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☆ Thoma Bravo and Clearlake have posted negative returns for a major endowment, according to exclusive performance data. Middle-market firms have been much stronger.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The returns show losses from Thoma Bravo and Clearlake, though the funds are new and PE is a long game. Thoma Bravo and Clearlake Capital Group, two private-equity firms that have emerged as notably active investors in recent years, have posted early losses across some of their funds, according to investment returns from a major US endowment. UTIMCO invested $51.7 million in Clearlake's seventh flagship private equity fund, known as Clearlake Capital Partners VII, which closed with some $14 billion of commitments last May. Thoma Bravo declined to comment. Meanwhile, the data show high returns from CapRock Partners, Renovus Capital Partners, Serve Capital Partners, and LFM Capital, PE firms that target middle-market companies.

☆ Betterment is laying off 28 employees as inflation and market volatility hit the digital wealth firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The robo-advisor Betterment is laying off 28 employees and shutting its Philadelphia office. Betterment told employees that rising operating costs and market volatility impacted the firm. The digital wealth management firm Betterment is laying off 28 employees, according to an email its chief executive officer sent to the company on Wednesday. A Betterment spokesperson declined to specify how many employees the company has now and which roles were impacted. "Building something durable and sustainable ultimately takes a long time," Levy told Insider an interview last year.

☆ The behind-the-scenes role that's minting future stars at BlackRock
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some of the most powerful people on Wall Street are men and women you've never heard of. Click here to learn more about BlackRock's new chief of staff and why the role is rising in importance across Wall Street. Everybody wants macro traders. A fintech helping companies engage with their retail investors got backing from Alexis Ohanian's Seven Seven Six. These are the top 10 holdings in the church's investment portfolio, including one Wall Street titan.

☆ Larry Fink has a new chief of staff, an under-the-radar position that's become a powerful post at BlackRock
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has named executive Willie Alford as his new chief of staff. Sarah Schaffer, an executive and Fink's prior chief of staff, will take on a new role at BlackRock. This may be especially true if you worked directly with Larry Fink, the firm's chief executive and among the most powerful people on Wall Street. Fink's chief of staff position has vaulted executives into new heights. A more common C-suite roleThe chief of staff role has taken off across corporations and beyond the position's roots in government and military operations.

☆ Harvey Schwartz has his work cut out for him at Carlyle. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But first, a Wall Street firm finally finds its CEO. Harvey Schwartz Goldman Sachs1. In many ways, Carlyle and Harvey Schwartz are perfectly imperfect for each other. Might as well call it "Carefree Carlyle," because that's the vibes I'm getting under the soon-to-be Schwartz era. Click here to read more about what'll be expected of Harvey Schwartz as CEO of Carlyle.

☆ What Carlyle wants from incoming CEO Harvey Schwartz: Fix the firm's lagging stock price as it faces a sour market
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The firm's interim CEO, Bill Conway, said Schwartz will be tasked with boosting the stock price. First of all, we want to increase the stock price," said William Conway, a Carlyle cofounder and interim CEO. Notably, he has the opportunity to make some $180 million over five years, depending on how well the firm's stock performs, according to a regulatory filing. The uncertainty that came with the firm's scramble to find a new leader has weighed on the firm's stock price. On Tuesday morning, Carlyle stock dropped 3% while the S&P 500 fell less than 1%.

☆ Meet the Blackstone execs taking on new roles across real estate, private equity, and credit as the firm shakes up leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Blackstone is making changes to its real estate, private equity, and credit leadership. Murphy will replace the longtime Blackstone executive Robert Ramsauer, who is leaving the firm after 19 years. It is also shuffling the leadership of its credit business and its real estate business that includes Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, known as BREIT, a high-profile fund for the firm that has recently faced redemption requests. The firm's leadership changes extend to its credit business. von Zuben's shift marks the second leadership change in the credit business, a particularly competitive area for private investment firms, that Blackstone has announced this year.

Some hedge funds, wealth managers, and asset managers are still hiring. Recruiters told us what roles are in demand and what skills can help you land them. Big-name hedge funds like Citadel, D. E. Shaw, and Millennium Management posted double digits in a year that many other investment managers would rather soon forget. Alternative asset managers, meanwhile, are hiring in the private-wealth-management businesses they've spent recent years building out. … if you're in or interested in wealth managementDespite the market downturn, wealth managers are in high demand.

Some hedge funds, wealth managers, and asset managers are still hiring. Layoffs across industries have been dominating headlines in January, and Wall Street has been no exception. Big-name hedge funds like Citadel, D. E. Shaw, and Millennium Management posted double digits in a year that many other investment managers would rather soon forget. Alternative asset managers, meanwhile, are hiring in the private-wealth-management businesses they've spent recent years building out. Emily Landon, the CEO of the Chicago-based headhunting firm The Crypto Recruiter, pointed to the job board Crypto Careers, which has over 2,400 openings.

