Alternative Investing Report - December 23, 2024
Vincent Alternative Investments
Keep up-to-date on the latest alternative investing news and insights in less than 5 minutes per week.
Happy Monday. M&A volume is picking up, a young star had the most graded sports cards in 2024, stablecoins are poised for growth, and why you shouldn’t trust Zestimates. Let’s dive in!
?? Listen: To a new episode of Smart Humans, where Slava Rubin talks with Cambria Investment Management founder Meb Faber about why investors should look at emerging markets.
This issue is brought to you by Carry.com, helping you grow your net worth with smart tax optimization.
?? WEEKLY MARKETS
?? M&A VOLUME
Global mergers and acquisitions volume is up 15% year-over-year, hitting $3.45 trillion so far in 2024, while U.S. volume is up 10% to $1.55 trillion. Big-money deals also saw a surge, as there have been 37 deals worth $10 billion or more, compared with 32 last year. The volume of private equity leveraged buyouts also jumped by 35% to over $600 billion.
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? TAKEAWAY: Many top dealmakers and bankers expect next year’s global M&A market to top $4 trillion, as they expect the incoming Trump administration to adopt a pro-business agenda with less regulation. Another factor is that many notable startups are staying private longer, which could force PE firms looking for liquidity to make more deals in lieu of IPOs.
?? NOTABLE NEWS
?? Stablecoin growth: The market cap for U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins is up 50% so far in 2024, and a pro-crypto government should spur further demand in 2025, which bodes well for both the crypto market and companies like USDC issuer Circle.
?? Zillow’s Zestimate: While Zillow’s well-known home pricing algorithm remains popular among the public, it is notoriously inaccurate and industry insiders caution that it is simply a marketing tool for Zillow.