Markets
Chart: The Trillion Dollar Club of Asset Managers
Chart: The Trillion Dollar Club
$1T+ club is dominated by U.S. based asset managers
The Chart of the Week is a weekly Visual Capitalist feature on Fridays.
In the late 1700s, it was the start of the battle of stock exchanges: in 1773, the London Stock Exchange was formed, and the New York Stock Exchange was formed just 19 years later.
And while London was a preferred destination for international finance at the time, England also had laws that restricted the formation of new joint-stock companies. The law was repealed in 1825, but by then it was already too late.
In the U.S., exchanges in New York City and Philadelphia took full advantage by dealing in stocks early on. Eventually, for this and a variety of other reasons, the NYSE emerged as the most dominant exchange in the world – helping propel New York and Wall Street to the center of finance.
The Center of Finance
Wall Street, and the U.S. in general, is now synonymous with finance – and most of the world’s largest banks, funds, and investors maintain a presence nearby. The biggest asset management companies, which pool investments into securities such as stocks and bonds on behalf of investors, are no exception to this.
Today’s chart shows all global companies with over $1 trillion in assets under management (AUM).
Not surprisingly, all but 17.1% of assets managed by this $1 Trillion Club are overseen by companies based in the United States.
Rank | Company | Country | AUM |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | BlackRock Inc. | USA | $5.7 trillion |
#2 | Vanguard Group | USA | $4.4 trillion |
#3 | State Street Global Advisors | USA | $2.6 trillion |
#4 | Fidelity Investments | USA | $2.3 trillion |
#5 | J.P. Morgan Asset Management | USA | $1.9 trillion |
#6 | BNY Mellon | USA | $1.8 trillion |
#7 | Pimco | USA | $1.6 trillion |
#8 | Amundi | France | $1.6 trillion |
#9 | Capital Group | USA | $1.4+ trillion |
#10 | Legal & General Investment Management | UK | $1.3 trillion |
#11 | Government Pension Investment Fund | Japan | $1.2 trillion |
#12 | PGIM | USA | $1.0+ trillion |
#13 | Northern Trust | USA | $1.0 trillion |
#14 | Wellington Management | USA | $1.0 trillion |
#15 | Norges Bank Investment Management | Norway | $1.0 trillion |
Even further, outside of Northern Trust (Chicago), Pimco (Newport Beach), and Capital Group (Los Angeles), the remaining U.S. companies are based in the Northeast specifically – either on Wall Street, or just a short drive away.
The Newest Entrant
The newest entrant to the $1 trillion club is Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, which is managed by Norges Bank Investment Management. It’s the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, and it was “never forecast” to get so big.
The Norwegian fund recently joined France’s Amundi ($1.6 trillion), the UK’s Legal & General ($1.3 trillion), and Japan’s Goverment Pension Investment Fund ($1.2 trillion) as non-U.S. members of this exclusive club.
Markets
Visualizing Portfolio Return Expectations, by Country
This graphic shows the gap in portfolio return expectations between investors and advisors around the world, revealing a range of market outlooks.

Visualizing Portfolio Return Expectations, by Country
This was originally posted on Advisor Channel. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on financial markets that help advisors and their clients.
How do investors’ return expectations differ from those of advisors? How does this expectation gap shift across countries?
Despite 2022 being the worst year for stock markets in over a decade, investors around the world appear confident about the long-term performance of their portfolios. These convictions point towards resilience across global economies, driven by strong labor markets and moderating inflation.
While advisors are optimistic, their expectations are more conservative overall.
This graphic shows the return expectation gap by country between investors and financial professionals in 2023, based on data from Natixis.
Expectation Gap by Country
Below, we show the return expectation gap by country, based on a survey of 8,550 investors and 2,700 financial professionals:
Long-Term Annual Return Expectations | Investors | Financial Professionals | Expectations Gap |
---|---|---|---|
🇺🇸 U.S. | 15.6% | 7.0% | 2.2X |
🇨🇱 Chile | 15.1% | 14.5% | 1.0X |
🇲🇽 Mexico | 14.7% | 14.0% | 1.1X |
🇸🇬 Singapore | 14.5% | 14.2% | 1.0X |
🇯🇵 Japan | 13.6% | 8.7% | 1.6X |
🇦🇺 Australia | 12.5% | 6.9% | 1.8X |
🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR | 12.4% | 7.6% | 1.6X |
🇨🇦 Canada | 10.6% | 6.5% | 1.6X |
🇪🇸 Spain | 10.6% | 7.6% | 1.4X |
🇩🇪 Germany | 10.1% | 7.0% | 1.4X |
🇮🇹 Italy | 9.6% | 6.3% | 1.5X |
🇨🇭 Switzerland | 9.6% | 6.9% | 1.4X |
🇫🇷 France | 8.9% | 6.6% | 1.3X |
🇬🇧 UK | 8.1% | 6.2% | 1.3X |
🌐 Global | 12.8% | 9.0% | 1.4X |
Investors in the U.S. have the highest long-term annual return expectations, at 15.6%. The U.S. also has the highest expectations gap across countries, with investors’ expectations more than double that of advisors.
Likely influencing investor convictions are the outsized returns seen in the last decade, led by big tech. This year is no exception, as a handful of tech giants are seeing soaring returns, lifting the overall market.
From a broader perspective, the S&P 500 has returned 11.5% on average annually since 1928.
Following next in line were investors in Chile and Mexico with return expectations of 15.1% and 14.7%, respectively. Unlike many global markets, the MSCI Chile Index posted double-digit returns in 2022.
Global financial hub, Singapore, has the lowest expectations gap across countries.
Investors in the UK and Europe, have the most moderate return expectations overall. Confidence has been weighed down by geopolitical tensions, high interest rates, and dismal economic data.
Return Expectations Across Asset Classes
What are the expected returns for different asset classes over the next decade?
A separate report by Vanguard used a quantitative model to forecast returns through to 2033. For U.S. equities, it projects 4.1-6.1% in annualized returns. Global equities are forecast to have 6.4-8.4% returns, outperforming U.S. stocks over the next decade.
Bonds, meanwhile, are forecast to see 3.6-4.6% annualized returns for the U.S. aggregate market, while U.S. Treasuries are projected to average 3.3-4.3% annually.
While it’s impossible to predict the future, we can see a clear expectation gap not only between countries, but between advisors, clients, and other models. Factors such as inflation, interest rates, and the ability for countries to weather economic headwinds will likely have a significant influence on future portfolio returns.
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