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BlackRock Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Fund
Fund Overview

Key Facts About BlackRock Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Fund
Investment Objective
The investment objective of BlackRock Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Fund (the “Fund”), a series of BlackRock FundsSM (the “Trust”), is to seek total return.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in the fund complex advised by BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) or its affiliates. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional or your selected securities dealer, broker, investment adviser, service provider or industry professional (including BlackRock, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and their respective affiliates) (each a “Financial Intermediary”) and in the “Details About the Share Classes” section on page 48 of the Fund’s prospectus and in the “Purchase of Shares” section on page II-82 of Part II of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees - BlackRock Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Fund
Investor A Shares
Investor C Shares
Institutional Shares
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 5.25% none none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) none [1] 1.00% [2] none
[1] A contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") of 1.00% is assessed on certain redemptions of Investor A Shares made within 18 months after purchase where no initial sales charge was paid at time of purchase as part of an investment of $1,000,000 or more.
[2] There is no CDSC on Investor C Shares after one year.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses - BlackRock Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Fund
Investor A Shares
Investor C Shares
Institutional Shares
Management Fee [1] 1.80% 1.80% 1.80%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% none
Other Expenses [2],[3] 1.72% 1.53% 1.49%
Dividend Expense/Stock Loan Fees [2] 0.55% 0.55% 0.55%
Miscellaneous Other Expenses of the Fund [2],[4] 1.17% 0.98% 0.94%
Other Expenses of the Subsidiary [3]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses [5] 0.29% 0.29% 0.29%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses [5] 4.06% 4.62% 3.58%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements [1],[4] (1.21%) (1.07%) (1.02%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements [1],[4] 2.85% 3.55% 2.56%
[1] As described in the "Management of the Fund" section of the Fund's prospectus beginning on page 62, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund's assets estimated to be attributable to investments in other equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates that have a contractual management fee, through December 31, 2017. 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.
[2] Dividend Expense/Stock Loan Fees and Miscellaneous Other Expenses of the Fund have been restated to reflect current fees.
[3] The Other Expenses of Cayman Multi-Manager Alternatives Fund, Ltd. (the "Subsidiary") were less than 0.01% for the most recent fiscal year.
[4] As described in the "Management of the Fund" section of the Fund's prospectus beginning on page 62, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees to limit "Miscellaneous Other Expenses of the Fund" (excluding extraordinary expenses (including litigation expenses) not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business, if any) to 0.16% on Investor A, Investor C and Institutional Shares through December 31, 2017. The Fund may have to repay some of these waivers and/or 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.
[5] The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratios of expenses to average net assets given in the Fund’s most recent annual report which do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.
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 $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example - BlackRock Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Fund - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Investor A Shares 798 1,591 2,400 4,488
Investor C Shares 458 1,299 2,247 4,649
Institutional Shares 259 1,003 1,768 3,778
You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares:
Expense Example, No Redemption
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
BlackRock Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Fund | Investor C Shares | USD ($) 358 1,299 2,247 4,649
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. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 234% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by allocating to multiple affiliated and unaffiliated investment managers (“Sub-Advisers”) that employ a variety of alternative investment strategies. Each of the Sub-Advisers generally provides day-to-day management for a portion of the Fund’s assets.

Each Sub-Adviser may use different investment strategies in managing Fund assets, acts independently from the others, and uses its own methodology for selecting investments. BlackRock is responsible for identifying and retaining (subject to approval of the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”)) the Sub-Advisers for the selected strategies and for monitoring the services provided by the Sub-Advisers. BlackRock reviews a number of qualitative and quantitative factors as part of its process for selecting and monitoring the Sub-Advisers, as described in the “Details About the Fund” section of this prospectus. BlackRock is also responsible for selecting the Fund’s alternative investment strategies and for determining the amount of Fund assets to allocate to each Sub-Adviser. Based on BlackRock’s ongoing evaluation of the Sub-Advisers, BlackRock may adjust allocations among Sub-Advisers, or make recommendations to the Board with respect to the hiring, termination or replacement of Sub-Advisers.