☆ $6 billion fintech iCapital is making 100 new tech hires despite sweeping layoffs and hiring freezes across Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Paige Hagy | Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Alternative investment fintech iCapital is making 100 new hires in its tech department. iCapital CEO Lawrence Calcano told Insider "great people are always in demand." The fintech, which was founded in 2013, operates a marketplace where investors and firms can get an overview of alternative investments like private equity and hedge-funds. "Long term, there's still strong trends of advisors recommending higher allocations to alternative investments. It bought Wells Fargo's and UBS's alternative investments feeder fund platforms and the companies Artivest, Simon Markets, and AI Insight.

☆ Blackstone's real-estate strategy, laid out in a leaked transcript, sets the stage for tenant battles over evictions and rising rents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The major real-estate investor Blackstone is playing defense as tenants scrutinize its policies. This week, tenants addressed Blackstone and an investor, UC Investments, to raise concerns. A transcript of an executive's remarks, obtained by Insider, sheds light on Blackstone's strategy. It is Blackstone, the New York-based investment giant that has become the world's largest real-estate investor. Vik Sawhney, Blackstone's chief administrative officer and global head of institutional client solutions, introduced Meghji, according to the transcript.

☆ Blackstone is predicting steady growth for its real-estate business, which could be bad news for its tenants
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Now imagine if your landlord wasn't just some mom-and-pop family that owned your building, but the world's largest private-equity firm. And while it's received a fair share of scrutiny over it, the performance of one of its real-estate funds has reignited criticism. But the Blackstone executives' comments indicated the firm could also be planning to raise rent and evict tenants, which includes those in affordable housing and student housing. Click here to read more about how Blackstone's real-estate strategy is setting the stage for an ugly battle with tenants. Top executives at Davos share their thoughts on how bad things might get in 2023.

☆ China's economic growth is slowing as GDP data show Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy took its toll
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Economic data released Tuesday in China show its growth slowed amid the government's zero-COVID policy. That growth for 2022 is below expectations of 5.5% GDP growth that Chinese officials had set. The data showed the impact from the government's zero-COVID policy. Gross domestic product data released early Tuesday in China showed growth was below the 8.1% increase in GDP that the country reported for 2021. GDP in China rose 2.9% in the fourth quarter from a year prior, according to a press release.

☆ New York City Mayor Eric Adams travels to Texas border as he calls for migrant crisis aid: 'We are at our breaking point'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New York City Mayor Eric Adams called for federal and state aid to address the migrant crisis. And the people who live in the cities don't deserve this," Adams said on Sunday in El Paso, Texas, according to the Associated Press. About 40,000 migrants have traveled to New York City in search of shelter since last spring, according to the city. New York City has opened 74 emergency shelters and four humanitarian relief centers, according to Adams' office. In a Saturday tweet, Lander also criticized Adams' Texas trip, saying it did little to bring in the money that New York City needs to provide shelter and services.

☆ Accusations of a bro culture cloud Tiger Global's fundraising efforts after a $10 million settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Investors have learned of a $10 million settlement Tiger Global made to a former female employee. Investors don't really need another reason to shy away from Tiger Global Management after a year of terrible performance. The employee who settled with Tiger alleged that Tiger fostered a type of bro culture, led by men who prevented women executives from getting equal opportunities inside the firm. "Prioritizing these values in our day-to-day interactions inside and outside of Tiger Global has been the glue that has underpinned our success for the past 21 years. We remain committed to driving continuous improvement across Tiger Global as we look towards the future."

☆ JPMorgan's acquisition strategy is coming under fire. Here are the 15 fintech and consumer-focused deals done by the bank since 2020.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Carter Johnson | Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

NutmegDeal details: JPMorgan announced the acquisition in June 2021, paying approximately $1 billion. cxLoyaltyDeal details: JPMorgan said it would buy cxLoyalty's global loyalty division in December 2020. ProxymityDeal details: JPMorgan, Citi, HSBC, and other firms together invested $20.5 million in Proxymity in May 2020. Viva WalletDeal details: JPMorgan said it would acquire 49% of Viva Wallet in January 2022, pending regulatory approval. Christian Petersen-Clausen/Getty ImagesRenovite TechnologiesDeal details: JPMorgan announced on September 12 it plans to acquire Renovite.

☆ BlackRock's mighty tech unit is a silver lining in an awful market. But competition and a recession could test its momentum.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In a tumultuous year for BlackRock, its powerful Aladdin business won record new mandates. "2022 was a good litmus test for the BlackRock model vis-a-vis Aladdin," said Cathy Seifert, a senior equity analyst at CFRA Research. Now Sudhir Nair, the longtime BlackRock executive who runs the Aladdin business globally, and his sprawling business face a test: Keeping that momentum. "To get new business, Aladdin may have to sharpen their pencils, despite the fact that I do think they still retain a best-in-class position," Seifert said. Influential rival money managers like Two Sigma, Pimco, State Street, and Amundi have been putting resources behind their own proprietary tech platforms.

