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Is private equity in trouble?

Trader Jared Dillian says PE firms are having problems exiting their investments, and he worries that the sector poses systemic risk.
Blackstone, helmed by CEO Stephen Schwarzman, is one of the world's top private equity firms.
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The impending private equity blitz on NFL teams

Sep 6, 2024
In this week's "Make Me Smart" newsletter, we explore the NFL's decision to allow private equity to buy portions of football teams, the relationship between car weight and safety and the costs of an extremely hot summer.
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Private equity's role in health care is under increasing scrutiny

Apr 8, 2024
A Senate committee and two federal agencies are taking closer looks at how private equity’s ownership of hospitals and physician staffing companies is affecting health care.
"About 25% of emergency room departments are staffed by private equity-owned physician companies," said Sabrina Howell of NYU’s Stern School of Business.
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Why do companies go private?

There's news that department store chain Nordstrom is looking to go private, after a previous attempt failed.
Nordstrom's stock jumped 10% last week after a report said the company is looking to go private.
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How the buyer of Subway could turn around the struggling sandwich chain

Aug 25, 2023
A private equity firm has agreed to buy Subway. It may need to close stores in the U.S., but expand overseas.
Subway has struggled for the past decade. The chain has suffered from a scandal with its longtime spokesperson, tough competition, and an excess of franchise locations.
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Banking crisis may be fueling the rise of so-called "shadow banks"

May 15, 2023
Hedge funds and private equity loans might lend like banks, but they're not regulated like them.
Shadow banks are financial institutions that provide loans but don't take deposits.
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How private equity creates a "circle of pain" in the US economy

Apr 27, 2023
Private equity "is a major driver of the enormous gulf between rich and poor in this country," says author Gretchen Morgenson.
The private equity firm Blackstone Group, led by Stephen A. Schwarzman (center) is among the top buyers in leveraged buyouts over the last several decades.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Private equity investment is flooding into addiction treatment. Is that a good thing?

Jan 25, 2023
When a new operator took over an addiction treatment center in Nashville, former employees say they saw cutbacks.
Mitzi Dawn works in addiction treatment and spent part of her career as a songwriter. Her “Sing & Share” events were part of the offerings she says were cut when a private equity-backed company took over Nashville Recovery Center in 2021.
Blake Farmer/WPLN News

In this housing market, all-cash deals are king

Private equity firms and other real estate investors are taking advantage of high mortgage rates in low-income neighborhoods, says housing strategist Majora Carter.
Housing strategist Majora Carter says that the trend is especially pronounced in low-income neighborhoods, where private equity firms and other companies use all-cash deals to rapidly snap up housing.
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Private equity bought a nursing home, leading to staff cuts and a decline in care

Sep 8, 2022
A new investigation by The New Yorker delves into the acquisition of a Virginia nursing home and what happened next.
A new investigation published in The New Yorker detailed what happened at St. Joseph's Home for the Aged, a nursing home in Richmond, Virginia, after it was acquired by a private equity firm in 2021.
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