The primary strategies that will be employed by the Fund and its Sub-Advisers include: Relative Value, Event Driven, Fundamental Long/Short and Directional Trading.

Relative Value Strategies seek to profit from mispricing of financial instruments relative to each other or historical norms. These strategies utilize quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify securities or spreads between securities that deviate from their theoretical fair value and/or historical norms.

Event Driven Strategies concentrate on companies that are subject to corporate events such as mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, spin-offs, shareholder activism, or other special situations that alter a company’s financial structure or operating strategy. The intended goal of event driven strategies is to profit when the price of a security changes to reflect more accurately the likelihood and potential impact of the occurrence, or non-occurrence, of the extraordinary event. This can be done by taking a long position in a security or other financial instrument that is believed to be underpriced or a short position in a security or other financial instrument that is believed to be overpriced.

Fundamental Long/Short Strategies involve buying or selling securities believed to be overpriced or underpriced relative to their potential value. Investment strategies within the fundamental long/short discipline include long and short equity- or credit-based strategies that emphasize a fundamental valuation framework and equity active value strategies where an active role is taken to enhance corporate value.

Directional Trading Strategies seek to profit from changes in macro-level exposures, such as interest rates, currencies, equities and commodities. This strategy may involve analyzing fundamental macroeconomic inputs, as well as technical information such as price, to identify investment opportunities across a broad array of asset classes and geographies.

BlackRock also may allocate the Fund’s assets to additional strategies in the future. There is no assurance that any or all of the strategies discussed in this prospectus will be used by BlackRock or the Sub-Advisers. BlackRock currently intends to allocate assets to the following Sub-Advisers:

Investment Strategy               
Sub-Adviser
Fundamental Long/Short               
Benefit Street Partners, LLC
Fundamental Long/Short               
GLG Partners LP
Relative Value               
Ionic Capital Management LLC
Fundamental Long/Short               
LibreMax Capital, LLC
Fundamental Long/Short               
Marathon Asset Management, LP
Fundamental Long/Short               
Pine River Capital Management L.P.
Directional Trading               
QMS Capital Management LP 
  

The investment strategy for each Sub-Adviser listed above is its principal strategy but the Sub-Advisers may also implement other investment strategies in the portion of assets assigned to them.

BlackRock may also manage Fund assets directly to seek to enhance returns, or to implement various market hedges and to manage the Fund’s cash and short-term instruments. BlackRock may invest a significant portion of the Fund’s assets in affiliated and unaffiliated equity, money-market and fixed-income mutual funds and affiliated and unaffiliated ETFs.

BlackRock and the Sub-Advisers implement the various alternative investment strategies by taking long or short positions in a broad range of asset classes, such as equity securities, fixed- and floating-rate debt instruments, derivatives, other investment companies, currency- and commodity-related instruments and structured products. Long positions benefit from an increase in the price of the underlying instrument or asset class, while short positions benefit from a decrease in that price. The Fund may implement short positions through short sales of any instrument (including ETFs) that the Fund may purchase for investment or by using options, swaps, futures, forwards, and other derivatives. For example, the Fund may enter into a futures contract pursuant to which it agrees to sell an asset that it does not currently own at a specified price and time in the future. This gives the Fund a short position with respect to that asset. The Fund has flexibility in the relative weighting of each asset class and expects to vary the percentages of assets invested in each asset category from time to time. The Fund may invest in securities and other financial instruments of companies of any market capitalization. The Fund may invest in securities and other financial instruments available in and which have exposure to both U.S. and non-U.S. markets, including emerging markets, which can be U.S. dollar-denominated or non-U.S. dollar-denominated and may be currency hedged or unhedged. The Fund may also invest in bonds of any maturity and in securities and other financial instruments of any credit rating (including below investment grade securities, commonly known as “junk bonds”). Up to 15% of the Fund’s net assets may be invested in illiquid investments.

With respect to the Fund’s equity investments, the Fund may invest in common stock, preferred stock, rights and warrants to purchase common stock, depositary receipts, securities convertible into common and preferred stock and non-convertible preferred stock. From time to time, the Fund may invest in shares of companies through initial public offerings (“IPOs”).

