Blackstone Podcast

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Several times a year, Blackstone surveys a subset of our private equity portfolio companies’ CEOs about the challenges and opportunities their businesses are facing. It’s just one example of how we gain insights from the scale and breadth of our portfolio. In the latest episode of the Blackstone Podcast, we bring some of those insights to our listeners. Prakash Melwani, chief investment officer of...

In this episode of Behind the Deal, we sit down with Blackstone’s Global Head of Private Equity, Joe Baratta, and Senior Managing Director Peter Wallace to discuss our recent acquisition of Merlin Entertainments, a global leader in family entertainment and theme parks. Merlin operates more than 130 attractions in 25 countries, featuring iconic brands that range from LEGOLAND to Madame Tussauds. Wi...

In the latest episode of the Blackstone Podcast, Nick Galakatos, Head of Blackstone Life Sciences, highlights the growing demand for capital across the life sciences industry, and how BXLS is helping bring vital but underfunded medicines and technologies to market. Nick also shares his background as a scientist and an investor, and discusses the therapeutic and disease areas that hold the most pro...

An inverted yield curve, excess global liquidity, and ongoing trade tensions with China: Chief Investment Strategist Joe Zidle argues that these three issues are key to understanding where the global economy is headed in the coming year. Tune in to learn why he believes that “the countdown timer” on the end of this economic expansion has started. For more insights from Joe Zidle, subscribe to  his...

In this episode of the Blackstone Podcast, Chief Investment Strategist Joe Zidle argues that the United States and China will eventually reach a trade deal, but that markets will likely experience more volatility in the interim. Click below to hear his expectations for the tariffs’ impact on growth, corporate profits, and risk assets.   For more market insights from Joe Zidle, subscribe to his mar...

In the most recent episode of the Blackstone Podcast, Chief Investment Strategist Joe Zidle sat down with Richard Bernstein of Richard Bernstein Advisors for a wide-ranging discussion on today’s market and economic conditions. Joe and Rich covered a range of topics, including monetary policy, recession risk, and where we are in the current business cycle. Richard Bernstein is Chief Executive Offic...

In this episode, Dwight Scott sits down with Joe Zidle, Blackstone’s Chief Investment Strategist, to exchange views on the state of the markets and the economy. Joe discusses the durability of the current economic expansion, the continuation of dovish central bank policy, and increasing headwinds to earnings growth. Dwight then shares his perspectives on the implications of this backdrop for credi...

In the latest episode of the Blackstone Podcast, John McCormick, CEO of Blackstone Alternative Asset Management, joined us for a conversation on how BAAM and the hedge fund industry have evolved in recent years. John discussed BAAM’s growth to become the world’s largest discretionary investor in hedge funds, as well as the group’s more recent expansion into business areas like GP stakes and direct...

In the latest episode of his market commentary series on the Blackstone Podcast, investment strategist Joe Zidle sat down with First Eagle’s Matt McLennan to share where they’re seeing opportunity and risk in equity markets. The two discuss ongoing volatility, today’s unique consumer and policy environment, and whether investors should be concerned about a recession on the horizon. Matt McLennan i...

This quarter, Dwight Scott and Bennett Goodman sit down with Marc Wolpow of Audax Group, a leading investor in the U.S. middle market. Dwight, Bennet and Marc discuss the evolution of this segment of the economy, the state of the market today and the ongoing partnership of Audax and GSO. ----more---- *** Neither this blog post, nor the podcast nor any of the information contained herein or therein...

Blackstone is pleased to announce a new market commentary series on the Blackstone Podcast from investment strategist Joe Zidle. In each episode, Joe will share his insights on market trends and what investors should be looking out for in the month ahead. This week, he sat down with us to discuss volatility, credit spreads and inflation trends.   ***   The views expressed in this commentary are th...

 “We think we have a great business, we think we have a diversified business and we want to tell the story of how we built that business will be a lot of fun and hopefully not just for us, but for the listeners.” In his first podcast of an ongoing series on the credit markets and GSO, Dwight Scott sat down with Christine Anderson, Head of Global Public Affairs, to discuss the state of the market t...

On this episode of the Blackstone podcast, Joe Lohrer, National Sales Manager for Private Wealth Solutions, sat down with investment strategist Joe Zidle to discuss broad trends in the market and the variety of political and economic factors that are shaping his outlook for future growth. Joe Zidle is a frequent guest on CNBC and a contributor to a number of financial media outlets, and regularly...

Today, we’re launching a new series on the Blackstone podcast called “Behind the Deal” – which will take a closer at some of our firm’s most high-profile transactions, and how we partner with businesses across industries to create value and drive growth. In the first episode, we speak to Martin Brand, a Senior Managing Director in Blackstone’s Private Equity business, who is the lead partner on ou...

    *** Neither this podcast nor any of the information contained herein constitutes an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security or instrument in or to participate in any trading strategy with any Blackstone fund or other investment vehicle. Past performance is not indicative of future results and there is no assurance that any Blackstone fund will achieve its objectives o...

In the latest edition of the Blackstone podcast, we explore credit with GSO’s Dwight Scott. Dwight sat down with Joe Lohrer, National Sales Manager for the Private Wealth Management group to discuss dislocation in energy, rising interest rates and what trends are shaping the credit market.

Over the next two decades, nearly 10,000 Americans will reach retirement age every single day. They deserve to live their golden years in dignity. Instead, many will experience a dramatic drop in their standards of living. Because of a looming crisis of inadequate retirement savings, America risks facing rates of poverty among senior citizens not seen since the Great Depression – and the strain of...

In this edition of the Blackstone podcast, Vice Chairman Byron Wien sat down with Head of Private Wealth Solutions and External Relations Joan Solotar to talk more about his ten surprises for 2018 – covering topics ranging from oil prices to Xi Jinping’s focus on China’s credit problem. In addition to his 10 surprises, Byron talks more about his “also rans” – surprises for 2018 that didn’t make th...

Hedge funds tend to be products of a founder, tied inseparably to that person for both fundraising and strategy. As a result, the business itself doesn’t outlive the founder. It’s a cruel irony that these organizations, with such talent and substantial assets under management(AUM), are unable to create going concern value. We believe it’s not only possible to build hedge fund businesses with going...

Don Anderson, Blackstone's Chief Sustainability Officer, sits down with Christine Anderson, Global Head of Public Affairs, for episode 2 of Transformational Change – our new podcast series on the ways we think about operational improvements. Don looks at the challenges facing companies today and shares how Blackstone has achieved significant savings across its portfolio.      

Vern Perry, Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Strategic Partners, sat down to discuss the trends shaping the secondary market in our recent podcast. Vern looks at the trends behind buyers and sellers of secondary private equity today, and shares how Strategic Partners is addressing the needs of investors against this changing backdrop.  Neither this podcast nor any of the information contain...

The first episode of ‘Transformational Change’ – our new podcast series on the ways we think about operational improvements in our portfolio companies. For our first episode, Christine Anderson, Global Head of Public Affairs, sits down with Dave Calhoun, Head of Portfolio Operations and Jeff Overly, Blackstone’s lean specialist. Dave and Jeff discuss the history of lean [0:30], implementing lean p...

Today on the Blackstone podcast, our channel dedicated to the insights, conversations and news from across our firm, we’re sharing an interview with Dave Calhoun, head of Portfolio Operations. Dave recently sat down with Joe Lohrer from Private Wealth Solutions to discuss the ways Blackstone creates value in our portfolio companies.

Neither this podcast nor any of the information contained herein constitutes an offer of any Blackstone fund. This podcast may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 which reflect Blackstone’s current views with respect to, among other things, Blackstone’s operations and financial per...