The global-market portfolio represents the aggregate financial assets of all investors worldwide. Institutions can benefit by monitoring its composition and evolution, to shed light on investor preferences, as well as trends in asset-class weights. 

Distributions and holding periods in private markets remain key considerations for assets owners. We examine the trends and also summarize the performance of major asset classes in Q2 2024. 

Indexes can provide vital benchmarks for investors navigating private markets, a significant but relatively opaque investment ecosystem. We explain the hallmarks of building a foundational dataset and creating indexes that are reliable and robust. 

We summarize the performance of major asset classes based on the latest update of MSCI’s private-funds data universe and explore trends in distributions — a key concern for asset owners.  

Senior-debt funds led 2023 private-asset performance, followed by mezzanine debt. We summarize the leaders and the laggards from the Q4 2023 update of the Burgiss Manager Universe, and chart the trend in private-equity distributions.