Definitely Maybe

With everyone well back from summer breaks and eager to press on, there’s a curious mixture of caution and anticipation in the air. Uncertainty about everything from interest rate cuts to the US election, yet excitement about a brightening economy and new, AI-led opportunities. The danger is that one could hold back the other. So maybe, as the Gallagher brothers might say, it’s just time to roll with it.

Little by little

EY’s latest COO survey ?perfectly captures this mood, finding leaders ‘confronting an economy in which resiliency coexists with uncertainty’. As a result, they are keeping their options open for the rest of 2024 but are expecting a bigger, bolder and brighter 2025. Just like Oasis, then.

Wonderwall

But acting decisively has its value too. The latest EY CEO Outlook Pulse survey of 1,200 global executives found that more confident CEOs are better prepared to take bold strategic actions, from acquisitions to transformation projects. That famous Mancunian Gallagher swagger at play again.

Champagne supernova?

There is a similar mix of caution and growing confidence in my own area of focus – Private Equity – as illustrated by the recently published State of Private Equity Report Europe Q2 . While deal activity has been largely subdued, there are real signs of a growing energy and impetus for exits and new assets are coming to market. While no one is expecting a champagne supernova just yet, now is the time to prepare the runway for take-off.

Electric Lady

But to get the very latest and best PE insights, look no further than Bridget Walsh’s LI page where she shares key takeaways from the leading private equity conference IPEM, at which Bridget chaired the ‘Investing in A Fragmented World panel’. I was lucky enough to join Bridget at IPEM with many of my awesome EY private equity colleagues from across Europe (you've probably seen the obligatory group photo). Bridget has been busy recently, chairing the latest EY Next Wave Private Equity podcast which looks at how tech is unlocking the private wealth opportunity for PE.?

Slide away

One thing is certain, investors require confidence and, on occasion, support. A fascinating piece by EY TMT leader André Schaub ?looks at how European FDI is in the doldrums and proposes that a better balance between innovation and regulation can help his sector not only attract more FDI but also adapt and grow more successfully.

Stand by me

Also in the TMT world, a fascinating piece describes how EY is helping an Italian news agency to combat fake news . The solution? Using blockchain to provide irrefutable proof that news is from a verified source. This makes it possible for readers not only to trace the origin of stories but track each one through updates and reposts on third-party news websites. Very smart stuff.

Half the world away?

As the football season here hots up, a significant rule change on the other side of the Atlantic caught my eye. The National Football League (NFL) is planning, for the first time in the league's history, to allow private equity firms to purchase minority stakes in the 32 American football franchises. This could quite literally be a gamechanger. For starters, think how many extra tights, helmets and those really high goalposts this could pay for.

And finally?

Now anyone who’s owned a cat knows that they can go missing, leaving you worrying yourself sick, yet it normally turns out they’ve been living their best life with a neighbour you don’t even like and eating salmon on a daily basis. Despite these feline habits, a Minnesota family feared the worst after their cat – the aptly monikered Drifter – had been missing for eight weeks. But when they tried calling his name one last time, they were surprised to hear a faint miaow from deep underground. Poor old Drifter had been stuck in a sewer and was safely rescued. Now that’s what I call a purrfect but pongy ending.

?

More catnip can be found right here .

?