1450 ET -- BlackRock is one of the most mentioned companies in the U.S. across all news items in the past 12 hours, according to Factiva data. BlackRock agreed to buy U.K. data provider Preqin for about $3.2 billion, part of the firm's efforts to expand in alternative investments like private credit and infrastructure. BlackRock said Preqin is expected to generate about $240 million of "highly recurring revenue" this year. Dow Jones & Co. owns Factiva. (josh.beckerman@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

07-01-24 1505ET