☆ Republicans went after BlackRock and sustainable investing in 2022. Meet 12 officials crusading against 'woke capitalism.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

A group of vocal conservative officials are criticizing aspects of ESG investing. Players in the ESG ecosystem, like S&P Global and BlackRock, the world's largest money manager and an influential proponent of ESG investing, are often the subject of their critiques. Instead, officials often paint large financial firms' ESG strategies as functions of left-leaning agendas. Here are key GOP players who are taking aim at ESG investing. Abbott, who is seeking reelection in November, was early to denouncing ESG investing.

For the last five years, Insider has been spotlighting up-and-comers on Wall Street. We've asked the rising stars about the books that informed both their careers and personal growth. If you're struggling to come up with a good gift for a successful dealmaker or trader, we've got you covered. Over the last few years, we've asked our Wall Street rising stars to recommend books to our readers and how these must-reads helped them succeed in their careers. So if you have an overachieving Wall Streeter in your life, look no further than this selection of 35 books below.

☆ These 20 execs are powering the $1.2 trillion private-credit market
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

So who's behind this mysterious market that has now swelled to $1.2 trillion and accounts for more than 20% of the aggregate capital leverage companies borrowed? Insider's Rebecca Ungarino mapped out 20 of the most powerful people in the space from firms like Sixth Street, Golub Capital, Ares, and Blackstone. When PE firms start hunting for deals, these are the tech companies they'll target. Some tech companies are instructing managers to label low performers on their teams, potentially signally more cuts at some point in 2023. Turns out, having one room dedicated to booze isn't enough for the ultra-wealthy, The Wall Street Journal reports.

☆ The SEC is reaching out to Blackstone and Starwood after the real-estate giants limited investors' withdrawals from their funds, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Alex Nicoll | Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Investors are pulling their money from big real estate funds at a quick pace. Blackstone and Starwood recently limited investors' ability to withdraw. The real estate funds have recently seen a surge in withdrawal requests amid a broad drop in investor sentiment and potential economic downturn. Representatives for the SEC and Starwood did not immediately return requests for comment on Friday. But this year has brought challenges as the real estate market sours and more investors are turning bearish.

☆ Meet the 20 private-credit power players shaping the $1.2 trillion asset class as it faces uncharted waters
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The expansion of private credit underscores the growing influence of the market's dealmakers. Insider has pinpointed influential private-credit executives and top dealmakers to watch. Private-credit markets, overall, have fared better than their public counterparts this year. Some of these top officials run investment vehicles known as business-development companies, which often invest in private companies' debt and have grown common across the credit-investing ecosystem. Insider has pinpointed influential private-credit executives and top dealmakers to watch.

☆ It's the most wonderful time of the year: PE giants Blackstone and Apollo just dropped their holiday videos with starring roles for their billionaire CEOs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Private-equity giants Blackstone and Apollo released their holiday-themed videos on Thursday. In Apollo's, employees are chefs and cook up a holiday meal for the firm at the CEO's request. So it goes in the world of private-equity firms' holiday videos, where straight-laced investors and billionaire chief executives get very into their starring roles and the jokes are a little on the nose. The secret thing that makes Blackstone, Blackstone," he responds. Finally, as he puts on a Santa hat, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman says the secret is the great people they hire.

Carl Icahn had a textbook strategy for the Nevada-based energy utility Southwest Gas Holdings. In August, Southwest Gas' board decided against a divestiture, and the sale of subsidiaries that Icahn had urged remains uncertain. "Shareholders don't want to hear it, but you really have great difficulty selling a company at a good price today," the widely followed activist investor Icahn told Insider. via CNBCBut, like Icahn in the case of Southwest Gas, participants in this new onslaught may find themselves confounded by an increasingly complex and fraught business environment. According to Lazard, 37% of activist campaigns this year were launched by first-timers, the highest proportion since the company started tracking these figures in 2015.

☆ A market downturn hasn't made activist investing any easier. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But even with a market downturn, activist investors' campaigns haven't been the cakewalk some might expect. Insider's Daniel Geiger, Rebecca Ungarino, and Casey Sullivan spoke to industry insiders — including famed activist investor Carl Icahn — about why the current landscape isn't as accepting as some might think to activist campaigns. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and a difficult market environment doesn't mean we'll see the number of campaigns decrease. Click here to read more about why top activist investors like Carl Icahn say this line of work is riskier than ever. Here's a five-step plan to help you decide when that side gig you have should be the only gig you have.

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