With respect to the Fund’s fixed-income investments, the Fund may invest in a variety of instruments such as government obligations, corporate bonds and notes, including bonds and notes convertible into equity securities, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, floating or variable rate obligations (including senior secured floating rate loans or debt, and second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate loans or debt), loan assignments and participations, inflation indexed bonds, municipal obligations, zero coupon debt securities, bank loans, structured products (including, but not limited to, structured notes, collateralized loan obligations and other collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs"), credit linked notes and participation notes, or other instruments evidencing interests in special purpose vehicles, trusts, or other entities that hold or represent interests in fixed-income securities), and exchange traded notes (“ETNs”). The average portfolio duration of the fixed income portion of the Fund will vary based on the Sub-Advisers’ and BlackRock’s forecast of interest rates and there are no limits regarding portfolio duration or average maturity.

The Fund may invest in other pooled investment vehicles, including other investment companies, ETFs, European registered investment funds (“UCITS”), real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), private investment funds, and partnership interests, including master limited partnerships (“MLPs”). Unless otherwise indicated or the context requires otherwise, references to the Fund’s investments and related risk factors in this prospectus and the SAI include investments by any underlying mutual funds, ETFs or other pooled investment vehicles in which the Fund may invest.

The Fund may invest in derivatives, including, but not limited to, interest rate swaps, total return swaps, credit default swaps, variance swaps, indexed and inverse floating rate securities, options, futures, options on futures and swaps and foreign currency transactions (including swaps), for hedging purposes, as well as to increase the return on its portfolio investments (although BlackRock and the Sub-Advisers are not required to hedge any of the Fund’s positions or to use derivatives). The Fund may invest in derivative instruments that combine features of these instruments or are developed from time to time. The Fund expects to utilize contracts for difference, swap agreements and other derivative instruments to maintain a significant portion of its long and short positions. 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 repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements or dollar rolls). The Fund may (but is not required to) also use forward foreign currency exchange contracts (obligations to buy or sell a currency at a set rate in the future) for investment purposes or to hedge against movement in the value of non-U.S. currencies. The pooled investment vehicles in which the Fund may invest may, to varying degrees, also invest in derivatives.

The Fund may also gain exposure to commodity markets by investing up to 25% of its total assets in Cayman Multi-Manager Alternatives Fund, Ltd. (the “Subsidiary”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fund formed in the Cayman Islands, which invests primarily in commodity-related instruments and other derivatives.

The Fund is non-diversified, which means it may invest in fewer issuers than a “diversified” fund.

BlackRock and the Fund have obtained an exemptive order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) that permits BlackRock, with respect to the Fund, to appoint and replace Sub-Advisers, and enter into, amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements with Sub-Advisers, subject to Board approval but without shareholder approval (the “Manager of Managers Structure”). The use of the Manager of Managers Structure with respect to the Fund is subject to certain conditions set forth in the SEC exemptive order.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Risk is inherent in all investing. The value of your investment in the Fund, 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.
  • Affiliated Fund Risk — In managing the Fund, BlackRock will have authority to select and substitute ETFs or mutual funds. BlackRock may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in selecting ETFs or mutual funds because the fees paid to BlackRock by some ETFs or mutual funds are higher than the fees paid by other ETFs or mutual funds. However, BlackRock is a fiduciary to the Fund and is legally obligated to act in the Fund’s best interests when selecting ETFs and mutual funds.

  • Allocation Risk — The Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective depends upon the Sub-Advisers’ and BlackRock’s skill in determining the Fund’s strategic allocation to investment strategies and in selecting the best mix of ETFs, mutual funds and direct investments. There is a risk that the Sub-Advisers’ and BlackRock’s evaluations and assumptions regarding investment strategies, asset classes or ETFs or mutual funds may be incorrect in view of actual market conditions.

  • Bank Loan Risk — The market for bank loans may not be highly liquid and the Fund may have difficulty selling them. These investments expose the Fund to the credit risk of both the financial institution and the underlying borrower.

  • Borrowing Risk — Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.

  • Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk — In addition to the typical risks associated with fixed-income securities and asset-backed securities, CDOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the risk that the collateral may default or decline in value or be downgraded, if rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization; (iii) the Fund may invest in tranches of CDOs that are subordinate to other tranches; (iv) the structure and complexity of the transaction and the legal documents could lead to disputes among investors regarding the characterization of proceeds; (v) the investment return achieved by the Fund could be significantly different than those predicted by financial models; (vi) the lack of a readily available secondary market for CDOs; (vii) the risk of forced "fire sale" liquidation due to technical defaults such as coverage test failures; and (viii) the CDO's manager may perform poorly. In addition, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities.

  • Commodities Related Investments Risk — Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked derivative investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments.

  • Concentration Risk — To the extent that the Fund’s portfolio reflects concentration in the securities of issuers in a particular region, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, sector or asset class, the Fund may be adversely affected by the performance of those securities, may be subject to increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting that region, market, industry, group of industries, country, group of countries, sector or asset class.

  • 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.

  • Corporate Loans Risk — Commercial banks and other financial institutions or institutional investors make corporate loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure. Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of shifts in market interest rates than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. The market for corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads. In addition, transactions in corporate loans may settle on a delayed basis. As a result, the proceeds from the sale of corporate loans may not be readily available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund’s redemption obligations. To the extent the extended settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, the Fund may hold additional cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks and other lenders.

  • Counterparty Risk — The counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract or a borrower of the Fund’s securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise to honor its obligations.

  • Debt Securities Risk — Debt securities, such as bonds, involve interest rate risk, credit risk, extension risk, and prepayment risk, among other things.

Interest Rate Risk — The market value of bonds and other fixed-income securities changes in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise.

The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to the current period of historically low rates. For example, if interest rates increase by 1%, assuming a current portfolio duration of ten years, and all other factors being equal, the value of the Fund’s investments would be expected to decrease by 10%. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of bonds and other fixed-income securities is generally greater for those securities with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund’s investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by Fund management.

To the extent the Fund invests in debt securities that may be prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage-backed securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Fund) when interest rates rise. Moreover, because rates on certain floating rate debt securities typically reset only periodically, changes in prevailing interest rates (and particularly sudden and significant changes) can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund to the extent that it invests in floating rate debt securities.

These basic principles of bond prices also apply to U.S. Government securities. A security backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government is guaranteed only as to its stated interest rate and face value at maturity, not its current market price. Just like other fixed-income securities, government-guaranteed securities will fluctuate in value when interest rates change.

A general rise in interest rates has the potential to cause investors to move out of fixed-income securities on a large scale, which may increase redemptions from funds that hold large amounts of fixed-income securities. Heavy redemptions could cause the Fund to sell assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value and could hurt the Fund’s performance.

Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make principal and interest payments when due. 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.

Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these obligations to fall.

Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields.
  • 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.

Hedging Risk — Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund's hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences.

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.

Tax Risk — 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. Such treatment may be less favorable than that given to a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments.

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 will become subject to margin requirements and swap dealers will be required to collect margin from investment funds with respect to such derivatives. 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 SEC 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.
  • Directional Trading Strategies Risk — The Fund may use quantitative methods to select investments. Securities or other investments selected using quantitative methods may perform differently from the market as a whole or from their expected performance for many reasons, including factors used in building the quantitative analytical framework, the weights placed on each factor, and changing sources of market returns, among others. Any errors or imperfections in BlackRock’s or a Sub-Adviser’s quantitative analyses or models, or in the data on which they are based, could adversely affect the ability of BlackRock or a Sub-Adviser to use such analyses or models effectively, which in turn could adversely affect the Fund’s performance. There can be no assurance that these methodologies will help the Fund to achieve its investment objective.

  • Distressed Securities Risk — Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in junk bonds. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on the distressed securities and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, distressed securities involve the substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal of or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale.

  • Dollar Rolls Risk — Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities that the Fund is committed to buy may decline below the price of the securities the Fund has sold. These transactions may involve leverage.

  • 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.

