Blackstone Inc. ’s Kenneth Caplan said he’s seeing low levels of defaults within his firm’s private credit portfolio as scrutiny grows amid ructions in the $1.8 trillion industry. “There is a big disconnect, I’d say, between the headlines and the news cycle and what we see in the portfolio,” Caplan, Blackstone’s co-chief investment officer, said at the Asia Pacific Financial and Innovation Symposi...
Blackstone Inc. ’s Kenneth Caplan said he’s seeing low levels of defaults within his firm’s private credit portfolio as scrutiny grows amid ructions in the $1.8 trillion industry. “There is a big disconnect, I’d say, between the headlines and the news cycle and what we see in the portfolio,” Caplan, Blackstone’s co-chief investment officer, said at the Asia Pacific Financial and Innovation Symposium in Melbourne on Thursday. The firm’s portfolio still has “very low levels of default,” he added. Concerns have been bubbling in private credit markets this year, with investors spooked by the risk of technological disruptions and access to liquidity. Just this week, Ares Management Corp. and Apollo Global Management Inc. limited withdrawals from some funds to 5% of shares after clients sought to redeem even more. The world’s largest alternative asset managers are grappling with the skittishness about the industry’s lending practices and exposure to businesses vulnerable to artificial intelligence after fueling the private credit boom for years. The rapid pace of these requests has led to further questions about whether direct lending is suitable for investors who want occasional liquidity. Read More: Picking AI Winners Proves Tougher for Australia’s Pension Funds Caplan also said he expects more dislocations arising from AI developments in the future. Blackstone has a long history of AI investments with a slew of data centers and infrastructure related to the technology boom. “It still feels like there’s more disruption to come,” he said. Other executives including Macquarie Group Ltd.’s Shemara Wikramanayake are expected to speak at the event later Thursday. Ares, Apollo Cap Private Credit Withdrawals as Exodus Grows Private Credit Gate-Crashers Are Forcing Funds Into Brutal Spot BlackRock’s Retail Private-Credit Hopes Run Into Market’s Angst
Earnings Call Insights: Noodles & Company (NDLS) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Joseph Christina described 2025 as a pivotal year for the company, highlighting “system-wide comp sales growth of nearly 7% in fourth quarter of 2025 and further escalating to over 9% in the first quarter of 2026, thus far, with only a week remaining in the quarter, and profitability far exceeded the prior year in the fou...
Earnings Call Insights: Noodles & Company (NDLS) Q4 2025 Management View CEO Joseph Christina described 2025 as a pivotal year for the company, highlighting “system-wide comp sales growth of nearly 7% in fourth quarter of 2025 and further escalating to over 9% in the first quarter of 2026, thus far, with only a week remaining in the quarter, and profitability far exceeded the prior year in the fourth quarter of 2025.” Christina emphasized the rollout of the company’s most comprehensive new menu in its history and the successful launch of craveable limited time offers, including Chili Garlic Ramen and Steak Stroganoff, which have attracted new customer groups and driven engagement. The company undertook a portfolio review, closing underperforming restaurants. Christina stated this “resulted in a material transfer of sales to nearby locations, resulting in a step baseline increase of average sales volume at those go-forward restaurants, which also favorably impacted margins.” Operational improvements were achieved through the Operational Excellence Review (OER) program, raising standards and accountability, leading to improved guest satisfaction scores and operational consistency. Christina reported that marketing efforts shifted to a more data-driven, AI-supported approach, allowing for dynamic adjustment of investments and improved targeting, which reinforced brand engagement. CFO Michael Hynes said, “In the fourth quarter, our total revenue increased 0.8% compared to last year to $122.8 million...System-wide comp restaurant sales during the fourth quarter increased 6.6% including an increase of 7.3% at company-owned restaurants and an increase of 3.8% at franchised restaurants.” Outlook The company’s forecast for Q1 2026 projects comp sales of approximately 9% and adjusted EBITDA of $5.7 million to $6.3 million. For the full year 2026, guidance includes: “Total revenue of $478 million to $493 million, including comp restaurant sales growth of 6% to 9%. Restaurant c...
Investors in Japanese equities are hedging against more downside as the war in the Middle East drags on. The Topix index has shed more than 7% since the US-Israeli attack on Iran, making it one of the worst hit markets in the world. Since the start of the war in late February, Japan’s stock market has been on a roller coaster, lurching between sharp gains and losses. Stocks surged again on Wednesd...
