Investing

While economic growth and growth expectations for the US are leveling off slightly, the European economy appears to be strengthening. A unique moment lies ahead: the European Central Bank (ECB) may pre-empt the Federal Reserve (Fed) with rate cuts.

US house prices have climbed over 6% in the past year, pushing the value of homes nearly 3% above their peak from June 2022. This increase came despite the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes aimed at curbing rampant inflation. Clearly, the traditional models for predicting house prices are no longer reliable.

In an unstable investment environment with wars and crises looming worldwide, contradictory inflation data as well as insecurity regarding interest rate development, alternative investments have evolved into a diversifying and stabilising element of institutional portfolios – and will continue to do so.

Brendan Ballou’s book “Plunder” exposes how private equity firms, like Carlyle, harm businesses and evade legal responsibility, despite promising high returns. In this interview, Ballou discusses the alarming frequency and impact of these practices.

Inflation is rearing its head again, and many fear a rerun of the 1970s scenario. But here’s the catch: the world today is vastly different from back then, mainly because of our access to information. It’s a game-changer. Think about it: a smartphone user today holds more data in the palm of their hand than the US President had in the early 1980s. Knowledge about inflation isn’t just abundant—it’s at our fingertips, dramatically altering how we deal with economic crises.

Swiss-headquarterted private equity firm Partners Group has announced the launch of a new private equity European Long-Term Investment Fund (Eltif), opening up its private offerings also to retail investors. The fund is its first new private equity fund under the updated Eltif regime.

The Partners Group Private Equity Evergreen was already registered in Luxembourg last December and has a minimum investment threshold of 10,000 euro. The fund will be available to investors across Europe, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the Benelux regions.

The U.S. economy has long enjoyed what might be called a Goldilocks scenario: robust growth paired with gradually declining inflation. However, recent data suggest that those days are behind us.

Take, for example, the recent GDP figures which illustrate a stark downturn. After quarters of 4.9% and 3.4% growth, the economy slowed to a mere 1.6% annualized growth in the first quarter of this year. 

The Norwegian parliament is poised to debate the merits and drawbacks of incorporating private equity investments into the country’s mammoth 1,490 billion euro sovereign wealth fund, the largest globally. The government is hesitant about unlisted funds, despite previous recommendations from Norges Bank, the country’s central bank which manages the national oil fund.

Steffen Pauls led KKR in Germany for over eleven years before becoming CEO of Moonfare. In 2015, he left the American investment company with a new goal: making private markets accessible to individuals. He understands all too well this target group sometimes has ethical concerns regarding this sector.

China is currently navigating a precarious situation reminiscent of the mythical dilemma between Scylla and Charybdis, grappling with a persistent real estate slump and waning investment interest. Adding to the challenges, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s policies have further complicated the economic landscape for Chinese policymakers. The looming possibility of a currency devaluation sends a stark warning to global markets to brace for impact.