  • Event-Driven Strategies Risk — The Fund may invest in event-driven strategies, which entail investing in companies involved, or potentially involved, in significant corporate actions. Such investments are subject to the risk that the contemplated corporate actions do not occur or do not occur on the predicted schedule, and the risk of default, among others. Some special situations are sufficiently uncertain that the Fund may lose its entire investment. When utilizing arbitrage strategies, the Fund may purchase securities at prices only slightly below the anticipated value to be paid or exchanged for such securities in a merger, exchange offer or cash tender offer, and substantially above the prices at which such securities traded immediately prior to announcement of the transaction. If there is a perception that the proposed transaction will not be consummated or will be delayed, the market price of the security may decrease. To the extent that the Fund utilizes activist strategies, it is subject to the risks that such strategies will have an adverse affect on its investments or that, if the strategy is not successful, the market price of the company’s securities may decrease. The Fund may purchase securities of a company which is the subject of a proxy contest with the expectation that the price of the company’s securities will increase in the future. If the proxy contest, or the new management, is not successful, the market price of the company’s securities may decrease.

  • 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.

  • Fundamental Long/Short Strategies Risk — Long/short strategies generally seek to generate capital appreciation through the establishment of both long and short positions in equities or fixed income, by purchasing undervalued securities and selling overvalued securities to generate returns and to hedge out some portion of general market risk. If BlackRock’s or a Sub-Adviser’s analysis is incorrect or based on inaccurate information, these investments may result in significant losses to the Fund. Since a long/short strategy involves identifying securities that are generally undervalued (or, in the case of short positions, overvalued) by the marketplace, the success of the strategy necessarily depends upon the market eventually recognizing such value in the price of the security, which may not necessarily occur, or may occur over extended time frames that limit profitability. Positions may undergo significant short-term declines and experience considerable price volatility during these periods. In addition, long and short positions may or may not be related. If the long and short positions are not related, it is possible to have investment losses in both the long and short sides of the portfolio.

  • High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance.

  • Inflation-Indexed Bonds Risk — The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates may rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. Short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

    Periodic adjustments for inflation to the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond may give rise to original issue discount, which will be includable in the Fund’s gross income. Due to original issue discount, the Fund may be required to make annual distributions to shareholders that exceed the cash received, which may cause the Fund to liquidate certain investments when it is not advantageous to do so. Also, if the principal value of an inflation-indexed bond is adjusted downward due to deflation, amounts previously distributed in the taxable year may be characterized in some circumstances as a return of capital.

  • Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk — As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including ETFs, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies (to the extent not offset by BlackRock through waivers to the Fund's management fees). To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited.

  • Investment Style Risk — Because different kinds of stocks go in and out of favor depending on market conditions, the Fund’s performance may be better or worse than other funds with different investment styles (e.g., growth vs. value, large cap vs. small cap).

  • Junk Bonds Risk — Although junk bonds generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade bonds, junk bonds are high risk investments that may cause income and principal losses for the Fund.

  • Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage and, as a result, the sum of the Fund’s investment exposures may significantly exceed the amount of assets invested in the Fund, although these exposures may vary over time. 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.

  • Liquidity Risk — Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed-income mutual funds may be higher than normal. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions.

  • Management and Model Risk — The Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective depends upon BlackRock’s skill in determining the Fund’s strategic allocation to investment strategies and in selecting the best mix of Sub-Advisers. The value of your investment may decrease if BlackRock’s judgment about the attractiveness, value or market trends affecting a particular Sub-Adviser or investment strategy is incorrect. The various investment strategies may not always be complementary, which could adversely affect the performance of the Fund. Further, there can be no assurance that any allocation among investment strategies can produce a return that exhibits reduced correlation to the direction of markets generally.

    Some Sub-Advisers have little experience managing registered investment companies which, unlike the private investment funds these Sub-Advisers have been managing, are subject to daily inflows and outflows of investor cash and are subject to certain legal and tax-related restrictions on their investments and operations. Subject to the overall supervision of the Fund’s investment program by BlackRock, each Sub-Adviser is responsible, with respect to the portion of the Fund’s assets it manages, for compliance with the Fund’s investment strategies and applicable law.