Investors in Japanese equities are hedging against more downside as the war in the Middle East drags on. The Topix index has shed more than 7% since the US-Israeli attack on Iran, making it one of the worst hit markets in the world. Since the start of the war in late February, Japan’s stock market has been on a roller coaster, lurching between sharp gains and losses. Stocks surged again on Wednesday, closing 2.6% higher, after signs the US was trying to de-escalate the conflict . Amid the volatility, investors have been using short selling and options to position for sharp drops. Here are three charts showing bearish signs in the market. Short-Selling Ratio The ratio of short-selling to overall daily trading has increased noticeably with the 20-day moving average rising to around 40%, the highest in almost a year. Hiroki Takei , a strategist at Resona Holdings, said short covering usually creates future buying pressure, but with the level of uncertainty remaining high, he thinks it is unlikely it will “drive a significant rally in Japanese equities.” Put Demand Demand has jumped for index put options — contracts that get more valuable when prices fall. Particularly those deep out-of-the-money have seen a lot of demand, suggesting that investors are positioning for sharp falls. Implied volatility for one-month, five-delta Nikkei 225 index put options has surged to around 60%, up from around 40% before the Iran attack. Margin Sell Margin selling positions have increased two weeks in a row as of March 19, according to data released by the TSE on Tuesday. That suggests retail investors are starting to turn bearish as the war continues.
The crypto market is massive, and there are many different types of cryptocurrencies you can buy. Ethereum and Solana are smart contract platforms, and XRP is a payments coin, among others. Bitcoin is so large that it has effectively created its own category. You may want to invest in several types to build a diverse crypto portfolio, and with most of the market going through a downturn, now is a ...
The crypto market is massive, and there are many different types of cryptocurrencies you can buy. Ethereum and Solana are smart contract platforms, and XRP is a payments coin, among others. Bitcoin is so large that it has effectively created its own category. You may want to invest in several types to build a diverse crypto portfolio, and with most of the market going through a downturn, now is a good time to buy the dip. However, you're better off avoiding one popular type of cryptocurrency: meme coins. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Photo Italia LLC/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Just a couple of days ago, I finished an analysis of Greene County Bancorp ( GCBC ). I rated the stock as a Buy based on its strong earnings growth, credit quality, and operational metrics. My research piqued my curiosity about other small-cap banks in the area and led me to learn more about Arrow Financial Corporation ( AROW ). With a gain of ove...
Photo Italia LLC/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Just a couple of days ago, I finished an analysis of Greene County Bancorp ( GCBC ). I rated the stock as a Buy based on its strong earnings growth, credit quality, and operational metrics. My research piqued my curiosity about other small-cap banks in the area and led me to learn more about Arrow Financial Corporation ( AROW ). With a gain of over 22% in the last 12 months, AROW has certainly made some meaningful improvements to its bottom line in the last year that have caught the market’s attention. Its Q4 2025 results included a record net income of $14 million, or $0.85 per share. A deeper dive into the company’s operations, however, paints a noticeable contrast to many of the positives that I saw in GCBC. Several of Arrow's key barometers for performance fall short of the usual standards I want to see in a small-cap bank before deeming it a Buy. The company also recently made an offer to acquire privately held Adirondack Bancorp in a deal that is valued at about $89 million . Reading through the terms of the deal and the assets that AROW will acquire did not spark any new enthusiasm on my end. I consider Arrow Financial to be a Hold for the reasons discussed below. Company Overview With a geographic footprint of 38 branches in Northeast New York, Arrow Financial is the holding company for Arrow Bank. Formerly operating under the names Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company, Arrow is a full-service commercial bank that also offers wealth management and insurance services to its communities. In 2024, it was named to Piper Sandler’s Small-Cap All-Stars, a list of high-quality banks that included Greene County Bancorp in 2025. AROW has a current market cap of $550.2 million. According to its 2025 10-K filing , the company controlled $4.45 billion in assets at the end of last year, including a loan portfolio worth $3.45 billion. The bank’s total gross loans only gre...
The US Justice Department has settled for roughly US$1.2 million a lawsuit from Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to US President Donald Trump who pleaded guilty during the Republican’s first term to lying to the FBI about his conversations with a top Russian diplomat and was later pardoned. Court papers filed on Wednesday do not reveal the settlement amount, but a person familia...
The US Justice Department has settled for roughly US$1.2 million a lawsuit from Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to US President Donald Trump who pleaded guilty during the Republican’s first term to lying to the FBI about his conversations with a top Russian diplomat and was later pardoned. Court papers filed on Wednesday do not reveal the settlement amount, but a person familiar with the matter, who spoke to Associated Press on condition of anonymity to disclose nonpublic...