for BLK & BX? The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLK's 2025 and 2026 earnings indicates a 2.9% and 12.5% growth for 2025 and 2026, respectively. Over the past week, earnings estimates for 2025 and 2026 have been revised upward. This indicates analysts' bullish sentiments. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Likewise, analysts are optimistic about BX's prospects. The consensus mark for 2025 and 2026 earnings suggests a 3% and 33.2% increase. Also, over the past seven days, earnings estimates for both years have been revised north. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research BLK & BX: Price Performance, Valuation and Other Comparisons While 2025 started on a positive note, the operating backdrop gradually turned pessimistic as the year progressed because of Trump's trade policy ambiguity and its adverse impact on the economy and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. As such, this year, shares of BlackRock and Blackstone have declined. Valuation-wise, BLK is currently trading at a price-to-book (P/B) of 3.10X, higher than its five-year median of 2.97X. The BX stock, on the other hand, is currently trading at a P/B of 5.37X, which is higher than its five-year median of 3.85X. Therefore, BlackRock is inexpensive compared to Blackstone. Meanwhile, BX's return on equity (ROE) of 19.84% is above BLK's 15.57%. So, Blackstone uses shareholder funds more efficiently to generate profits than BlackRock. BLK & BX: Which Stock is the Better Bet for 2025? BlackRock appears to be the stronger pick for 2025 given its diversified growth strategy, robust AUM expansion and momentum in ETF and private market offerings. Strategic buyouts like GIP, Preqin and HPS Investment will enhance its data and alternatives platform, while the exposure to spot crypto ETFs and strong iShares presence position it well to capture evolving investor demand. Its consistent revenue and earnings growth also suggest resilience in uncertain macro conditions. Blackstone, while still a formidable player in alternatives, faces near-term headwinds from tighter credit conditions, muted deal activity and geopolitical uncertainties. Despite strong fundraising and sizable investable capital, deployment challenges may delay monetization. While its ROE outpaces BLK's, BlackRock's broader product suite and valuation advantage make it a more compelling buy for 2025. At present, BLK carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), while BX has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops." Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.0% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Blackstone Inc. (BX): Free Stock Analysis Report BlackRock (BLK): Free Stock Analysis Report
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This chart shows why investors should be worried about the latest bond-market selloff
In the past, when bonds sold off, it typically was seen as a promising sign for stocks. It meant that traders were betting on a stronger economy. But not this time. My daughter's boyfriend, a guest in my home, offered to powerwash part of my house — then demanded money After 25 years, I finally asked for separate checks — and my friends iced me out. Did I do something terrible? This hedge-fund manager has made about 50% in each of the last two years. Here's his home run trade. My husband used my money to renovate his house. Will I now get half of his property in a divorce? My ex-wife said she should have been compensated for working part time during our marriage. Do I owe her? A selloff in global sovereign bonds has taken investors by surprise, although none of the issues investors appeared to be taking issue with are recent developments. While countries like the U.S. and Japan have carried heavy debt loads for decades, Moody's decision to strip the U.S. of its top-tier credit rating earlier this month appeared to set the selloff in motion. See: Investors are rattled by rising U.S. bond yield. They should be more worried about Japan. But one longtime currency strategist and economist recently spotted an alarming trend that helped to underscore exactly why this selloff has so many investors so worried. Jens Nordvig of Exante Data highlighted the recent breakdown in the relationship between the yield on the 10-year Treasury note and economists' expectations for economic growth two years out. 'The key point is this. U.S. (real) yields are spiking. But that is not the important part. The important part is that they are spiking while growth expectations are tanking. This is new, and much more concerning than the past yield spikes linked to strong growth and perceived hawkish delta in Fed policy,' Nordvig said in a post on LinkedIn, where he shared the chart. That would imply that bond investors are growing increasingly uncomfortable with the fiscal situation in the U.S. and the lack of political will in Washington to take steps to reduce the debt. The latest bump in Treasury yields coincided with the passage overnight of the Republican budget bill in the House of Representatives, but yields drifted lower in afternoon trading on Thursday as investors bought the dip in bonds and stocks. Bond yields move inversely to prices. The yield on the 10-year note BX:TMUBMUSD10Y was down 3 basis points at 4.550%. However, the yield on the 30-year bond BX:TMUBMUSD30Y has remained above 5%, around its highest level since November 2023. That might not seem like much on its face. But as Nordvig pointed out, with growth expectations souring and the Federal Reserve on the sidelines, it appears that the selling pressure on bonds could persist. If this is really about the so-called bond vigilantes aiming to tame U.S. deficit spending, addressing their concerns won't be easy. As Deutsche Bank strategist George Saravelos pointed out in a report recently shared with MarketWatch, changing U.S. fiscal policy is an arduous process. In Europe, it is much easier for governments to push through changes to their spending plans. 'The U.S. has an additional problem: whatever the Republican Congress decides to do with fiscal policy over the next few weeks, it will most likely be 'locked in' for the remainder of the decade,' Saravelos wrote at the time. 'The very difficult reconciliation process and the potential loss of a Republican majority in the mid-terms essentially leaves space for only one major fiscal event during the current Trump administration. Once this concludes, there will be very little that can be done to change the fiscal trajectory for the foreseeable future.' Randy Flowers, senior portfolio manager at Intelligent Wealth Solutions, believes bond yields could keep a lid on stocks for the foreseeable future. It's one reason he expects the U.S. market to remain rangebound in 2025. 'I think bond investors are back in control of the market, at least in the short term right now. When that happens, that's usually bad news for everybody involved, including equity markets,' Flowers said. 'We'll see if it continues.' 'Is this a good tax strategy or a sham transaction?' My mother wants to give me her home. I have a plan to avoid taxes. My husband and I spend more money on our daughter and her family than on my single son. Do we compensate him? Is now a good time to buy an iPhone? A 5-star fund manager is capitalizing on Trump's global market shake-up. Here's how. Morgan Stanley turns bullish on U.S. stocks. Here's why it says the market lows have already been made. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Blackstone Begins Sale of Clarion Events While the Market Recovers
Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) has started the selling process of UK-based Clarion Events to gauge private equity interest after market disruption brought on by former US President Donald Trump's tariff policies, according to four sources with knowledge of the situation. After purchasing Clarion for £600 million in 2017, the private equity behemoth helped the company withstand the COVID-19 crisis. According to one source, the business might now sell for about £2 billion, or about 12x its EBITDA. A side view of a traditional bank branch, its polished glass entrance indicating a secure and reliable banking experience. Information memoranda were distributed this month, and CVC, KKR, PAI Partners, Ardian, and Hillhouse Investment expressed interest. Clarion's Global Sources trade fairs in China are the source of these inquiries. As events in China and Hong Kong improved, Clarion recently reported a revenue rise to £432.9 million for the 12 months ending January 2024, up from £257 million the year before. Following the volatility of the tariff, the prospective Clarion deal would rank among the biggest private equity deals. Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) postponed the process in anticipation of stability after Trump's tariff announcement on April 2 caused the biggest dealmaking slump in 20 years. The company observed that Clarion has controlled expenses despite pressure and that its cash flows are above budget. Recent agreements like KKR's $3.1 billion OSTTRA sale and Prada's $1.38 billion Versace acquisition show that the sentiment has improved following the U.S.-China tariff truce. While we acknowledge the potential of BX to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than BX and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this READ NEXT: and .
