- cross-posted to:
- onlyvideos@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- onlyvideos@lemmy.world
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AI summary for those like me that prefer to read over watch videos:
- BlackRock is a massive asset management firm that manages over $10.6 trillion in assets, more than half the GDP of the United States.
- BlackRock, along with other large asset managers like Vanguard and State Street, are the subject of many online conspiracy theories about their level of control and influence over the global economy.
- Asset managers like BlackRock make money by providing index funds and passive investment products, which allow them to own small stakes in a vast number of companies.
- This “universal ownership” model gives BlackRock and other large asset managers significant voting power and influence over the companies they invest in, even though they don’t directly control the day-to-day operations.
- There are concerns that this concentration of ownership and voting power allows asset managers to prioritize shareholder returns over other stakeholders like workers and consumers.
- Asset managers have significant political influence, with many former government officials and regulators joining their ranks, creating a “revolving door” between the public and private sectors.
- BlackRock and other asset managers have successfully lobbied against increased regulatory oversight, arguing that they are “passive investors” despite their outsized influence.
- The ownership structure of the financial sector is highly interconnected, with the largest asset managers owning stakes in each other, creating a self-reinforcing loop.
- While BlackRock may not “own everything,” its universal ownership model gives it a significant degree of control and influence over the global economy.
- There are calls for reforms to address the concentration of power and influence held by large asset managers like BlackRock, such as increased regulation and a rebalancing of shareholder and stakeholder interests.
Thank you!
So what do we do? Stop investing in ETFs? Buy shares directly on the stock market?