Yearly Archives: 2024

Etched in stone

Blackstone, the world’s biggest alternative asset manager, has raised an initial $1.3 billion for a new private equity fund tailored for wealthy individual investors. The fund – Blackstone Private Equity Strategies (BXPE) – is further evidence of Blackstone’s decade-long push to diversify its investor base beyond large institutions, as it looks to build its private wealth client book. Blackstone is not the only group to think, ‘All hail retail!’ with Carlyle Group and Apollo also taking strides to offer investment funds to private investors. This could be the next step in solidifying Blackstone’s market-leading reputation, and more broadly, private equity’s appeal with the masses.

inspired by The Financial Times

Edison shines a light

Happy New Year! With 2023 now behind us, many will be hoping that the next 12 months bring plenty of opportunities to do deals and recapture PE’s magic. Data by Edison shows that there are approximately 16 to 17,000 private equity and VC-backed firms. By contrast, the number of US public firms has dropped from 7,000 to less than 5,000 since the start of the century. As the private markets universe expands, GPs will look to shine bright like a diamond in 2024, as they seek out take-private deals, corporate carve-outs and family-owned businesses. Who knows how many ‘lightbulb’ moments could arise, as GPs get creative with their deal sourcing approach? Factor in a feeling of optimism on Wall Street that the US Federal Reserve will cut rates at some point in 2024, and…whisper it quietly, the PE industry might find itself whistling ‘let it grow, let it grow, let it grow’. Okay, bad joke – but hey it’s the New Year!

inspired by Trustnet