    Investment decisions and strategies may not produce the returns expected, may cause the Fund’s shares to lose value or may cause the Fund to underperform other funds with similar investment objectives. The Sub-Advisers’ investment models may not adequately take into account certain factors and may result in the Fund having a lower return than if the Sub-Advisers utilized another model or investment strategy. Certain Sub-Advisers may attempt to execute strategies for the Fund using proprietary quantitative models. Investments selected using these models may perform differently than expected as a result of the factors used in the models, the weight placed on each factor, changes from the factors’ historical trends, and technical issues in the construction and implementation of the models (including, for example, data problems and/or software issues). There is no guarantee that a Sub-Adviser’s use of quantitative models will result in effective investment decisions for the Fund.

  • 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 instruments in which the Fund invests 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.

  • Master Limited Partnerships Risk — The common units of an MLP are listed and traded on U.S. securities exchanges and their value fluctuates predominantly based on prevailing market conditions and the success of the MLP. Unlike owners of common stock of a corporation, owners of common units have limited voting rights and have no ability annually to elect directors. In the event of liquidation, common units have preference over subordinated units, but not over debt or preferred units, to the remaining assets of the MLP.

  • Mezzanine Securities Risk — Mezzanine securities carry the risk that the issuer will not be able to meet its obligations and that the equity securities purchased with the mezzanine investments may lose value.

  • Money Market Securities Risk — If market conditions improve while the Fund has invested some or all of its assets in high quality money market securities, this strategy could result in reducing the potential gain from the market upswing, thus reducing the Fund’s opportunity to achieve its investment objective.

  • Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risks — Mortgage- and asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables held in trust. Mortgage- and asset-backed securities are subject to credit, interest rate, prepayment and extension risks. These securities also are subject to risk of default on the underlying mortgage or asset, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Small movements in interest rates (both increases and decreases) may quickly and significantly reduce the value of certain mortgage-backed securities.

  • “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.

  • Non-Diversification Risk — The Fund is a non-diversified fund. Because the Fund may invest in securities of a smaller number of issuers, it may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer than a fund that invests more widely.

  • Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred stock of larger companies.

  • Real Estate Related Securities Risk — The main risk of real estate related securities is that the value of the underlying real estate may go down. Many factors may affect real estate values. These factors include both the general and local economies, the amount of new construction in a particular area, the laws and regulations (including zoning and tax laws) affecting real estate and the costs of owning, maintaining and improving real estate. The availability of mortgages and changes in interest rates may also affect real estate values. If the Fund’s real estate related investments are concentrated in one geographic area or in one property type, the Fund will be particularly subject to the risks associated with that area or property type.

  • REIT Investment Risk — Investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume and may be more volatile than other securities.

  • Relative Value Strategies Risk — BlackRock and the Sub-Advisers utilize, among others, relative value trading strategies which are composed of positions in contracts relating to two or more assets the prices of which are expected to either converge or diverge and, in theory, mitigate the absolute price risk associated with taking an outright, unhedged position in respect of a single asset, and may be based upon historical price relationships and intended to neutralize the adverse (and positive) price effects of macro-economic events and trends. However, relative value strategies are subject to certain risks. The success of BlackRock’s or the Sub-Advisers’ trading activities depends, among other things, on BlackRock’s or the Sub-Advisers’ ability to identify unjustified or temporary discrepancies between the fundamental value and the market price of an asset or between the market prices of two or more assets whose prices are expected to move in relation to each other and to exploit those discrepancies to derive a profit to the extent that BlackRock and the Sub-Advisers are able to anticipate in which direction the relative values or prices will move to eliminate the identified discrepancy. For example, a relative value strategy may fail to profit fully or at all or may suffer a loss or a greater loss due to a failure of the component contract prices to converge or diverge as anticipated. This may occur with respect to prices relating to all or only certain contract maturities.

