v3.8.0.1
Investments
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Investments Debt And Equity Securities [Abstract]  
Investments

4.  Investments

A summary of the carrying value of total investments is as follows:

 

 

 

March 31,

 

(in millions)

 

2018(1)

 

Debt securities:

 

 

 

 

Available-for-sale investments

 

$

151

 

Held-to-maturity investments

 

 

132

 

Trading securities ($266 debt securities of consolidated sponsored investment funds)

 

 

293

 

Total debt securities

 

 

576

 

Equity securities at FVTNI ($284 equity securities of consolidated sponsored investment funds)

 

 

648

 

Equity method investments(2)

 

 

703

 

Federal Reserve Bank stock(3)

 

 

91

 

Carried interest(4)

 

 

32

 

Total investments

 

$

2,050

 

 

 

 

 

 

(in millions)

 

December 31,

2017(1)

 

Available-for-sale investments

 

$

103

 

Held-to-maturity investments

 

 

102

 

Trading investments:

 

 

 

 

Consolidated sponsored investment funds:

 

 

 

 

Debt securities

 

 

267

 

Equity securities

 

 

245

 

Other equity and debt securities

 

 

267

 

Deferred compensation plan mutual funds

 

 

56

 

Total trading investments

 

 

835

 

Equity method investments(2)

 

 

816

 

Cost method investments(3)

 

 

93

 

Carried interest(4)

 

 

32

 

Total investments

 

$

1,981

 

 

(1) 

Amounts at March 31, 2018 reflect the adoption of ASU 2016-01. See Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, for further information. Amounts at December 31, 2017 reflect accounting guidance prior to ASU 2016-01.

(2) 

Equity method investments primarily include BlackRock’s direct investments in certain BlackRock sponsored investment funds.

(3) 

Amounts include Federal Reserve Bank stock, which is held for regulatory purposes and is restricted from sale. At December 31, 2017, amount also includes other nonmarketable securities, which were immaterial.  At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, there were no indicators of impairment on these investments.

(4) 

Carried interest of consolidated sponsor investment funds accounted for as voting rights entities (“VREs”) represents allocations to BlackRock’s general partner capital accounts from certain funds. These balances are subject to change upon cash distributions, additional allocations or reallocations back to limited partners within the respective funds.

 

Available-for-Sale Investments

At both March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, available-for-sale investments primarily included certain investments in CLOs.  The cost of these investments approximated carrying value. 

Held-to-Maturity Investments

The carrying value of held-to-maturity investments was $132 million and $102 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. Held-to-maturity investments included foreign government debt held primarily for regulatory purposes and certain investments in CLOs. The amortized cost (carrying value) of these investments approximated fair value. At March 31, 2018, $12 million of these investments mature between five to ten years and $120 million mature after ten years.

Equity and Trading Debt Securities

A summary of the cost and carrying value of equity and trading debt securities is as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 31, 2018(1)

 

(in millions)

 

Cost

 

 

Carrying

Value

 

Trading debt securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate debt

 

$

166

 

 

$

169

 

Government debt

 

 

62

 

 

 

62

 

Asset/mortgage-backed debt

 

 

62

 

 

 

62

 

Equity securities at FVTNI:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equity securities/multi-asset mutual funds

 

 

577

 

 

 

614

 

Deferred compensation plan mutual funds

 

 

21

 

 

 

34

 

Total equity and trading debt securities

 

$

888

 

 

$

941

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2017(1)

 

(in millions)

 

Cost

 

 

Carrying

Value

 

Trading investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred compensation plan mutual funds

 

$

34

 

 

$

56

 

Equity securities/multi-asset mutual funds

 

 

446

 

 

 

493

 

Debt securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate debt

 

 

152

 

 

 

157

 

Government debt

 

 

72

 

 

 

73

 

Asset/mortgage backed debt

 

 

56

 

 

 

56

 

Total trading investments

 

$

760

 

 

$

835

 

 

(1) 

Amounts at March 31, 2018 reflect the adoption of ASU 2016-01. See Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, for further information. Amounts at December 31, 2017 reflect accounting guidance prior to ASU 2016-01.

Other

In addition, the Company accounts for its interest in PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (“PennyMac”) as an equity method investment. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 the Company’s investment in PennyMac was excluded from investments in the table above and included in other assets on the condensed consolidated statements of financial condition. The carrying value and fair value of the Company’s interest (approximately 20% or 16 million shares and units) was approximately $363 million and $352 million, respectively, at March 31, 2018 and approximately $342 million and $348 million, respectively, at December 31, 2017. The fair value of the Company’s interest reflected the PennyMac stock price at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively (a Level 1 input). The fair value of the Company’s interest in the non-public units held of PennyMac is based on the stock price of the PennyMac public securities at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.