Most of the performance data in this report is through September 30, when "blue skies" prevailed. By year-end, however, sentiment had shifted dramatically. As such, private fund investors should anticipate some degradation in valuations in fourth quarter reports, particularly in holdings that are energy-related, credit-related, or valued based on public market comparisons—real estate and infrastructure generally excluded. There is a tricky balance between caution and opportunity, but if the general backdrop remains accommodative, more years of blue skies are possible.
First Quarter 2019 Market Commentary
There was little follow-through into the first quarter after late-2018’s risk-off market environment, with strong returns generated across nearly every major asset class in the first three months of 2019. Underpinning the sharp performance reversal were expectations for Chinese-related tailwinds, including fresh rounds of fiscal stimulus and a potential easing of trade tensions with the United States, as well as an increasingly more accommodative global central bank policy path.