    Identification and exploitation of the investment opportunities that may be pursued by BlackRock or the Sub-Advisers involve a high degree of uncertainty. If what BlackRock or the Sub-Advisers perceive as an unjustified or temporary price or value discrepancy posing an investment opportunity is nothing more than a price differential due to reasons not likely to disappear within the time horizon of an investment made by the Fund, if BlackRock or the Sub-Advisers fail to anticipate the direction in which the relative prices or values will move to eliminate a discrepancy, or if BlackRock or the Sub-Advisers have incorrectly evaluated the extent of the expected spread relationships, so that, for example, the value of the Fund’s long positions appreciates at a slower rate than the value of the Fund’s short positions in related assets, then the expected returns for the Fund will not materialize, and the Fund may sustain a loss that will adversely affect the value of the Fund.

    The discrepancies that BlackRock or the Sub-Advisers seek to identify and turn into profit opportunities for the Fund may arise due to a variety of circumstances. Some may be due to uneven flows of information to the relevant markets, with the market for one asset reflecting the impact of specified items of information before or after the same information has an impact on the market for a related asset. Others may be the result of regulatory or legal restrictions applicable to one type of asset, but not to a functionally equivalent asset (which occurs, for example, when regulated financial institutions are prohibited from investing in a particular type of asset, but are free to take, via derivative arrangements, positions that leave them exposed to the performance of the same asset). A reduction in the volatility and market inefficiencies that create the opportunities in which BlackRock or the Sub-Advisers may seek to invest, as well as other market factors, will reduce the scope for BlackRock’s or the Sub-Advisers’ investments and may limit the Fund’s opportunities for profit and adversely affect the value of the Fund.

  • Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money.

  • Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk — Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the Fund with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the other party may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could lose money if it is unable to recover the securities and the value of the collateral held by the Fund, including the value of the investments made with cash collateral, is less than the value of the securities. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences to the Fund.

  • Rights Risk — The failure to exercise subscription rights to purchase common stock would result in the dilution of the Fund’s interest in the issuing company. The market for such rights is not well developed, and, accordingly, the Fund may not always realize full value on the sale of rights.

  • Risks of Loan Assignments and Participations — As the purchaser of an assignment, the Fund typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the Fund may not be able unilaterally to enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. Because assignments may be arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, the rights and obligations acquired by the Fund as the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. In addition, if the loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of any collateral and could bear the costs and liabilities of owning and disposing of the collateral. The Fund may be required to pass along to a purchaser that buys a loan from the Fund by way of assignment a portion of any fees to which the Fund is entitled under the loan. In connection with purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be subject to the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the participation. In the event of the insolvency of the lender selling a participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the lender and the borrower.

  • Second Lien Loans Risk — Second lien loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in senior loans. Because second lien loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower.

  • Senior Loans Risk — There is less readily available, reliable information about most senior loans than is the case for many other types of securities. An economic downturn generally leads to a higher non-payment rate, and a senior loan may lose significant value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a senior loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the senior loan's value. No active trading market may exist for certain senior loans, which may impair the ability of the Fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a senior loan and which may make it difficult to value senior loans. Although senior loans in which the Fund will invest generally will be secured by specific collateral, there can be no assurance that liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the borrower's obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. To the extent that a senior loan is collateralized by stock in the borrower or its subsidiaries, such stock may lose all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy of the borrower. Uncollateralized senior loans involve a greater risk of loss. The senior loans in which the Fund invests may be rated below investment grade.

  • Short Sales Risk — The Fund may enter into a short position through a futures contract, an option or swap agreement or by shorting a security directly. Because making short sales in securities that it does not own exposes the Fund to the risks associated with those securities, such short sales involve speculative exposure risk. The Fund may incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the security sold short. If the price of the underlying instrument or market on which the Fund has taken a short position increases, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short position was entered into plus any related interest payments or other fees. Taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be disproportionate and may exceed the amount invested.

  • Small and Mid-Capitalization Company Risk — Companies with small or mid-size market capitalizations will normally have more limited product lines, markets and financial resources and will be dependent upon a more limited management group than larger capitalized companies. In addition, it is more difficult to get information on smaller companies, which tend to be less well known, have shorter operating histories, do not have significant ownership by large investors and are followed by relatively few securities analysts.

