BlackRock

As many fund managers move to dampen investor optimism for 2008, BlackRock's Will Landers remains confident his $550m ML Latin American investment trust can deliver returns in excess of 20% this year.

The US Federal Reserve will need to continue cutting interest rates to stave off a consumer-led recession, BlackRock warns.

Strong commodity demand from BRIC countries is pushing the natural resources sector forwards, according to BlackRock.

BlackRock has made two appointments in its retail division. Alex Hoctor-Duncan has become head of UK retail, with overall responsibility for sales, marketing and distribution of the firm's retail funds in the UK.

BlackRock is giving retail investors access to its global fixed income expertise with the launch of the offshore Fixed Income Global Opportunities fund.

Gavin Corr, the former BlackRock managing director of European equities, has been hired by Nevsky Capital.

Inflationary concerns, the US property market, and UK interest rates all figure highly among the factors determining whether 2007 will be a good or bad year for investors and homeowners.

Ian Frost is moving from BlackRock to Investec Asset Management to become a global fixed income portfolio manager while Aegon Asset Management has also announced a series of new arrivals to its fixed income team.

THIS MORNING'S papers are all discussing the merger of Merrill Lynch's asset management unit with Blackrock.