Amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty, we remain neutral on how we’re allocating risk within our alternatives portfolio. Base interest rate reduction has paused, and the oil shock from the Iran conflict is expected to increase inflation and long-term rates. We favour defensive assets, such as private debt, real assets, and hedged strategies. (Read the complete Alternative opportunities Q2 insights)
Private credit: Overweight as spreads begin to widen in public markets
We remain overweight direct lending as we believe all-in yields remain attractive for senior positioning, especially in the core middle market. Significant private equity dry powder and a backlog of exits point to a continuation of improved deal activity. We’re also overweight real estate credit, given high levels of current income potential and a recovering real estate equity market.