MARKETS HAPPY HOUR PODCAST

Today's Markets Happy Hour Podcast is live from Miami, and was kindly accommodated by the ALTSMIA conference in Miami. We start with a discussion of an economy vibe check where one guest describes a basket of identical goods being tracked from Whole Foods, which is up a whopping 30% year on year – significantly higher inflation than is being reported in the data. We turn then to the seemingly high probability of a US rate cut this week, and compare the trajectories of other central banks, which, interestingly have been thought to have reached a bottom in terms of rates again after some stabilization. Moving to equity markets we reflect on what our expectations were at the beginning of 2025, and whether the concept of resilience to threat is going to be "forever" or whether we should still be mindful of cracks that can be seismic to a sector such as banks or private credit. We look in particular at real estate and some of the bright spots (e.g. London office) as well as the warning signs – e.g. vacancy rates ticking up in residential and some areas of industrial. We also examine some stats regarding private equity and venture capital returns and ask whether now is the right time for democratization.