Blackstone Podcast

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 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 or avoid significant losses. This blog post and the podcast may contain forward-looking statements; such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties.For information about Blackstone's business, including risks and financial information, please refer to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For additional information, see Blackstone’s public filings at ir.blackstone.com.

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 the personal views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Blackstone Group L.P. (together with its affiliates, “Blackstone”). The views expressed reflect the current views of the author as of the date hereof and Blackstone undertakes no responsibility to advise you of any changes in the views expressed herein. Blackstone and others associated with it may have positions in and effect transactions in securities of companies mentioned or indirectly referenced in this commentary and may also perform or seek to perform services for those companies. Investment concepts mentioned in this commentary may be unsuitable for investors depending on their specific investment objectives and financial position. Tax considerations, margin requirements, commissions and other transaction costs may significantly affect the economic consequences of any transaction concepts referenced in this commentary and should be reviewed carefully with one’s investment and tax advisors. All information in this commentary is believed to be reliable as of the date on which this commentary was issued, and has been obtained from public sources believed to be reliable. No representation or warranty, either express or implied, is provided in relation to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein. This commentary does not constitute an offer to sell any securities or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities. This commentary discusses broad market, industry or sector trends, or other general economic, market or political conditions and has not been provided in a fiduciary capacity under ERISA and should not be construed as research, investment advice, or any investment recommendation. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance.  

 “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 today, the global credit markets and how GSO has ascended to its leading position in the industry. In the coming months, Dwight will be sitting down with team members at GSO to discuss a wide range of macroeconomic topics impacting credit markets.     **** Neither this blog post, nor the podcast nor any of the information contained herein or therein 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 or avoid significant losses. This blog post and the podcast may contain forward-looking statements; such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. For information about Blackstone's business, including risks and financial information, please refer to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For additional information, see Blackstone’s public filings at ir.blackstone.com.

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 shares his unique perspective with Blackstone’s audiences through his market commentary series. The discussion spanned a range of topics, from Joe’s take on inflation concerns to the looming threat of a trade war. Joe also shared his optimistic views on future growth despite the major political and financial concerns facing investors today. *** The views expressed in this podcast are the personal views of Joe Zidle and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Blackstone Group L.P. (together with its affiliates, “Blackstone”). The views expressed reflect the current views of Joe Zidle as of the date hereof, and neither Joe Zidle nor Blackstone undertake any responsibility to advise you of any changes in the views expressed herein. 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 or avoid significant losses. This podcast may contain forward-looking statements; such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. For information about Blackstone's business, including risks and financial information, please refer to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For additional information, see Blackstone’s public filings at ir.blackstone.com.        

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 our recent $20 billion deal for Thomson Reuters Financial and Risk (F&R) business. Martin sat down to discuss some behind-the-scenes details on how the deal came together, and what we see looking ahead for the F&R business and our partnership with Thomson Reuters.           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 or avoid significant losses. This podcast may contain forward-looking statements; such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties.   For information about Blackstone's business, including risks and financial information, please refer to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For additional information, see Blackstone’s public filings at ir.blackstone.com.

    *** 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 or avoid significant losses. This podcast may contain forward-looking statements; such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. For information about Blackstone's business, including risks and financial information, please refer to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For additional information, see Blackstone’s public filings at ir.blackstone.com.

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 this newly poor population will devastate federal, state, and local budgets for decades to come. In his new book with co-author Teresa Ghilarducci, Rescuing Retirement, Blackstone’s Tony James proposes a bi-partisan and surprisingly simple solution to this problem. It’s built on personal responsibility, facilitates personal savings, and guarantees that all full-time workers can be secure in their retirement. Listen to Tony James discuss his plan to fix the looming retirement savings crisis on the latest episode of the Blackstone podcast to learn more.

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 the top 10 such as cryptocurrency, the Mueller investigation and cyberattacks. ** Disclaimer: The views expressed in this commentary are the personal views of Byron Wien of Blackstone Advisory Partners L.P. (together with its affiliates, “Blackstone”) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Blackstone itself. The views expressed reflect the current views of Mr. Wien as of the date hereof and neither Mr. Wien nor Blackstone undertakes to advise you of any changes in the views expressed herein. This commentary does not constitute an offer to sell any securities or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities. Such offer may only be made by means of an Offering Memorandum, which would contain, among other things, a description of the applicable risks.

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 concern value, it’s important to do so.

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 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 or avoid significant losses. This podcast may contain forward-looking statements; such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties.

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 processes at Gates [3:50], the lean leadership at Service King [8:05], creating cultural change at Michaels [9:50], and looking to the future of the practice [13:05]. Neither this article 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 or avoid significant losses. This article may contain forward-looking statements; such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties

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 performance. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “outlook,” “indicator,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates” or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. Blackstone believes these factors include but are not limited to those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, as such factors may be updated from time to time in its periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in our quarterly earnings presentation and in the filings. Blackstone undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.