XML 33 R44.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.3.1.900
BLACKROCK GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES PORTFOLIO
Fund Overview

Key Facts About BlackRock Global Opportunities Portfolio
Investment Objective
The investment objective of BlackRock Global Opportunities Portfolio (“Global Opportunities” or the “Fund”), a series of BlackRock FundsSM (the “Trust”), is to provide long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold Service Shares of Global Opportunities.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
BLACKROCK GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES PORTFOLIO
Service Shares
Management Fee 0.90%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25%
Other Expenses 0.33% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.48%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements [2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements 1.48% [2]
[1] Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.
[2] As described in the "Management of the Funds" section of the Fund's prospectus beginning on page 33, BlackRock Advisors, LLC ("BlackRock") has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) to 1.70% of average daily net assets through January 31, 2017. The Fund may have to repay some of these waivers and reimbursements to BlackRock in the following two years. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days' notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
Example:
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
BLACKROCK GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES PORTFOLIO | Service Shares | USD ($) 151 468 808 1,768
Portfolio Turnover:
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 64% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
Under normal conditions, Global Opportunities will invest at least 75% of its total assets in global equity securities of any market capitalization, selected for their above-average return potential. The Fund seeks to buy primarily common stock but may also invest in preferred stock and convertible securities. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in stocks of issuers in emerging market countries.

The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in global fixed-income securities, including corporate bonds, U.S. Government debt securities, non-U.S. Government and supranational debt securities, asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed securities, emerging market debt securities and non-investment grade debt securities (high yield or junk bonds). Investment in fixed-income securities will be made on an opportunistic basis. Securities will be identified based on factors such as relative value and earnings estimate revisions.

From time to time, the Fund may invest in shares of companies through initial public offerings (“IPOs”). The Fund will invest in securities of non-U.S. issuers that can be U.S. dollar based or non-U.S. dollar based on a hedged or unhedged basis. The Fund may enter into currency transactions on a hedged or unhedged basis in order to seek total return.

The Fund may, when consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, buy or sell options or futures on a security or an index of securities and may buy options on a currency or a basket of currencies, or enter into foreign currency transactions, including swaps (collectively, commonly known as derivatives). The Fund typically uses derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset and/or as part of a strategy designed to reduce exposure to other risks, such as currency risk. The Fund may also use derivatives to enhance returns, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk. The Fund may seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as reverse repurchase agreements or dollar rolls). The Fund may also use forward foreign currency exchange contracts (obligations to buy or sell a currency at a set rate in the future).
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Risk is inherent in all investing. The value of your investment in Global Opportunities, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly from day to day and over time. You may lose part or all of your investment in the Fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. The following is a summary description of principal risks of investing in the Fund.
  • Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock.

  • Debt Securities Risk — Debt securities, such as bonds, involve credit risk. Credit risk is the risk that the borrower will not make timely payments of principal and interest. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on the issuer’s financial condition and on the terms of the securities. Debt securities are also subject to interest rate risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a debt security may fall when interest rates rise. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will go up or down more in response to changes in interest rates than the market price of shorter term securities. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to the current period of historically low rates.

  • Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including:

    Volatility Risk — Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets.

    Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation.

    Market and Liquidity Risk — The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately.

    Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them.

    Leverage Risk — Certain transactions in derivatives involve substantial leverage risk and may expose the Fund to potential losses that exceed the amount originally invested by the Fund.

    Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives may become subject to margin requirements when regulations are finalized. Implementation of such regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of swaps and other derivatives may increase the costs to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. In December 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed a new rule to regulate the use of derivatives by registered investment companies, such as the Fund. If the rule goes into effect, it could limit the ability of the Fund to invest or remain invested in derivatives. Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments, including swap agreements and commodity-linked derivative instruments, are currently unclear and may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority that could affect the character, timing and amount of the Fund’s taxable income or gains and distributions.

  • Emerging Markets Risk — Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging securities markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets.

  • Equity Securities Risk — Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions.

  • Foreign Securities Risk — Foreign investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. These risks include:

  • The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories, which may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business and may be subject to only limited or no regulatory oversight.

  • Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

  • The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position.

  • The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investments in their capital markets or in certain industries.

  • Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as does the United States and may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws.

  • Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets may result in delays in payment for or delivery of securities not typically associated with settlement and clearance of U.S. investments.

  • The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns in, or rising government debt levels of, several European countries. These events may spread to other countries in Europe. These events may affect the value and liquidity of certain of the Fund’s investments.

  • Investment Style Risk — Under certain market conditions, growth investments have performed better during the later stages of economic expansion. Therefore, this investment style may over time go in and out of favor. At times when the investment style used by the Fund is out of favor, the Fund may underperform other equity funds that use different investment styles.

  • Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage.

  • Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money.

  • Mid Cap Securities Risk — The securities of mid cap companies generally trade in lower volumes and are generally subject to greater and less predictable price changes than the securities of larger capitalization companies.

  • “New Issues” Risk — “New issues” are IPOs of equity securities. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO.

  • Small Cap Securities Risk — Small cap companies may have limited product lines or markets. They may be less financially secure than larger, more established companies. They may depend on a more limited management group than larger capitalized companies.

Performance Information
Service Shares do not have a performance history as of the date of this prospectus. As a result, the chart and table show you the long-term performance of Global Opportunities for Investor A Shares, which are not offered in this prospectus. Investor A Shares would have annual returns substantially similar to Service Shares differing only to the extent that Investor A and Service Shares have different expenses.

The information shows you how the Fund’s performance has varied year by year and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of the MSCI All Country World Index. To the extent that dividends and distributions have been paid by the Fund, the performance information for the Fund in the chart and table assumes reinvestment of the dividends and distributions. As with all such investments, past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future results. Sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart. If they were, returns would be less than those shown. However, the table includes all applicable fees and sales charges. If BlackRock and its affiliates had not waived or reimbursed certain Fund expenses during these periods, the Fund’s returns would have been lower. Updated information on the Fund’s results can be obtained by visiting http://www.blackrock.com/funds or can be obtained by phone at (800) 882-0052.
Investor A Shares
ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
BlackRock Global Opportunities Portfolio
As of 12/31
Bar Chart
During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 24.03% (quarter ended June 30, 2009) and the lowest return for a quarter was -21.57% (quarter ended December 31, 2008).
As of 12/31/15
Average Annual Total Returns
Average Annual Total Returns - BLACKROCK GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES PORTFOLIO
1 Year
5 Years
Since Inception
Inception Date
Investor A Shares (4.91%) 3.39% 3.79% Jan. 31, 2006
Investor A Shares | Return After Taxes on Distributions (5.02%) 3.26% 3.56%  
Investor A Shares | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (2.69%) 2.64% 2.98%  
MSCI All Country World Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (2.36%) 6.09% 4.29%  
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual Federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Investor A Shares only, and the after-tax returns for Service Shares will vary.