  • Sovereign Debt Risk — Sovereign debt instruments are subject to the risk that a governmental entity may delay or refuse to pay interest or repay principal on its sovereign debt, due, for example, to cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy or the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies.

  • Structured Products Risk — Holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. Certain structured products may be thinly traded or have a limited trading market. In addition to the general risks associated with debt securities discussed herein, structured products carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; and the possibility that the structured products are subordinate to other classes.

  • Subsidiary Risk — By investing in the Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary’s investments. The instruments held by the Subsidiary are generally similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund (see “Commodities Related Investments Risk” above). There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Subsidiary will be achieved. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), and, unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, is not subject to all the investor protections of the Investment Company Act. However, the Fund wholly owns and controls the Subsidiary, and the Fund and the Subsidiary are both managed by BlackRock, making it unlikely that the Subsidiary will take action contrary to the interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and the SAI and could adversely affect the Fund.

    In order to qualify as a regulated investment company, at least 90% of the Fund's gross income for the taxable year must be "qualifying income." The Fund anticipates treating the income and gain generated from investments in controlled foreign subsidiaries that invest in physical commodities and/or commodity-linked derivative instruments as "qualifying income" for regulated investment company qualification purposes. However, there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") will agree with treating such income and gain as "qualifying income." If the IRS makes an adverse determination relating to the treatment of such income and gain, the Fund would likely need to change its investment strategies, which could adversely affect the Fund. The IRS has proposed regulations that, if finalized in current form, would specify that a subpart F income inclusion for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent that the Subsidiary makes distributions out of its earnings and profits in the same taxable year.

  • Supranational Entities Risk — The Fund may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by the World Bank. If one or more stockholders of the World Bank fails to make necessary additional capital contributions, the entity may be unable to pay interest or repay principal on its debt securities, and the Fund may lose money on such investments.

  • U.S. Government Obligations Risk — Certain securities in which the Fund may invest, including securities issued by certain U.S. Government agencies and U.S. Government sponsored enterprises, are not guaranteed by the U.S. Government or supported by the full faith and credit of the United States.

  • Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk — The absence of an active market for these securities could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them if the issuer defaults.

  • Warrants Risk — If the price of the underlying stock does not rise above the exercise price before the warrant expires, the warrant generally expires without any value and the Fund loses any amount it paid for the warrant. Thus, investments in warrants may involve substantially more risk than investments in common stock. Warrants may trade in the same markets as their underlying stock; however, the price of the warrant does not necessarily move with the price of the underlying stock.

  • When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price.

  • Zero Coupon Securities Risk — While interest payments are not made on such securities, holders of such securities are deemed to have received income (“phantom income”) annually, notwithstanding that cash may not be received currently. Some of these securities may be subject to substantially greater price fluctuations during periods of changing market interest rates than are comparable securities that pay interest currently. Longer term zero coupon bonds are more exposed to interest rate risk than shorter term zero coupon bonds.

Performance Information
The information shows you how the Fund’s performance has varied for the periods since inception and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The table compares the Fund’s performance to that of the BofA Merrill Lynch 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index. To the extent that dividends and distributions have been paid by the Fund, the performance information of 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 performance, including its current net asset value, 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 Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Fund
As of 12/31
Bar Chart
During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 1.82% (quarter ended March 31, 2015) and the lowest return for a quarter was –2.38% (quarter ended June 30, 2015). The year-to-date return as of September 30, 2016 was 2.12%.
As of 12/31/15
Average Annual Total Returns
Average Annual Total Returns - BlackRock Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Fund
1 Year
Since Inception
Inception Date
Investor A Shares (9.30%) (6.63%) Aug. 07, 2014
Investor A Shares | Return After Taxes on Distributions (9.43%) (7.00%)  
Investor A Shares | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (5.24%) (5.17%)  
Investor C Shares (6.01%) (3.70%) Aug. 07, 2014
Institutional Shares (4.00%) (2.69%) Aug. 07, 2014
BofA Merrill Lynch 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 0.05% 0.04%